Thankx... all I know it is damm hard to trade and have a full time job as well. I am at my laptop at a startbucks at 5:45 am PST m-f trading...then go to work at 8:30am , and fortunately I can still trade, but these turn into long days, about 11-12 hours of work.
it is my dream to trade full time for many different reasons
The paradox of trading successfully is that if/when you arrive at a method that works for you, you'll see that it lies more on the side of simplicity than being complex. The enormous hump is re-wiring your brain to work out a solution.
The key for long term success is just finding a method that is structured and consistent, and can deal with a dynamic market. Once you do that, it's all about scaling to determine your net income. If you feel confident with your entry and target points and are getting consistent results, scaling up over time won't be an issue.
The hardest part is getting your brain to interpret things differently. The market is counter intuitive and the lessons we learn in life work against us when interpreting market behavior.
Your best bet is likely to save enough so you can take time off to do it full time. You want to immerse yourself fully into looking to understand the market and work on a solution around the clock with few distractions. It's a ton of trial and error with noting what looks promising and what doesn't in crafting a solution. You can use the simulator to work on getting a solution before testing it out with real money to slow the draw down.
You said 11-12 hours is a long day, but if doing it full time, you'll have to ramp it up to 15 - 18 hour days if your goal is to learn as quickly as possible, and doing that, it can still take years. Doing it part time is going to increase the learning curve because your brain power is splitting its focus.
You can also ask around in your family if anyone is currently trading full time. If there is a successful trader in your family, definitely seek guidance from them as that will cut your learning time down by lots and you won't have to reinvent the wheel.
At the end of the day, you'll have to measure your performance over time to determine if it's something you can do, just like with any field. You'll have to factor in opportunity cost- is it better to stay on your job with a good salary and benefits or take on the risk of full time trading? Making a decent salary with health/401K/pension benefits is nothing to dismiss lightly.
