How can you trade and work full-time?

I have been demo trading for 6 months. I feel ready to open a small account and get in the water.

While I am comfortable generally with my demo trades, the time constraint of working is not just distracting or a constraint. I find myself breaking discipline and forcing trades that are not a 100% lined up, or missing the signal and jumping in late. I don’t underestimate trading for a moment. I think it is difficult enough to trade seriously with out having other demands on your time and attention. How can you take in and consider all the neccessary information?

So anyone experienced in successfully combining Full time working and trading?

Is it down to learning an appropriate system - OK, but which system(s) should I look at?

Hello-

I work full time and trade. I day trade the E/U, U/C and the Pound/Dollar (Yen sometimes).

If you are hard pressed for time you may try intermediate trading, executing once a week or so.

I will suggest you focus on only one or two pairs initially-keep expectations very low in terms of pips. As an example, I only aim for 20 pips a day, this helps me pursue both jobs (The 9-5 and the trading) and it is a great way for me to lower risk.

There are days when I get more than 20 pips (in fact yester day only I got 100 pips), and then there are days I do not trade when I see my system will be entering a riskier trade. All in all I am able to get about 80-100 + pips a week.

I hope this gives you some idea on how to multi task here.

TEX

coz forex is 24/5 you can pick a session that works for you or a session overlap eary in the morning.

Also you can trade of the daily candles or even the 4h. but those require larger stops.

I only trade around 2 hours a day. I’m able to do my other work and not sweat it. I think trading goes well as a hobby and second job

Well hobbies are what I enjoy doing-reading, traveling, cooking etc. If Fx was a hobby I wont really matter if I lost or won money-I would say it is more of a second job until about a time I have the expertise and capital to make it the first job, and man I am waiting for that day to come :slight_smile:

T

Trade the JPY pairs if you want to trade and work after work you have the movements in that market

Try a longer time frame. The drawback is that you may need wider stops, so you will have to take bigger profits to compensate.

Ha ha, that is the dream TexasOne. I see myself living down on the Med some day; strolling down to the local cafe by the beach for my morning espresso, with my laptop to watch the pips swim into my cunning trades. Although Jasontrades probably means ‘hobby’ as in he enjoys forex a hell of a lot more than the day job, rather than not taking it too seriously. I for one take it seriously, but I do enjoy the planning, strategy and challenge side of it as well.

I am taking on board everyone’s good advice here. Its probably obvious that I should really be concentrating on Swing Trading, but its only reading over the replies where it has crystalised for me. And if I am going to Day Trade in th evenings(UK time) the JPY pairs makes sense.

TexasOne do you mind talking or expanding a little on the specifics of your Strategy/System.

You just need to set time to do it. Just like anything else.

I find it easier to trade the daily timeframe on smaller lots with larger sl and tp on the days I work. I am lucky enough to work in hotels so my days off are during the week. So I get 2 days to trade intraday.

It helps to have an understanding partner as well.LOL.

cheers