commerce from Ivy League will get you into a solid investment bank that will give you the most room and resources to grow. Trading $500,000 or even a million by yourself is not enough to impress anyone. -- I'm managing a ridiculous amount for someone my age (getting smaller as I pay off study fees), but this has only gotten me 2 interviews (at small firms only), and no job... btw go for "prestige" when going to college, that is all they seem to care about.
Swing trading with holding periods based on market action always appealed to me. I have one account with a swing/CANSLIM type setup but it has a 0.34 expectancy. My shorter-term swing account is 1.69. This is what I'm trying to work on. Swing trades combining top-down views and fundamentals.
Nice post and insight. This has been my experience but never heard it articulated before. Two years trading the 1 and 3 minute futures should do it for you. -alpha