How can I become a trader?

January 17, 2007 2:01 PM

I'm looking to become a trader in Canada, and need some ideas on how to go about it...

I'm just finishing my final year in the Business Admin / Finance program at Sheridan College (www.sheridaninstitute.ca) and have already completed the first of two exams required for the Canadian Securities Course. I will be done the second exam at roughly the same time I finish my program at Sheridan.

And with the CSC, it will be fairly easy for me to secure a job with any number of Canadian banks in a retail branch location doing sales work.

But I want to become a trader in Toronto, and am not entirely sure what it'll take to go about it.

I realize this is a fairly vague question, but was hoping some of the MeFi-ites might have some relevant information they could pass down. Thanks alot!

posted by smitt to Work & Money (2 answers total)

Swift Trade. Also check out Elite Trader which is a community BB for all types of traders. These are for independent traders. If you want to trade for a big bank, I unfortunetly have no help.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 2:13 PM on January 17, 2007

Banking, get into the Graduate Trainee programme. When I was with DB you'd rotate over a two and one half year period through various front office positions. You get to see many areas of the bank, make contacts, work your ass off and (hopefully!) get a permanent post training position out of it.

Sales is probably as good an entry point as any other, although my background is quantitative - but I did see lots of folks enter the trade via Sales.
posted by Mutant at 4:14 PM on January 17, 2007