Through some introspection I've realized my chief motivation for trading is selling myself this narrative where I fantasize about making phenomenal returns, turns a few thousand into tens of thousands, into hundreds of thousands and so on. The Psychology is a left over from the Timothy Sykes Penny stock marketing bullshit, it doesn't directly reflect in my paper trading though. So, my first option trade I made $1,650 off my $250(my first deposit) of an ORCL earnings release this past summer. I lost it all the next week, and deposited money trying to play earnings all summer with an account never lasting more than 2 weeks. The past 8 weeks I've been paper trading starting with an account of $2,500, and I had TD put it under the PDT Rule, I've Paid $1,800 in commissions and its down to $1,300. I want to go live again in March with $8,000 which is $5k excess student loans and $3k Tax return, is considering that insane. Also the market on has my undivided attention from 8-11am Mon.-Fri., how long is the learning curve in your experience?
Total crap from the beginning to the end !
The only thing I can reassure your: you do not know what you doing.
The learning curve for anyone who achieve something is years, many years, not weeks or month...

. Pay attention to 200 day moving average, for trades or cash investing.Remember the rule of 72.......; work 12 hours a day 6 days a week=72hours X 3-8 years. Not a prediction ,not bank insured.