This thread is so full of bias - I might as well add my own... Here's some history so all you 18-22 years olds listen to what I say and make a good decision: I have advanced degrees in electrical engineering and I currently run a small fund (my own business essentially, been trading for about 8 years and managing OPM for the last 6 months). I started my career out of grad. school doing EE stuff and gradually transitioned into finance. Anyway - if you think that a college degree is worthless, well, in most cases, you're probably right. If you think a BA in Art or, even better, a BA in art history is going to provide a solid foundation for whatever you chose to do, you're in for a surprise. In fact, I'll argue that any "soft major", like history, english or sociology, on it's own, is a complete waste of money and time (unless you chose to go to law school afterwards for professional education - then you need a bachelors in something regardless). But that's beside the point - the point is you can chose to make college a challenging and *very* useful endeavor. It is all about what you make of it. I choose EE because it was challenging - the math and science is useful and it trains one for analytical thinking and critical problem solving. Two essential skills if you want to accomplish anything in life IMO. Further, it shows drive, motivation and smarts to FINISH a tough degree. Personally, I do not consider someone intellectually capable unless they've learned basic college level calculus, economics and statistics. That doesn't mean they had to take a structured class to learn such basics - it means that they can either open a text on their own and understand the material and apply it, or, learn it through the school of hard knocks, i.e. trading or starting a business. VERY few people have the ability to self-start and do applied learning on their own. We're talking <.1% of the population... most everyone needs a structured environment for learning. If you started college and dropped out - you've failed. Period. End of story, don't start arguing about the merits of not having a degree or what not, it just doesn't matter... you gave up and you are already a loser in the eyes of many for the pure fact that you didn't finish what you started. However, choosing a different path right from the start because you are brilliant gets my full respect (like starting MSFT or any good business model for that matter), otherwise, accept the fact that you are not a finisher and that fact will stay with you forever... Successful people stop doing something because they find something else more fulfilling and challenging, not because they found the classes boring and useless (you choose your major and you choose your classes!, if you find them boring, you made a bad choice - don't just quit and walk away, reevaluate and finish what you started...). Quitters are just that... If you think a degree is waste of time, then it likely will be for you! Just don't go around trying to convince others of the same thing. I found my education to be very useful - I made the most out of it and it has served me better than I could have ever imagined on a business, trading and personal level. College is what you make of it just like anything else in life. Oh, and if you think it that there is nothing to be gained from college to apply to trading, well, you're just plain stupid. I'm not going to argue it anymore than that - that line of thought is just stupidity stemming from a lack of proper education... just take a class in advanced stats for god's sake... Anyhow, enough from me - let the non-degree people tear me apart. Oh - and if in the process of tearing me apart, you want to compare trading returns and all talk all that "my dick is bigger than yours" bullshit, well, I can my prove my performance in a matter of seconds, at least be prepared to do the same. Mike
LOL I did my time in the shit. I realized college was a waste of my time FOR ME after where I'd been to earn my education. You can say I failed all you want because I decided college wasn't worth it to me..I even got PAID to go to college and still couldn't stand it. I could still get paid to go to school through the GI Bill but it is honest to God not worth it to me. No offense to those who enjoyed college or whatever, frankly I am happy for you that's great and I wish I could give you a great big ol' hug for it. But you learn plenty at the school I went to....I attended for 4 years. I'm no quitter...but I also don't waste my time. Cut your losses and all...right?
So are you saying you are smarter than me? Well, then teach me something I don't know. ... seriously! [PS: I thought this was a wisdom contest, not a competition for who's the smartest. Guess I'm not wise either (nor according to you do I probably have much intelligence for being unable to decipher 'smarts' from 'wisdom) - well... give me clever at least!]
Oh, that must mean you can't say the same? *** Of course there are traders on this board who have an extensive education and make a tremendous amount of money. Look up a guy named atticus, he's instutitional level who trades for himself. There are also traders who, with no applicable college, or formal training, applied themselves and 2 or 3 years later broke a million. Adios ET *** The point of all this is: Do you need a degree to succeed at this game? Hell no. Does a degreee make a difference if you never had what it took to succeed as a trader anyway? Hell no. Will most of the guys/girls who try their hand at this game really succeed at it (become self sustaining purely from their own trading) whether they have a college degree or not? Hell no I
And yet, more Bias... Though an EE degree is a great one to have. I would agree. COming from a Heavy Electronics design and Engineering background w/o a college degree. I guess I wasn't moving fast enough in regular school for them to shoot me to college as a 12 year old when I was designing circuits equipment/gear and the like because I had TOOOO much time on my hands..... Again, Bias... Based on YOUR experience. There is no ONE SIZE FITS ALL equation here. I was a Super Nerd who hated school because I learned it before they taught it. GrandDad was an EE so at 7 he started stuffing my head full. and Yet I still HATED SCHOOL!!!!!! Let me add this. I'd rather spend a month studying and reading books on a subject than SPENDING ONE LOUSY FREAKIN' DAY SITTING IN A CLASSROOM!!!!!!!!!! I learned how to program COBOL, BASIC, FORTRAN, ADA, PASCAL and C++ by reading books and writing programs. I would have pissed myself to have to listen to some boring instructor "teach me." The only Instructor I find interesting is one who can TRULY TEACH the word of God. Otherwise.. Bug OFF!!!!! Come mid January, I am going to do the same with C# because I want to try out OpenQuant... I am teaching my children C. Even the super outgoing Sanguine artistic one. I am not pressed if she gets deep. I just want her to have a basic working knowledge of computers above the average Minion in america.
You are absolutely right about everything you say. But that wasn't the OPs issue. His issue was he was unemployable partially due to his college situation. [i say partially because perhaps there are other issues here] So add one more question, the crucial one to your list: Does having a college degree help (and not hinder) a trader gain entry to the business of trading other people's money professionally? Yes. Its like a job attainment lubricant. Did anyone here even suggest that possession of a college degree directly correlates to a trader's system performance? Hell no (so argument about this is moot). But seriously ... whats with the smug?
Keep me posted on how that's going. It comes highly recommened on this thread: ATS Comparison ... until they stop making drones and start making free-thinkers in college, you're going to have to keep up the good work, LOL. I