Hi All, Just thought it'd be interesting to hear some commentary from some of the people on here who's primary source of income is through trading. A few questions: 01) What first attracted you to the profession? 02) What has kept you in it? 03) How does it compare to other career(s) that you may have been first involved in? Upsides, downsides? 04) What has surprised you the most about the day-to-day grind? Critical success factors? 05) What exactly has trading given you? Prestige? Control? Freedom? Huge cash reserves?
That's a lot of questions. lol Trading has given me a creative outlet. I am in a fantastic, although dead-end, job. The possibility of making some money for a cush and early retirement through trading has kept me working away. I like the market because there is no gray area. No fuzzy, wishy-washy evaluations, no discretionary raises, no going to bed with an argument unresolved. The market doesn't have you come in on weekends because you didn't make enough sales calls during the week. The market is never mad because you forgot it's birthday or didn't give it a backrub. The market doesn't give you a dirty look because you let an insidious bug get through testing. You made money on a trade or you did not. Binary output. I appreciate being told if I am right or wrong immediately and not having to guess where I stand. I made exactly two trades last year; in and out once each. I'm up 15%. I hope trading will afford me the ability to not be a burden on my children.
4) I was surprised to find out through trading how stupid I am. 5) Trading has given me stress. There are better things to stare at than charts, I'd much rather be a gynecologist.
BINGO. Two observations: 1) Any of you who are 40+ males...and looking for work in the USA...LISTEN-UP: You are the new "niggah"...the minority. All of the corporate "diversity" initiatives going on further this situation. That's right, and it's confirmed by the fact there are no blacks at the Tea Parties. Why not ? So as not to bite the hand that feeds them. 2) Any of you still in the IT profession that has been largely outsourced to chinese and indians ? If you try to find a job, you will only find temporary work...and then you'll discover that the temp agencies RULE YOUR WORLD, and YOU ARE A SLAVE. I thought it had been abolished..... NOT in this environment. It's awful. Trading = freedom !