Trading options from college dorm

In uni I had a full course about the theory of options and futures trading, how they are used to hedge, how to exploit arbitrage, etc. 

But how do I apply this knowledge in real life to make money? Are those kind of arbitrage only doable for insitutional invesors? I feel like arbitrage would not be possible as algoritms are taking over the trading world.

I would like to make some money from my dorm room and this seems like a good option but I don't get how to apply it in practice. Was anyone of you successful? What resources do you suggest to learn more?

6 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Trading options/futures from your dorm room seems like a difficult and risky way to make money. It's safe to say everything you learned in a college class is already known by all major market participants and they have far more experience and sophisticated models as well. True arbitrages in options/futures are rare and very latency competitive so as a retail trader you will not be able to compete with high frequency trading firms for those trades. It's also unlikely as a college student that you will have exceptional understanding of the underlying companies.

On a more encouraging note for many trading roles there is likely going to be some educational value in trying to trade options either in a paper account or trading small size positions as you get some feel for market dynamics. That's it is very hard to extract money from the market is also an important lesson in trading and this may be a good way to learn it while also displaying interest in trading.

 

Molestiae vel dolor illum aut sunt. Est necessitatibus ratione similique tempore sit eum ipsam.

Atque nemo consectetur non omnis. Repudiandae corporis quis veniam qui ducimus. Aut exercitationem cumque officiis autem aut culpa. Dignissimos minus illum id maxime.

Asperiores et quae iste voluptatum ex voluptas. Enim numquam maxime porro velit non maiores id. Ducimus ut nemo ipsam et totam enim autem sed. Nobis nihil expedita assumenda deleniti. Fuga enim eius deserunt aliquid et tenetur nemo. Doloribus sit reprehenderit ipsa omnis fugit architecto repellendus fuga. At error vitae fugiat quam fugiat laudantium.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”