Recent grad needs advice on breaking into trading
I'm in my mid-20s and I want to pursue a career in trading.
I have been involved in the markets for 5 years and am mostly a fundamental trader (I look at cash flow statements, balance sheets, etc), although i do look at technicals to help with entry points and forming an opinion on the market's perception.
I use options to express my views. I put on naked long delta and vega trades, as I don't believe i have a capital base large enough to utilize premium selling strategies.
YTD I am up 170%, and last year I finished up 200%+. I trade with about $30k, and most of my liquid net worth is in the bank. I am unemployed, so I feel better keeping a lot of cash in the bank (I don't want to blow up my account again and start from zero).
I graduated from a no-name college with a 3.2 GPA and a finance degree. After college, I saved up some money in order to open an account with IBKR.
Ultimately, I would love to gain real trading/investing experience at a quality institution, but with my background it has been very difficult. Most prop shops want very quantitatively-minded people, and math is my worst subject...Hedge funds only want ivy-league grads and people who have a couple years of experience in ibanking.
How should i go about getting into this industry?
And for those interested, the traders who have really influenced me thus far are:
Stanley Druckenmiller, George Soros, Jamie Mai, and torico780 from Value Investors Club.
For those interested in books that have helped me in my development as a trader:
- The Intelligent Investor
- Margin of Safety
- Distressed Debt Analysis
- Market Wizards
- Fooling Some of the People all of the Time
- Alchemy of Finance
- The Art of Short Selling
- Dead Company Walking
- Financial Shenanigans
- Capital Returns
Ut omnis dolor ducimus temporibus. Consequatur tempora in perferendis suscipit tempora. Amet voluptate in sit voluptate. Facilis architecto maiores neque aperiam.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Aliquid inventore et officiis similique molestias. Sunt quo id quisquam praesentium veritatis fugit. Neque perferendis cum assumenda accusantium.