Too Late in the Day to Trade?

Hi all,

I've been reading plenty of threads on this forum to research equity trading. All been proving really useful.

I'm currently working as a buy side equity "trader", Head of Desk. The money's ok - in the region of $200k but my brain and heart crave something more challenging and rewarding.

I, probably like most others in the world, ultimately aspire to working as a prop trader and then hedge fund manager but finding a path and formulating a plan is proving really difficult.

I'm sitting CFA level 2 in June 2011, but turning 30 in a couple of weeks. I'm thinking of jacking the job in and getting on the full time Master's in Finance at London Business School. I would then move into an IB on the trading floor. I've been reading a lot of discussion about the age of traders though, indications have been pretty young - early to mid 20's, and I'm wondering whether I am "past it" in the eye's of the trading world and would therefore not be considered by an IB - despite the no age discrimination.

Also wondering whether MBA would be better than a Masters in Finance or should I go the whole hog and push for a phd in finance after the masters - in which case I'd be knocking on 35 before I am completely out of education and will have been flat broke for the last five years.

Also wondering whether getting onto a trading floor as a New Associate would help the quest into prop trading as; a) all prop trading operations within IB's seem to be closing down. b) would it be better to be an analyst if you eventually want to be a Hedge fund manager - however, I fear the analyst route is a lot more of a rat race. Trading's just down to your skill!

I could alternatively do the Master's in Finance part time over two years after CFA which would relieve financial constraints somewhat but would push my age back even further.

Or should I just try and move on from where I am. The firm I work for is a successful long -only manager with a track record of 15% annualised returns, averaged over the last 14 years. But being fundamental, bottom up, value investing, long-only, it's not the most stretching and exciting place to work as a "trader". I could try and get a similar role within a hedge fund, and if they exist, somewhere that'll give me some money to punt around with. However, I feel this path has no long term future for making my own real decisions.

In the long run, I really want to be making my own buy and sell decisions and want to do so in a more cutting edge environment than the traditional long-only asset manager. Somewhere like Goldman Sachs Investment Partners would be the place to be - multi-strategy, long/short, equity investing. Obviously, this is an elite place to be aiming for, so I'm talking something similar. Something I really want to do and I I'll give up a lot to do so if I can find a path.

However, I'm not into wasting time, having wasted 25 years trying escape a retarded up bringing, and if it's just impossible due to age etc, then I need to come up with a different focus.

I joined a private client brokers a year after uni as "junior broker/trader", was with them for two years, then at current employer for bit over three years.

Any information and advice on whether it is too late in the day for me, but if not, the possible career paths would be welcome. It feels like I'm pretty much fuc?ed though.

Thanks in advance.