timothy sykes logo

Why Trading Is One of the Greatest Jobs In the World

Timothy SykesAvatar
Written by Timothy Sykes Reviewed by Jack Kellogg Fact-checked by Ellis Hobbs
Updated 8/21/2026 6 min read
Why Trading Is One of the Greatest Jobs In the World Thumbnail

Apparently, a lot of traders are scared to tell people what they do…

“So, what do you do for a living?”

It’s crazy. This market is FULL of opportunities…

But because of common assumptions, misconceptions, groupthink…

… and a bunch of BS thanks to scammers, degenerates, and social media haters…

… some people are actually avoiding telling others that they trade.

My whole reason for becoming a teacher was to expose this nonsense and show people how to break free.

I get that some people want to be private.

But having to deny you’re a trader because people will look down on you (or question your life choices) is ridiculous.

There are SO many opportunities in the market and NOW is the best I’ve seen in my 25+ years of trading.

For me…

Trading Is the Best Job Ever

The fact that trading has such a bad rep really saddens me.

It’s one of the greatest jobs in the world. Especially for those starting out with very little, but who are hungry for success.

Image created by Google Gemini
Image created by Google Gemini

It IS possible if you are willing to put in the hard work and effort to become self-sufficient.

FAR too many short sellers, fakes, scammers, HODLers and all sorts of irresponsible degenerate gamblers give trading a bad name.

They disgust me.

When done properly, trading is SO amazing in so many ways…

And it’s not just about the money. Yes, the potential financial rewards are amazing (once you figure it out).

But it goes so much deeper.

Trading Will Teach You About Yourself

Post image

Get my weekly watchlist, free

Sign up to jump start your trading education!

I don’t know a single successful trader who’s done it without becoming more self-aware.

Image created by Google Gemini
Image created by Google Gemini

Look, to trade you have to face your emotions on a very deep level.

We all experience the full range of emotions, from deep fear to euphoria.

Trading speeds it all up.

To make it, you have to learn to accept what you cannot change and change what you can. Otherwise, it’s incredibly difficult.

Trading Requires You to Increase Your Intellect

It is one of the most intellectually satisfying skills you can develop. But what most people don’t know is that you are literally rewiring your brain…

  • Learning new skills improves your working memory.
  • It helps to slow down age-related cognitive decline.
  • And it literally changes your brain structure, through something called neuroplasticity.

The crazy thing is, you don’t have to be good at math.

Whether you were good at school doesn’t matter. At all.

What matters is dedication to learn, to challenge yourself, and to grow your knowledge account first, before your trading account.

In my opinion there aren’t enough positive words in the English language to properly describe trading…

The good news is real, honest, life-changing information is finally getting out to more and more people.

Since the end of the PDT, with FAR more liquidity and volatility than ever, there is more opportunity than ever.

Not to mention the awesome extended hours trading

The Night Tape

Did you see my email on Friday? If not, go find it and check out the charts!

My new after-hours tool has picked some BIG winners for The Night Tape watchlist.

Is every stock on the watchlist a winner? Of course not (that’s why it’s called a watchlist).

I’ve had SO many people DM me (or send messages in chat) when one of them hits.

This market is insane and after-hours is AWESOME.

It’s not too late to get The Night Tape sent to you after the market closes every trading day.

That said, I have no idea how much longer we’ll keep it open.

Get The Night Tape Here

Also, when you sign up for The Night Tape you’ll get instant access to my new after-hours guide, “The Second Session” which gives you all the information you need to start trading after-hours.

Millionaire Moves

Take inspiration from Jack Kellogg, who had another huge win last week with the 2x Bitcoin Strategy ETF (NASDAQ: BITX).

Check it out:

HUGE congratulations to Jack. He’s one of the hardest working traders I know.

On My Radar

  • My friend Ben Sturgill is doing a Fast Fall options workshop starting tomorrow and it’s free (but you have to register here)
  • Tim Bohen, Lead Technical Trainer at StocksToTrade did THIS yesterday (I think you can still watch it)
  • Yes, I’m obsessed with trading and travel. Once you realize how beautiful our world is, I hope you’ll do the same…

Key Takeaway

I am PROUD to be a trader and a trading teacher!

Shame on all the bastards who make this sport into anything other than the cherished pastime it is for me and so many of my students.

My goal is to help more people cut through the BS and capitalize on the amazing opportunities we see in the market day in, and day out.

How bad do you want it?

Get inspired and hustle harder.

Cheers,

– Tim Sykes

How much has this post helped you?

(0 votes, average: 0 out of 5)
Leave a reply
Author card Timothy Sykes picture

Timothy Sykes

Tim Sykes is a penny stock trader and teacher who became a self-made millionaire by the age of 22 by trading $12,415 of bar mitzvah money. After becoming disenchanted with the hedge fund world, he established the Tim Sykes Trading Challenge to teach aspiring traders how to follow his trading strategies. He’s been featured in a variety of media outlets including CNN, Larry King, Steve Harvey, Forbes, Men’s Journal, and more. He’s also an active philanthropist and environmental activist, a co-founder of Karmagawa, and has donated millions of dollars to charity.
Read More

* Results are not typical and will vary from person to person. Making money trading stocks takes time, dedication, and hard work. There are inherent risks involved with investing in the stock market, including the loss of your investment. Past performance in the market is not indicative of future results. Any investment is at your own risk. See Terms of Service here

The available research on day trading suggests that most active traders lose money. Fees and overtrading are major contributors to these losses.

A 2000 study called “Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors” evaluated 66,465 U.S. households that held stocks from 1991 to 1996. The households that traded most averaged an 11.4% annual return during a period where the overall market gained 17.9%. These lower returns were attributed to overconfidence.

A 2014 paper (revised 2019) titled “Learning Fast or Slow?” analyzed the complete transaction history of the Taiwan Stock Exchange between 1992 and 2006. It looked at the ongoing performance of day traders in this sample, and found that 97% of day traders can expect to lose money from trading, and more than 90% of all day trading volume can be traced to investors who predictably lose money. Additionally, it tied the behavior of gamblers and drivers who get more speeding tickets to overtrading, and cited studies showing that legalized gambling has an inverse effect on trading volume.

A 2019 research study (revised 2020) called “Day Trading for a Living?” observed 19,646 Brazilian futures contract traders who started day trading from 2013 to 2015, and recorded two years of their trading activity. The study authors found that 97% of traders with more than 300 days actively trading lost money, and only 1.1% earned more than the Brazilian minimum wage ($16 USD per day). They hypothesized that the greater returns shown in previous studies did not differentiate between frequent day traders and those who traded rarely, and that more frequent trading activity decreases the chance of profitability.

These studies show the wide variance of the available data on day trading profitability. One thing that seems clear from the research is that most day traders lose money .

Millionaire Media 66 W Flagler St. Ste. 900 Miami, FL 33130 United States (888) 878-3621 This is for information purposes only as Millionaire Media LLC nor Timothy Sykes is registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser. No information herein is intended as securities brokerage, investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to sell or buy, or as an endorsement, recommendation or sponsorship of any company, security or fund. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes cannot and does not assess, verify or guarantee the adequacy, accuracy or completeness of any information, the suitability or profitability of any particular investment, or the potential value of any investment or informational source. The reader bears responsibility for his/her own investment research and decisions, should seek the advice of a qualified securities professional before making any investment, and investigate and fully understand any and all risks before investing. Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes in no way warrants the solvency, financial condition, or investment advisability of any of the securities mentioned in communications or websites. In addition, Millionaire Media LLC and Timothy Sykes accepts no liability whatsoever for any direct or consequential loss arising from any use of this information. This information is not intended to be used as the sole basis of any investment decision, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the investment needs of any particular investor. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future returns.

Citations for Disclaimer

Barber, Brad M. and Odean, Terrance, Trading is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors. Available at SSRN: “Day Trading for a Living?”

Barber, Brad M. and Lee, Yi-Tsung and Liu, Yu-Jane and Odean, Terrance and Zhang, Ke, Learning Fast or Slow? (May 28, 2019). Forthcoming: Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=2535636”

Chague, Fernando and De-Losso, Rodrigo and Giovannetti, Bruno, Day Trading for a Living? (June 11, 2020). Available at SSRN: “https://ssrn.com/abstract=3423101”