Trading education

seminar training has about a 0.001% of creating successful traders. you have 2 options... either learn it yourself through trial and error (and get your info from the internet and bookstore) or go to a prop firm and sit next to a trader that actually makes money.
 
Quote from FXPimp:

seminar training has about a 0.001% of creating successful traders. you have 2 options... either learn it yourself through trial and error (and get your info from the internet and bookstore) or go to a prop firm and sit next to a trader that actually makes money.

Good point! I almost paid for OTA, then realized it probably wasnt a good idea. I'm looking at proprietary firms now.
 
Quote from bloomberg:

Hey duhmentor Im not their salesman, to get the in-depth info on what they specifically teach go to their site and judge for yourself, all I'm saying is that one should not base their decisions on some of the fearmongers here on ET.

No they did not teach a "magical setup", they presented various setups, one-on-one instruction during the live trading sessions (which is done with their real $$$), answered all questions and provided their in-depth knowledge, reviewed my trading style and helped fine tune it, told me what was most likely to work and what didn't etc. etc.. It's pretty in depth that is why it is a week long for 8 hours a day. The instructor did not just read slides or give a lecture from a book. Had they provided a magical set-up which did not work, or had I been unhappy with what I got from there, believe me I would be singing a different tune on this post and demanding my money back, but that was not the case, I am happy with my investment there.

The selling point for me was that you have the opportunity to train with a new instructor and get their insight every time you re-take the course. I have not retaken the course so I cannot provide specifics but the they do offer free retakes, the knowledge that I can go back after blowing a couple of thousand and fine tune whatever I was doing wrong helped.

"Can you give an example of something you got from the course that you wouldn’t have learned eventually?"

How not to blow my account? Sure I probably could have learned this myself some thousands of dollars later, but maybe not, who knows, but I was not going to take that chance, once I lost some money I knew I needed some more education, I searched around that found that this was the best at what they did, I went to their presentation met the instructor and signed on.

"What is it that the course provided that isn’t available in books or on the internet?"

I read tons of books, been a member of ET for years and years before even signing up as a member, tried several different methods day trading, and I still lost money. So it was very simple for me, keep reading books, keep reading posts continue trying systems while my account dried up, give up on daytrading, or try another route so I chose live education.

Look, if you are making money trading, there is no reason to take any courses, just keep doing what you're doing. If you are not making money you need to swallow your pride and change your approach, whatever it is you're doing is wrong, the way I see it, there are people making money every day on Wall Street. If you find a book that has a "system" that works and helps you make money consistently then congratulations, because I have not been able to in all the research I have done. I have found many books that provide good information, but not enough for me to make a living doing this. Don't get me wrong I continue reading books and reviewing ET posts on strategies even after taking the course.

Personally I don't use a "system", I use a combination of what I have learned reading books, at OTA and what I have picked up over the years, not one professional I have met uses a "system", their style changes depending on the condition of the market, and they let the market dictate what style they use.

"You are saying that the value of these courses is in the psychological side."

No, IMO the psychological side is the most important in this business, to know what the masses are thinking, and I believe you can grasp that by watching the successful traders and listening in as they provide the reasons as to why they buy what they buy and why they short. OTA offers this, but only for four days during live trading. There are sources out there, including prop trading firms, that offer this service where you can listen in on the head traders opinion of entry and exit points and some allow you to make inquiries during live trading. Some of these businesses offer a free month or three month trial so you can judge for yourself. Having a successful day trader friend or family member who can show you the ropes doesn't hurt either. I didn't have either so I had to do it the costly way.

Hope this helps and happy trading!!!

So, which branch of OTA do you work for? I have already seen enough of their shill reviews all over the web.

Terrible way to start "trading"
 
Most courses are garbage. Usually you'll find they are just a massive plagiarized version of the finance section at Borders.

Your best bet is to go out and find a trading firm with people that are making money and work your way up.
 
Quote from ajtixs:

Good point! I almost paid for OTA, then realized it probably wasnt a good idea. I'm looking at proprietary firms now.

You go gettem Tiger!!! Prop firms are just waiting to make you rich!!!!
 
Quote from themainevent:

Most courses are garbage. Usually you'll find they are just a massive plagiarized version of the finance section at Borders.

Your best bet is to go out and find a trading firm with people that are making money and work your way up.

Another winner here!!! Who sold you people this idea that there are firms out there waiting with their arms open to make you rich?

Some prop firms make money, yes, but they also LOSE money, LOTS of it, on their recommendations. If you don't know what you're doing you will blow your account in just a couple of bad streaks.

OTA is not the only answer, it was mentioned and spoken about because this is what the thread is about, there are books and other sources you can get your education from, if books and videos is your style more power to you!

But knowing what I know now I would NOT start off at a prop firm without any education. How much education is enough to make money should be the real question.

Sim trading and real money trading are two very different animals.
 
In terms of the Chicago futures prop trading business model, some firms do train grads they recruit and employ as W-2 status in exchange for a lengthy and restrictive employment contract loaded with intellectual property rights clauses extended well beyond their employment dates. Gambit, Millenium, and DRW come to mind. Two of my current clients were employed at those firms for the length of their contracts - one for three years and the other for four years. The trader I currently employ to trade my own firm's account spent six years at Goldenberg-Hehmeyer and went through their new grad development program starting in 2002. So yes, it is true at least in Chicago that there are a handful of firms that do recruit and train traders from select academic areas and schools. It is an excellent way to start if you can make the cut, but it isn't necessarily the last word in trading education.

Since the early 1990's I personally have never met a successful proprietary trader in Chicago who would let a rookie (or any other trader for that matter) look over his shoulder or sit next to him and show him 'the ropes' as it were. I personally know R. Cahnman (TMG), C. McElveen (Kingstree), D. Ellis (ITG/DE Trading), W. Noyes (York until 2007) and actually use some of these prop firm owners as references for prospective clients, and as possible future employers for my successful graduates - but let me just assure you that they will absolutely under no circumstances let a newbie sit next to them and show them how to trade. Neither will their successful traders - quite the oppposite, they don't want anything to do with you. Over 90% of the Chicago area proprietary firms will not hire a trader unless he can show them a trading system and sell the prospective employer on a 'convincing edge' or methodology that makes sense to them. They used to hire newbies fresh off the street, but those days are long gone.

So, at least in Chicago, there are a handful of firms that hire very select graduates from very select academic backgrounds. But other than that, you really have to sell them with a methodology that they think makes sense - and they have been pitched on everything.
 
Quote from TraderZones:

So, which branch of OTA do you work for? I have already seen enough of their shill reviews all over the web.

Terrible way to start "trading"

You got me there Sherlock, must be a shill because he actually have something GOOD to say about a company. Really, with that rationale I don't know how you can even afford a computer to write your nonsense.

It's funny, when companies get bashed here on ET everyone joins in, but when there is something good to say about any company it's a shill.

What's interesting about this particular company is that it's only the people who have NOT tried OTA that bash it, not sure if that's the case for other companies mentioned here on ET.
 
Quote from bloomberg:

You go gettem Tiger!!! Prop firms are just waiting to make you rich!!!!

So you are clearly anti-prop, but what about all the successful traders that have come out of prop firms in NYC and CHI??? We should ignore that and just buy a seminar??? Your views are obviously biased and not objective
 
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