What formal education does one need?

Discussion in 'Professional Trading' started by c.chugani, Oct 30, 2007.

  1. Screen time.

    Sit your ass down in front of the screen for two years.

    Then proceed to minimal size trading to work on psychology then add cars as you see consistent profitability, when the consistency fades, drop down a car size.

    Anek
     
    #21     Oct 30, 2007
  2. That sounds fine. But vague.

    Which instrument & market ?

    Which trading platform?

    Where can I learn to develop a strategy tailored to my own temperament?

    Its tought to admit, and as much as I have already dedicated time to the markets, I have no clue about any the answers to any of the above questions.
     
    #22     Oct 30, 2007
  3. Chugani,

    Try paper swing trading futures, particularly ES (SP500)or NQ(Nasdaq).

    More info at CME.com

    Buy the swing trading book by Farley

    Buy the chartong book by Duddella

    Buy Trading in the Zone by Douglas

    ...and the screen time I spoke of.

    Anek
     
    #23     Oct 30, 2007
  4. a lot of money to lose and a lot of time 2-3 years minimum for futures...
     
    #24     Oct 30, 2007
  5. rwk

    rwk

    If trading were easy, everybody would be doing it.

    Jobs as an institutional trader are extremely competitive, and the working conditions and culture of greed are deplorable. The only benefit is the potential to make a bundle of money and retire early. You can do that and still not know how to trade for yourself.

    Trading for yourself has a lot of parallels with farming in the old days. It was a feast or famine existance, and you didn't have anybody to rely on, or answer to, but yourself. The outcome often depended on factors out of your control (i.e. the weather). This way of making a living has unfortunately fallen into disfavor.
     
    #25     Oct 30, 2007
  6. Take up kung fu or some martial arts. Learn discipline and how to destroy cinderblock with head.

     
    #26     Oct 30, 2007
  7. Anek, There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she will do well, she has an excellent mentor and in my opinion a wonderful father... I wish you and your family health, happiness and prosperity...
     
    #27     Oct 30, 2007
  8. That is exactly what a fellow I know did. He got a two year degree in Economics, then got a job on the floor of the CME running orders.

    He now runs a Hedge Fund in Chicago, he didn't do investment banking, but he does quite well for himself.

    There are so many options when getting started with trading, wall street, etc. Explore them all, and find what works best for you. Imo there isn't one exact 'right' way to do it.
     
    #28     Oct 30, 2007
  9. I highly second that. One of the most valuable books I have read. I have read it several times and get something new from it each time.
     
    #29     Oct 30, 2007
  10. Cutten

    Cutten

    Literacy and numeracy are all you really need. Not even that if you plan to become a floor trader :p

    Other useful skills: logic, epistemology, statistics, economics.

    If you plan on going to work for a trading/investment/finance company first (the most common route, and probably easiest to eventually turn into trading success), then it's more important to go to a top university and have strong extra-curricular activities on your CV than exactly which degree you do. Although some kind of quantitative degree e.g. maths/physics, or one in finance/economics, will probably give you an edge over other applicants, and obscure arts degrees will count against you.

    But playing the CV/interview game is entirely different to succeeding at trading. 95% of Goldman employees who went to its prop desk ended up blowing out, and they had top educations just to be able to step in the door. Trading success (pure directional trading) has almost nothing to do with normal measures of educational achievement. It's more about a certain mentality and personality, along with high intelligence - those things can't easily be learned or taught.
     
    #30     Oct 30, 2007