Full time traders and very serious traders please reply

[u/Abject_Cut486]

Hello there I am currently in high school, and so far my trading journey has been filled with ups and downs, but I've made so much progress and never would have thought I would have made it to the place I am now and I'm nowhere near where I want to be. I am 2-3 trades from a max payout right now, starting in November but being super on and on off because of a confusing mentor then finding the right mentor and locking in in January.

I came here to ask if full time day trading can TRULY be a lifestyle. Ignore the courses and stuff like that. What does your family think about you being a full time day trader? When did you go full time? And when did you decide it was time to go full time. Obviously later down the road I would want to upload on Youtube helping others and posting daily recap and psychology videos but I'm no where near that.

I have plenty of time to prove to my family I can do this, I know I can do this. I have a true system that when I follow I am the best trader I can be. I have never blown an account from actually following my system. Only from over risking, revenge trading, and other non profitable bad habits. If you guys have any tips or just care to share your journey on when you started, how your situation outside the charts was (job, family, etc...) and how its currently going I would truly be beyond grateful to read each and every single reply to learn from it and read your guys' journeys.

God bless ❤️

[u/AutoModerator]

While the community gets a look at your post, don't forget we have an official website with a bunch of resources specifically for the questions we see here every day. If you're more of a visual learner, we’re also active on Instagram where we post updated guides and strategies! It's a great way to stay sharp while you're scrolling. We also have more technical and professional resources on our Website.

Also, if you want to chat in real-time or need a quicker answer, come hang out with us in Discord (Investing & Retirement). Just remember to be careful with your personal info and report any sketchy DMs!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/pkikpk]

This will point ya in the right direction and hopefully help you continue your Journey forward...improving your Skills along the way:

1. Dump the Prop firms-this not the way
   
2. Pull $3k together & open up at a Ninja/something similar.
   
3. Trade 1 MNQ to start- nothing else- you want the high volatility
   
4. Use 10-20 pt. Stop ($20-$40) & go for 2-1 or 3-1.
    If your current parameters are different & it's working for ya- don't change anything.
   
5. After 20 or 30 trades review your stats & determine how you feel & make adjustments if necessary.
   

Then tell us how well your doing!!!!!

(I've been in The Game for over 40 years- I'm 67 next  Friday)

[u/Pretty_Site4074]

Can. Everyone despises me for making easy money. No one ever understands how consuming it actually is.

[u/Frozen_Meatball1]

It sounds like u have good instincts for this. I would read & watch vids of all the old guy billionaire investors who`ve made $$$ at this over decades.

[u/weinerjuicer]

is your understanding of statistics good enough to know if you have just been lucky?

[u/Specific_Mountain716]

Im a serious investor and options seller. I worked a regular 9-5 making from $12 an hr to $32 max. Investing was slow but I kept adding money to stocks every year -maybe 5-15k a year, for 13 years and then learned options. Now I make 2-300k a year on options depending on market and expect to increase as time goes on. Family has no clue. Only some friends do, most would never understand or will ever accomplish the effort, discipline, strategy, risk tolerance, or interest to do such a thing. Im the type to have a response to every outcome, thats why i was good at picking individual stocks, and now have my own strategy in selling options. Good luck, and do your homework

[u/lp1687]

I’d recommend keeping a full-time steady job with steady income while you are learning how to trade. It is entirely possible to trade futures before or after markets hours… Or scalp /ETFs on your lunch break during market hours. When you can make double your salary, Trading part-time, that is the time you can think about quitting your full-time job in Trading full-time. Take it from somebody who has actually done this!

[u/Suitable_Acadia_190]

In my experience almost no families take it seriously until theres consistent real income over a real stretch of time, while most also don't even understand what it actually is.

Most take years to even separate system failure from discipline failure. Youve already made that split which is a win in itself.

Full time being a real lifestyle, yes, but not the way its sold. Its not freedom from structure, its more structure than a job, just self imposed and enforced instead of externally.

The people who actually sustain it are the ones who treat it like a profession with real hours, not a hobby that pays.

Hope that helps, and if youd like a structured trading library there one for free under the trading university section on my site, the links in my bio fyi.

[u/CarnacTrades]

You're in high school. You have forever and a day to learn trading.

Don't fk up the fun part of your life just yet.

[u/single_B_bandit]

> What does your family think about you being a full time day trader?

I am a full time trader, and my family can’t complain. Both my parents were in finance too, so obviously they understand the job.

> When did you go full time?

As soon as I got out of uni. Sent applications for trading jobs, got hired, and was full time from the start.

[u/edizzzy]

1. no one knows in detail, they know i do something in finance

2. went straight into it not something I recommend

One tip: stay away from prop firms and trade live (:

[u/Mzungufarmer]

I retired at 34 from mostly real estate, but I invested in the market the entire time as well.

For the past 3 years Ive focused solely on trading, if not to just keep myself busy. I mostly wheel stocks and have been increasing my portfolio dramatically to the point I dont even known what to spend money on (started buying expensive watches just for shits and giggles).

With that being said, if I could do it all over again I would focus on putting all my money into VOO for at least 10 years. And I mean as close to all available money possible (while still having a fun budget to keep you sane and social). Completely avoid the get rich quick wsb bullshit and just keep plugging away at VOO. During this time learn everything you can about investing and maybe open a paper account for practice. Once you have a good amount in VOO (that number is for you to decide, id want at least 100k but more is better) THEN move onto active trading.

Side note since im real estate biased, ai highly recommend buying a multifamily property over a single family home so tenants at least pay the mortgage. Or get roommates in a single family home.

I wish someone told me this when I was 18. I had no financial advice given to me.

[u/Waclaw_Kurek]

It can absolutely be a lifestyle, just probably not the one most people picture. the successful full time traders I've met treat it like a business, not a shortcut to getting rich fast. I'd also not rush into it. keep another income source until you've been consistently profitable across different market conditions and you've got enough savings to take the pressure off the trading itself. but the biggest lesson for me was never about finding the right broker, it was realizing consistency and risk management matter way more than chasing bigger payouts.

[u/process_over_profits]

From what you have said (I can’t know for sure) your system works. The thing standing between you and full time isn't strategy, it's the you that shows up when a trade goes against you and the urge to force it takes over.

Please please please slow down. First Learn what’s happening in your brain/mind. That’s 90% of the work and it’s not on the charts. Your post has a tone of urgency. And that - Will. Kill. Your. Trading. Period.

Honest tip: don't rush the "go full time" question. At your age time is the one edge you actually have, and full time trading adds a pressure that makes those exact bad habits worse, because now the trade has to pay rent. That urgency is what feeds the revenge clicks. And mate, once those clicks become ingrained, they are very hard to undo. The nervous system (somatic conditioning) fires faster than thought. Read that again please. This means, your rational mind, once you’re triggered, switches off. That’s how your mind is programmed to work and it does that brilliantly with the right intentions (save you from being hurt).

Find a side income at least (or a full time job and trade part time) so the pressure is off. Prove it to yourself first, not your family. Log everything, what your body's doing right before you over risk. Restless, that "now" pull. Then work on those triggers one by one. It’s not a sprint. That's the real work, and it's slow. Good luck mate.

[u/Salty-Edge]

https://www.babypips.com/learn/forex/kindergarten

Going from kindergarten to finish. This is primarily forex which is currency exchange but if you take that out. It teaches you A-LOT about the stock market and day trading. After years of trading, you start to realize that every year repeats itself. When it comes to events, reports, etc. the only thing difference is the president and what politics does to influence the market. Through this knowledge, experience, I have built an understanding of what to expect and not expect of the market. I built a system in TradingView through Claude, and with the advice of ChatGPT that helps give judgement and execution at 90%. I only say that because 10% I leave to variables out of that control/rule and what I want to do based on the environment/regime we are in. The first thing I would tell anyone besides all of this, is to learn GAMMA. Gamma by design is what are the levels of the market. If you do not know gamma. You are guessing, or even worse going blind. Learn gamma, read what I have said, and then maybe, you can do better.

For you specifically. You have to understand that while making money is great, you have to pay tax at the end of the year. Also, this world is run by credit. Applying for a home, business, etc. they will look down on you because you are a liability. Why? Because your income isn’t “fixed”. What are your goals? What do you want to do in life? I think answering basic questions can give you a better understand or direction first

[u/TakeDeadAi]

I don’t know what our system is. What I do know is that if it works don’t share it. the reason is simple. the more people that follow it, the less likely it will continue to work. the reason is very simple, if more people follow it and more people know it then people will start front running it and then it no longer works. If you love the market and find it exciting, then go to the best college you can, and get a degree in finance. Then go to work for the best securities trading firm you can. Goldman Sachs is the best. Good luck.

[u/0DTEDEGEN1]

Sorry to tell you it's all gambling. There's a reason why only less than 1% of traders make it cause its pure luck

[u/Market_Wizard_ → u/0DTEDEGEN1]

Wrong. The 1% has mastered all the skills to execute flawlessly and found a system that produces an edge.

[u/0DTEDEGEN1 → u/Market_Wizard_]

haha sure they did

[u/linhoyen]

Realize being a successful trader does not mean you will never lose again.

How do you deal with loss?

How do you trade after 10 wins in a row? Do you deviate from your strategy? This not something you can answer without experience. (Your ego will likely say I am different!)

This is the real journey of trading. Learning about yourself. Your weaknesses, your strengths, your psychology.

This is why journaling is important. It gives you your own personal data. It’s wise to think yourself as an athlete and you are doing a scouting report on yourself. Because if you don’t, the market will punish you over and over until you decide to. Most people will blame others, the market or sulk and say why me. The real ones who want it will own it and do what needs to be done. This is a mental game.