I feel really sad when reading this thread because I know that 99% of people live and think like this, especially since I was trapped in this type of mentality myself when I was younger.
You are basically setting yourself up to play a game where others make the rules and you will never be good enough no matter how much you excel. There will always be someone with a faster car, bigger muscles, more money, more intellect, better education, etc. The solution is obviously not to play this game in the first place.
I never tell girls what I do for a living until it`s "too late". This has worked very well for me through a variety of life situations and vocations. It`s not because I`m hiding anything, it`s because when I meet new girls I want to have fun and create sexual tension, chemistry and attraction. Telling a girl about our daily grind does not create attraction, it creates a yawn. Even when I transition to trading as a profession, I will still continue doing this. It`s fun!
Just don`t put the cart before the horse. Focus on creating attraction and getting intimate. Pursuing a relationship comes next if that is something you want. Don`t settle for the first girl who says yes. The key to creating attraction is to be a highly confident man who takes what he wants and does not give a fuck about social status or similar meaningless labels.
Do you honestly think that a real man cares how he compares to some other guy? A lawyer or a doctor? The difference between their paychecks? Honestly? A real man has only one set of standards and those are his own, even if it means going against the crowd.
As for social circles, I come from a different perspective. I qualify people before allowing them permanent space in my life. If I meet some shallow dick or gold digger whore who is caught up in the social matrix, guess what, I`m not interested in hanging around with them. There are too many cool and like minded people in this world that I`d rather spend time with.
As for trading as a profession, I believe it may a different story here in Norway than in the US, since most people here don`t even know what a trader is and the truth is that there are probably not many around either. So, by default, one is already "different" when meeting new people. But like others said, it is all about how you present yourself. "I trade stocks for a living" is a generic boring answer. An improvement could be, "I run my own business where I exploit inefficiencies and provide liquidity in the US index futures"
That said, if you are looking to "fit in", you should probably not be pursuing trading in the first place. If you feel that you have another call in life and that trading would not fullfill you, you should quit now. Money is not everything and not everyone makes it in this business either.
Personally, I chose trading because it was the profession that most aligned with my goals and plans for life at the time. And I know with 100% conviction that when I make it as a trader, I will be VERY proud of my achievment, because I know how hard I`ve worked to make it. If the grey mass thinks I`m a degenerate gambler, I could care less
Good luck on finding your way.