Ideally
1. You hook up with a winning trader on a personal level and he advises you.
Paying serrious money to gurus-for-hire rarely works out. Most are hustlers who currently have no worthwhile edge.
Realize there are so many other factors than just having a magic strategy or even a real edge to exploit:
The right broker and software may be critical; enough capital; etc
2. Posting questions on Elitetrader is good but you must be smart enough to evaluate the poster and the answer.
3. Often Edges Go Away. What worked years ago may not work now. Markets become more efficient and regulations (like the old SOES Bandits) that handed out money close.
4. You could apply at a real trading firm like Sesqhanna International. Traders are taught from scratch and trade the firm's money. Incredibly large many billion firm founded by former Vegas poker players who are now billionaires.
5. You could put up money and trade at a prop firm. Most people doing even this lose as winning traders stick together and training is often done by busted losing traders.
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The Big Picture
1. Most people will never find a big winning trader to take them under their wing. However, networking is a skill and maybe you can work for one.
2. Well.. I hope you are good at discerning what is true and what is not with posters on ET.
3. Most people i knew 15 years ago no longer win.
Daytrading is getting harder. Technologies and knowledge advance quicker.
4. Applying at firms like Sesqhanna is stellar idea for many, but they turn down most applicants.
Are you a master coder, top mathematician, world class games player?.... well many firms will want you.
BONUS TIP: If you are a world class coding mathematician scientist apply at Renaissance Technologies and if they accept you, become wealthy.
5. Your best chance at a prop firm would be if you or a friend knew a truly big winning trader there who would let you be his assistant. The training at most firms is a joke.
Btw.. most prop firms from 15 years ago are out of business. Trading is highly competitive.
If most prop firms could stamp out winners like cupcakes they would not have folded like dominoes.
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Very few people sitting alone at home clicking buttons on their retail account make it.
Try to get involved with winners.
