Best combination is to do a double degree in Computer Science and Psychology. Preferably from Ivy league.
Being an expert in massage therapy and having a pretty face would certainly convince your risk manager to give you more leverage. But if you're a regular dude looking to break in the industry as a trader with a serious technical analysis edge: http://www.mta.org/eweb/StartPage.aspx
For a serious answer, you do need a good math background in most cases if you're applying to top trading firms i.e. DRW, Jane Street Capital, GETCO, etc. Check out wallstreetoasis.com under the top prop trading firms thread to get alot more info. I've had interviews with alot of firms and they'll all ask probability, logic, and gambling questions. Some more quant heavy firms will expect you to know Cal 2 and higher end math. If you can't answer these questions, then the mental toughness part doesn't matter. After the math background, you have to show your mental toughness/discipline/desire to learn.
What??? I did go to I.U. and managed to get alot of interviews with top tier trading firms (based on experience and qualifications), and they all told me "why should I hire you over an Ivy League? It's rare to hire a guy from a state school (but top 10 b-school) under a 3.8 GPA." Getting in the door with these firms is through an Ivy League, a good quant program with a great GPA, or experience in one form or another.
The ideal degree would be a major in Mathematics, preferably statistics, and a minor in computer science. For good measure, throw Finance 101 in there. Or, you could switch Computer Science and Mathematics with the minor in math being primarily stats.
Zoology so you can work with your stock picking coworkers and be ready for promotion to research department.
After the total and indescribable FUBAR of "copulas" and other risk management witchcraft, I think Quants as a race on Wall St. (along with Wall St itself) are facing the threat of extinction. Honestly, all those firms are doing themselves a big disservice by insisting on a quant background. Stock Market is not going to be described by mathematical equation of any rigour. People are not electrons and adequate "Wave equations" for the stock market will not be worthcoming.
I'm kind of confused with all the suggestions towards math and statistics, psychology, and computer science. I understand how psychology is important, but why would I need lectures on Freud to prove that I can manage a trade? Wouldn't showing my trading success on my resume and showing my skills prove I know enough about trading psychology? Please elaborate. As for in-depth math and statistics, is this mainly for programmers and computer science people working on models? I am through Calculus II and Linear Algebra, and I will have three stats courses under my belt as part of my Finance major. For computer science, what exactly do I need it for? With all the suggestions for it and none for Finance or Economics (don't people still need to understand international business, interest rates, derivatives, etc.?), I'm starting to get a bit nervous. Thanks for the info on the MTA and CMT. I will look into costs but it seems like a good idea. My interests are more toward strategy and trade and risk management, where I excel. I am not detail-oriented enough to excel in programming. Where do I fit in? Edit: I see MTA fees are $300 annually, $250 to join the CMT program, and $250-300 for each CMT test. I'm kind of a college student with not all that much money, so can you reflect on this a bit? Quality of education and services, mainly. Thanks.
Sir IMHO Psychology is most important... so you learn how you learn, Managing YOU will be the hardest, and most important aspect - to trading successfully â AND It will be an ongoing evolution, process, and sometimes battle â till you stop trading Good Luck