IMO a college degree offers many benefits other than the career doors it opens. Of course it's what you make of it, but if I was hiring and the choice was between a college grad and a non-grad, the choice is easy. As far as having bullets whizzing past your head, seriously what does that "teach" anyone? Sorry but I don't see that experience being very useful for anything outside of a war zone. I'm sure the officers will tell you that you're more of a man or whatever but frankly those guys are probably career grunts.
you dropped out of college to become a 9-5er, thats not a good sign? What school did you drop out of? What were your SATs? If you dropped out of a good school and you had strong college boards that makes a difference. what do you bring to the table?
That's your problem. If you can't see how that would put your life into perspective then I feel sorry for you and no matter what reasoning I used to explain it to you would fall on deaf ears. It works wonders to learn that sort of discipline, and then go use it for trading. I am sorry you didn't have the privilege of my experiences. You'll never understand it. Maybe you can take a course on Discipline 101, at your community college. Good luck with that.
Having just finished my undergrad degree, I can honestly say that 90% of it was a waste of time; jumping through hoops. However, when companies have to spend a lot of money to interview people, they know they will get a group of smart candidates by looking for people who finished their degrees at good schools. Why make their job harder by looking for one of the few people who didn't go to college but is a determined, intelligent person and great candidate? There aren't many people like that out there, and the degree tells them that the person is willing to jump through hoops and get the degree that helps them stand out. When companies sometimes have to fly candidates in for interviews it can cost a few thousand dollars per person, and even in cases where it doesn't cost that much, companies can easily narrow down their search to smart, qualified people by looking for those with a college degree (if that industry is one where having a degree is common). Why make their job harder? I know a few very intelligent people who don't make much money, and I know some complete morons who make decent or good money. Sometimes it's about jumping through hoops and doing what's expected, rather than being a rebel. I'm not trying to say everyone should have a degree. My cousin was a successful stock broker for many years and has always been very wealthy, and he dropped out of the same business school I just finished, and quit within one semester. Even he said that he wished he would have just got the degree because people always questioned his abilities despite his success.
Thoughts? Yeah, finish what you started. GET YOUR DEGREE. Anyone that thinks that attaining a degree is proof of intelligence is silly. What a degree does prove is that you are a finisher. What are the hallmarks of most finishers? Maturity Responsibility Perseverance Self-knowledge More likely to achieve than be a loser Just to list a few. Good Luck!
I just have to ... LOL. Oh, allright. The real life experience of going to war, or any type of real life experience where you are pushed to excel and achieve things which you did not know you were capable of achieving are, in general, a far better training ground for self starters and retail traders than going to school. 1. There is no question of having self discipline ... you have to, to survive. 2. There is no question of who is responsible for you ... you are. 3. There is no question of what you get if you succeed at the task in front of you ... your life. 4. There is no question of you being in a situation that you can handle ... if you survive, you know you can handle anything. 5. There is no question of having killer instinct ... you do. 6. Finally and most importantly, if none of what I wrote makes sense to you or you cannot understand it ... it is because of men like him who put their lives on the line so we can live our comfortable civilized existence. I
If you can get a degree and are able to do it, I see no valid reason why you shouldn't or wouldn't get it. I too avoided the degree thing for a number of years. In my mid 20's though, I realized that not only do I need the degree for definitive life-long financial security, but I also desired it for the personal satisifaction. Why not get it? Sure, you *might* be successful without it. You *might* make millions in the stock market. You *might* start the next big company. With the degree, you *KNOW* that you can hack it at working hard and going after your desires in life. Getting a degree isn't about being an academic expert in some random field. Getting a degree is about learning how to be a life-long learner. The education teaches you that you must work hard no matter how much you want to quit. It teaches you how to go about figuring out something that you've never done before in your life.
Awesome post YOU NAILED IT! Thanks man. Just wondering why everyone has negative stuff to say. Some of the guys here were acting like I was trying to beat my chest and act like I'm a big man for going into the shit.... You hit the point I was trying to make square on the head. Those points you mentioned are EXACTLY the things that you learn and accept about yourself to become a winner in ANYTHING. I was lucky enough to be able to serve my country and come out okay, and have that sort of discipline instilled. It's a huge head start and I am grateful for it. While there is no way to ever get over the shitty feeling of having a losing trade, or the anxiety of putting big money on the line, if you've embraced the type of discipline that war or something similar can give you....well, at that point trading is something you can most definitely handle. I appreciate your intellect Icarus. Now that I am on the sidelines I am rooting for those brave souls as well. They deserve to come out and become good traders! I sure hope they can come home soon.
Not sure if you were trying to insult me or what, but since the post didn't necessarily seem that way, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, cause I'm cool like that lol He is supposedly writing a book soon...heh heh That dude is a fucking nutcase. His site is like a car wreck, you just gotta stop by and look sometimes. ha ha ha