Here's a hypothetical scenario: Why don't you use all the money you're about to lose to the stock market to learn a trade. Then, you can be making consistent incomes from your 'trade' w/o all the heartaches that come from taking a big loss/blowing up your account? Why aren't more ppl doing this? It seems that trading is the hard way to make it through life. Life is too short tohave it the hard way.
The solution to the either/or dilemma is simultaneity... I wrote 200,000 words last year [and posted a few times too] while watching the screen and trading... you are framing the dilemma as one containing opportunity costs, forget that shit, it's the third millennium, get a computer and write and trade like I do because WIN stands for Work is Nonprofit. Learning a trade is futile, trolls like you can never work harder than a Mexican, forget that, you just will not be able to do it, they are born to work, have a good attitude on the job and they work cheap so you're totally, irreparably screwed..
A job is linear income with limited upside. The market offers exponential profit opportunities, it can happen fast and you can get filthy rich. You are your own boss and control your schedule. I mean you are free to show up when the bell rings! Trading is just not for everyone. But to learn a trade is also not for all of us and is certainly not a sure quick en easy way to riches.
99% of people can learn a trade, 99% of people fail at trading. Me, cause the summer I did drywall to build capital for my first trading account taught me one thing, back breaking work is hard. Anyone can do it, but there is a price to your body, quality of life, etc. With trading you get to have fun, make lots of money, be your own boss, as well as get the satisfaction of winning a game that 99% of people lose. IMO unless you love trading you can never succede. And if you love trading, and become consistent enough to earn a living doing it, you'll never work a day in your life. I have been trading for 7 years, started when I was 15. I've been trading professionally for 3 months now and make about 200 dollars a day, but am targeting 1000 a day by the end of 2 years (daily average of course). The market is always changing. its always new and exciting, you get to keep learning forever, always getting better. Always making more money. The money is just for keeping score. In short, traders trade cause it's awesome.
since its your first post....i'll play along. ....... ....................... your right. it can happen fast and you can get filthy rich
I have a trade. It's a cruel mistress. I had a bond trade in April 2010, ran it to August, made 12x my money. I made more on that trade than I made in my trade (structural steel drafting) for 3 mths..... Obviously we all need a job to survive, but these kinds of payoffs definitely alter your motivations. The irony of course, the thing that clued me into that trade? - The steel trade told me the Market had to lower rates given the fake recovery, which it did. I got out when things got elevated. The bad part? The steel trade told me to short equities into the new year.... So you see why I still have a trade?