From Engineer to Trader - Help

[AlbertoMor]

Hi everybody,


Frist things first, a little presentation. I'm a 27, Spanish engineer. I have two M.Scs. , one in Mechanical Engineering (in France) and the other in Industrial Engineering (in Spain). Currently I’m working as a Product Manager in a multinational company in Brussels. I have lived in several countries (Spain, France, England, Brazil, and Belgium) and speak five languages.

I've always been interested in the movement of the markets and the financial world however I've never gotten seriously about it. Since childhood I found exciting to see the movements of capital of large companies. As I am a very analytical person with high self-control, some friends recommended me to find some information in day trading, they were sure it was going to attract my attention. They were not mistaken. About a year ago I bought three books on day trading, I began watching videos on the working of the markets and Forex, follow some forums and it has really kept my interest.
In the last years I grew a strong interest in day trading and I would like to start working in the field.

I can offer my interest in finance and capital markets, to be a highly analytical and self-learning person with good communication skills. I’m proficiency in MS Excel. I have programming and VBA.
And I’m certain I have the necessary temperament and skills to do it.

Some questions I have about how to tackle this situation:?:
- Which steps should I take from now on?
- Which are my chances?


What do you think about it?

Thanks for your comments in advance.

 

[timsk]

. . . Some questions I have about how to tackle this situation:?:
- Which steps should I take from now on?
- Which are my chances?

What do you think about it?

Hi AlbertoMor,
Welcome to T2W.

In answer to your questions, the first point to make is that it sounds as if you have a great career in engineering ahead of you and, with your skills and qualifications, you'll never be out of work. If you decide to settle down and have a family (perhaps you already have?), then you're in a fantastic position to offer them stability and financial security. Trading won't offer you this in the way a profession like engineering will! The number of traders who do well month on month, year on year for ten or twenty years plus - are very few and far between. The reality is that it could all go wrong at any time. And 'going wrong' doesn't just mean not making money - it could mean losing all the money that you have. So, my advice would be to think long and hard about all the negative aspects of trading before making a decision to turn your back on engineering.

Having said the above, if you're determined to pursue a career as a trader, I would think your best bet is to try and get in with a proprietary trading firm. I would think your chances of getting into an investment bank, hedge fund or similar - are slim - as they tend only to hire people from top tier universities (Cambridge, Harvard etc.) with double firsts in maths and physics or economics and computer science etc. It sounds as if you're pretty mobile - there will be firms in the capital centres of all the countries you've lived in! Another option might be to approach a company like TopstepTrader and work remotely. I'm not recommending them as I don't know anything about them other than a few high profile T2W members think they're okay and there are a few threads about them here on T2W - such as this one: Top Step Trader?

Here are a few links that might be of interest:
A career in the City by Callum Campbell
Trading Arcades by Martin Duncanson
Last but not least, our own FAQ: How Do I get a Job Trading?

Best of luck - let us know what you decide!
Tim.