I am sure you know this but given the current state of our economy jobs are scarce, so you may want to think about working in sales to build up capital to trade with if nothing else. I just turned 29 and if I did not trade for a living, I do not think I would be able to find a job (from what I hear).
As far as trading for a hedge fund you would need to have a usable, audited track record (I have the same goal).
Good luck
Chris