science_trader, I agreed with everything you said in principle! I've been there, done that. Did the corporate thing. Quit. Did the trading thing. Now doing something else. But in PRACTICE, it's quite different. People go into trading because of freedom(same as what I thought). But what is freedom when the the vast majority can't even make a measly $50K/yr PRE-TAX? Many blow up. Dwindle their accounts. Live on the edge with no savings. We all want financial freedom. What's the point of trading to get one form of freedom(freedom from corporate slavery & politcs etc like you and many mentioned) and trade it for ANOTHER of SLAVERY when you 30 or 40 and still not making it in trading with no savings, no marketable skills, and an uncertain future... And also, some people are lucky enough to find the REAL KIND OF JOBS they love! Maybe I/you was/were in the wrong corporates. Now, I feel so much better and happier. It's not black and white. Maybe the corps you were with were the wrong culture and mix. There's always others you can be happy with. Life has some compromises. We trade on slavery for another "freedom" and vice versa. Just think about that.. misctrader
If it weren't for the problem of good innexpensive Health Care, trading would have zero downside, even for the people that "only" make $50k. With rising health care costs, sky rocketing education costs, sky rocketing housing prices, local governements going broke and thirsting for more taxes, sky rocketing commodity prices, should I go on in our rising costs of living? Still, if you are young or are young at heart, nothing beats trading for the pure freedom and creative expression it allows, no matter how much you make. nitro
With a $1-2 mil, one can trade and likely have a decent living. But, for most of the sub $50K accounts, good luck. This market just doesn't move.
I am totally disillusioned about most people and I think this is the main problem for a complete integration in a corporate place, whatever it is. I have tried banks, insurances, software companies, sports instruction, university research ...and even the army. All about the same. Definitely not for me... I understand what you mean through financial freedom, but I would tend to believe that being in a state of total financial freedom isn't a good thing either as it usually stops you from inovating and taking risks in your life. But I'm still in my early 30s, and perhaps I might think otherwise in 15 years from now
... with much less less than 1M in my trading account it is still possible to do OK ..... Most of the people that I know that are in trading are making more than 50K a year by the way - or they would be doing something else.....