Honestly, it sounds like you have some decent contacts and friends who have given you good advice. I'd listen to them- if they're telling you not to bother with floor trading, I'd skip that. I'd also skip prop trading (at least the type of prop trading that most people consider prop, putting down $5K-$10K and sitting at a computer). Very few of them make it, and even less make the kind of money you aspire to. I'd pound the phones/e-mails of your hedge fund contacts and just look to get your foot in the door that way.
Trading for a living is extremely difficult. While it is possible to be self-tought and successful, having a mentor show you the ropes can make it much easier to succeed. Good luck!
Trading for a living is extremely difficult. While it is possible to be self-tought and successful, having a mentor show you the ropes can make it much easier to succeed. Good luck!
... I'm not the one who comes on here and recites his day dreams like a poetry sonnet.