Quote from nitro:
Very close to attaining that goal now. Tough to do without great commish (which I don't have) unless trading large size, which imo kills small accounts ($25k - $50k.) A sweet spot to attain this goal is with is 1000 shares per stock that you trade intraday. I trade anywhere from 20 roundturns a day to 40 roundturns a day, or between 10K shares to 40K shares a day (I trade more than equities, but to start out stick with equities.)
Basically, if you can get .0030 per share and have a $50K+ account with 100% payouts, I would say that depending on your talent you can make $500 a day after commish in three years of experience. But that would give you an ulcer. Better is to have at least $75k or $100k. It is not so much to trade more size, but so that you don't feel so much heat on each trade on 1000 shares as percentage of account when you lose.
You would be surprise how easy it is actually. It is all about managing risk once you get it. Surviving until you get it is so critical I cannot overstate that. Size kills - trade 100 shares no matter what your account size is until you get it.
I recommend doing something else (get a job) during the summer. I am no longer going to be concentrating on trading during the smack in the middle (mid Jun to mid Sep, will take the first two weeks of Jun vacation and last two in Sep as vacation, essentially down from begin of Jun to end of Sep) summers and will be doing something else. Not only does this provide me with other intellectual challenges, it keeps my interest in trading fresh. The hard part is readjusting when you get back.
nitro