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20 years old student completely lost

Karigan

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Hi, I’m Helene and I’m from Belgium. I’m 20 and I’ve been a college student for the past 3 years, studying engineering and architecture (a double diploma to get a “good job”… no comment). I’ve worked hard to get good grades, even making the best project of my year last December… but I’ve always felt like there was more than just working every day and sometimes at night to get my projects done (as most architects do!).

Last year I’ve had my first glance at financial freedom: Forex trading. Since I lived at my mom’s (and still do), she showed me the website of a fx trader, travelling the world while earning 10 000$ a month. I was mesmerized. I started learning about trading and opened a demo account, and started being profitable, earning 10%/month, but still in demo. At that times I was convinced I could make trading a living within a few years of hard work. Then when I first traded live, blew up my account. Great. I worked hard, took courses, and returned to demo and changed my system, and developed a good risk management, working every day on it to make it better, always thinking : There must be a way of being really profitable. All that when being an architectural engineering student and passing my year (I am a woman I multitask).

In June, discussing with one of my best friends and fellow student, I realized that I didn’t want to make architecture a living, and I was just fed up. But I didn’t know what to do instead… I sure didn’t want to go back to university, even if most people I talk with want to push me that way. (In Belgium we have the chance of having very cheap college fees: about 875€ a year, so literally you have “no excuses” to not having a diploma, except being really dumb)

I started working quite a lot on myself, to know better who I wanted to be: reading self-development books, going to a psychologist (I have my fair share of traumas), knowing that I have huge mental blocks. It helped me a lot but I still didn't have a clue what to do for living. I then decided I would take a gap year to find what I really want to do, and have a better mental health, having a job to make money and be independent. It seems a bit crazy but I wanted to take a working holiday in Australia to get out of my comfort zone, and out of the slow-laners of my entourage.

Then last week I came across The Millionaire Fastlane , and it was a huuuge punch in the face for me. I haven’t finished it yet, but I started to see things differently. What if I developed my own business to be independent? It’s difficult to admit but I think forex trading like I’m still doing it isn’t going to take me anywhere. Maybe if I trade for other businesses I can take it to another level but I don’t think I’m ready for that.

So here’s my story! I’m a bit lost now, I really don’t know what to do, where to start. I have plenty of interests, from psychology to economics, and maybe it's a bit too much. I really want to take that “gap year” (it’s more an excuse to immigrate and completely start over, I have literally nothing holding me back) but it seems like I’m not going anywhere with the corona crisis. Well, for now. I don’t know if continuing trading is a good idea, or if I can spend my time for developing more useful skills. And I have no clue what to do instead. Any ideas?

Looking forward to read your comments and advice!
 
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Kak

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It’s difficult to admit but I think forex trading like I’m still doing it isn’t going to take me anywhere. Maybe if I trade for other businesses I can take it to another level but I don’t think I’m ready for that.

Thanks for your story!

Don't doubt yourself... Ask yourself HOW to take it to another level. You have found something you excell at, at least explore your options.

Completely lost? I'd say you are closer to something BIG than 90% of entrepreneurs.

Make no mistake... Making money via investing is one of THE most lucrative BUSINESS to be in. As a matter of fact, high finance probably produces more billionaires on a consistent basis than any other industry.

My suggestion... Dive in to books about building a hedge fund, find out how to deliver the proof of your rockstar ways to investors in a way that is exciting to all parties.

The sheer magnitude of what you can do with this skill is off the charts.

It gets more lucrative for you as your net worth goes up too.

You said 10 percent per month... Well let's just be conservative at 50% year. If you devoted 10 grand to this and didn't spend it. In 10 years it would be 1.3m. In 20 years it would be worth $180 million. In 30 years... $24 billion.
 

Karigan

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Thanks for your story!

Don't doubt yourself... Ask yourself HOW to take it to another level. You have found something you excell at, at least explore your options.

Completely lost? I'd say you are closer to something BIG than 90% of entrepreneurs.

Make no mistake... Making money via investing is one of THE most lucrative BUSINESS to be in. As a matter of fact, high finance probably produces more billionaires on a consistent basis than any other industry.

My suggestion... Dive in to books about building a hedge fund, find out how to deliver the proof of your rockstar ways to investors in a way that is exciting to all parties.

The sheer magnitude of what you can do with this skill is off the charts.

It gets more lucrative for you as your net worth goes up too.

You said 10 percent per month... Well let's just be conservative at 50% year. If you devoted 10 grand to this and didn't spend it. In 10 years it would be 1.3m. In 20 years it would be worth $180 million. In 30 years... $24 billion.

Thanks a lot for your message!

Indeed self doubt is one of my biggest weaknesses, and I'm still working on it.

I don't want to quit trading forex but making it a living sounds like a distant dream right now. But I'll follow your advice and start looking for books to take it to another level, and learning how to sell that skill to investors!

Thanks again for the motivation :)
 

centje

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Thanks a lot for your message!

Indeed self doubt is one of my biggest weaknesses, and I'm still working on it.

I don't want to quit trading forex but making it a living sounds like a distant dream right now. But I'll follow your advice and start looking for books to take it to another level, and learning how to sell that skill to investors!

Thanks again for the motivation :)


Hi, Karigan.

Indeed, making money via investing/trading is one of the most lucrative business to be in. I started trading and investing a couple of months ago. I followed 5 courses online, watched about 100 YT videos and worked on perfecting my system. Then I tried it in practice, and in the beginning, I lost quite a bit of money.

I always follow my trading-plan strictly and backtest it at least 100 times, but it still doesn’t mean it’s a profitable system. I once earned 35 euros with a small account of 500 and thought, “wow, now I have a decent system”. The following day, however, I lost 70 euros.

I’ve done more and more research on trading, and found out a couple of things. You’ve got to have a good overview of all the players you're playing against and know how they trade, because they can influence stocks quite a bit.

Fast forward a couple of months later, I have a little more than 10 version of my trading-plan, the last one being the most superior of course. My last trading-plan got me 57% return on investment in a month. That’s fantastic! What’s more, there is still room for improvement. So, tonight, I’ll make it even more profitable. I also started another company today and I’m going to use the profits as leverage.

Of course, you can understand that I can’t just give away my trading strategy, especially here, but know that trading is definitely a way to earn quite a bit of money. But also know that it is a place where others have an unfair advantage, and thus, profit consistently.

As for you being lost, yes, it’s a big problem, a very big one indeed! In my opinion, above all else, you need to be very decisive. I have a lot of interests too (psychology, web-development, dropshipping, trading). But I read in many books that indecision is a time-waster. Start by writing goals and conduct a top-down approach on how you’ll get there.
 
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Karigan

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Hi, Karigan.

Indeed, making money via investing/trading is one of the most lucrative business to be in. I started trading and investing a couple of months ago. I followed 5 courses online, watched about 100 YT videos and worked on perfecting my system. Then I tried it in practice, and in the beginning, I lost quite a bit of money.

I always follow my trading-plan strictly and backtest it at least 100 times, but it still doesn’t mean it’s a profitable system. I once earned 35 euros with a small account of 500 and thought, “wow, now I have a decent system”. The following day, however, I lost 70 euros.

I’ve done more and more research on trading, and found out a couple of things. You’ve got to have a good overview of all the players you're playing against and know how they trade, because they can influence stocks quite a bit.

Fast forward a couple of months later, I have a little more than 10 version of my trading-plan, the last one being the most superior of course. My last trading-plan got me 57% return on investment in a month. That’s fantastic! What’s more, there is still room for improvement. So, tonight, I’ll make it even more profitable. I also started another company today and I’m going to use the profits as leverage.

Of course, you can understand that I can’t just give away my trading strategy, especially here, but know that trading is definitely a way to earn quite a bit of money. But also know that it is a place where others have an unfair advantage, and thus, profit consistently.

As for you being lost, yes, it’s a big problem, a very big one indeed! In my opinion, above all else, you need to be very decisive. I have a lot of interests too (psychology, web-development, dropshipping, trading). But I read in many books that indecision is a time-waster. Start by writing goals and conduct a top-down approach on how you’ll get there.
Thanks for the advice!

Do you recommend any trading books?
 

centje

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Thanks for the advice!

Do you recommend any trading books?

Books? Not really. I think many are outdated, but I could be wrong. I've read trading for a living. I think it's a good book.

I would rather recommend good YT channels:
- Steven Dux: from all the other YT traders, I think he stands out the most; he knows what he's talking about and mentions insightful things not many other traders talk about.
- Rayner Teo: if you want to know why things are the way they are in trading, I'd recommending watching a couple of his vids.
- Trading Rush: this guy enjoys experimenting with different techniques and shows you results. In one of his videos, he also provides an excel sheet you can download and use it to backtest 100 times yourself.

I would AVOID Live traders. Don't get me wrong, I think he's a good trader, but really, the only thing I found very useful learning from him, relatively speaking, is that you need a trading plan with rules and you need to follow your plan strictly.

I cannot promise you the same returns as me though. It also depends on your personality, your prefered trading system, risk tolerance, experience, etc.

I hope this was helpful.
 

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I am a woman I multitask
Yeah yeah
The only true multitasking is walking & chewing gum, all the rest is sequential.

Have you made any money at Forex yet?
I believe it's a zero sum game. Not much fun playing against market makers.

Indeed, making money via investing/trading is one of the most lucrative business to be in.
Not for retail accounts, 80% lose, especially if you use a 'system.'

Do you really think charts work?
The guys at Morgan Stanley & Goldman & Sachs make the charts so they can profit from taking the opposite position.

Only one system works: do you own research.

I'm not saying don't trade stocks, but you have to have strong resolve to sleep soundly when you're 10% down despite your conviction that the stock have plenty of upside.
 
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Karigan

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Books? Not really. I think many are outdated, but I could be wrong. I've read trading for a living. I think it's a good book.

I would rather recommend good YT channels:
- Steven Dux: from all the other YT traders, I think he stands out the most; he knows what he's talking about and mentions insightful things not many other traders talk about.
- Rayner Teo: if you want to know why things are the way they are in trading, I'd recommending watching a couple of his vids.
- Trading Rush: this guy enjoys experimenting with different techniques and shows you results. In one of his videos, he also provides an excel sheet you can download and use it to backtest 100 times yourself.

I would AVOID Live traders. Don't get me wrong, I think he's a good trader, but really, the only thing I found very useful learning from him, relatively speaking, is that you need a trading plan with rules and you need to follow your plan strictly.

I cannot promise you the same returns as me though. It also depends on your personality, your prefered trading system, risk tolerance, experience, etc.

I hope this was helpful.
Thanks I'll check these channels!
 

Karigan

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Have you made any money at Forex yet?
I believe it's a zero sum game. Not much fun playing against market makers.

Actually I am making money in demo, but I think it's more a way to preserve your capital than to make actual money. That's why I posted here and explained my situation!
 

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Actually I am making money in demo, but I think it's more a way to preserve your capital than to make actual money. That's why I posted here and explained my situation!
You gave me an exclamation mark, ouch!
Good luck when you go live.
 
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D

Deleted82046

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Hi, I’m Helene and I’m from Belgium. I’m 20 and I’ve been a college student for the past 3 years, studying engineering and architecture (a double diploma to get a “good job”… no comment). I’ve worked hard to get good grades, even making the best project of my year last December… but I’ve always felt like there was more than just working every day and sometimes at night to get my projects done (as most architects do!).

Last year I’ve had my first glance at financial freedom: Forex trading. Since I lived at my mom’s (and still do), she showed me the website of a fx trader, travelling the world while earning 10 000$ a month. I was mesmerized. I started learning about trading and opened a demo account, and started being profitable, earning 10%/month, but still in demo. At that times I was convinced I could make trading a living within a few years of hard work. Then when I first traded live, blew up my account. Great. I worked hard, took courses, and returned to demo and changed my system, and developed a good risk management, working every day on it to make it better, always thinking : There must be a way of being really profitable. All that when being an architectural engineering student and passing my year (I am a woman I multitask).

In June, discussing with one of my best friends and fellow student, I realized that I didn’t want to make architecture a living, and I was just fed up. But I didn’t know what to do instead… I sure didn’t want to go back to university, even if most people I talk with want to push me that way. (In Belgium we have the chance of having very cheap college fees: about 875€ a year, so literally you have “no excuses” to not having a diploma, except being really dumb)

I started working quite a lot on myself, to know better who I wanted to be: reading self-development books, going to a psychologist (I have my fair share of traumas), knowing that I have huge mental blocks. It helped me a lot but I still didn't have a clue what to do for living. I then decided I would take a gap year to find what I really want to do, and have a better mental health, having a job to make money and be independent. It seems a bit crazy but I wanted to take a working holiday in Australia to get out of my comfort zone, and out of the slow-laners of my entourage.

Then last week I came across The Millionaire Fastlane , and it was a huuuge punch in the face for me. I haven’t finished it yet, but I started to see things differently. What if I developed my own business to be independent? It’s difficult to admit but I think forex trading like I’m still doing it isn’t going to take me anywhere. Maybe if I trade for other businesses I can take it to another level but I don’t think I’m ready for that.

So here’s my story! I’m a bit lost now, I really don’t know what to do, where to start. I have plenty of interests, from psychology to economics, and maybe it's a bit too much. I really want to take that “gap year” (it’s more an excuse to immigrate and completely start over, I have literally nothing holding me back) but it seems like I’m not going anywhere with the corona crisis. Well, for now. I don’t know if continuing trading is a good idea, or if I can spend my time for developing more useful skills. And I have no clue what to do instead. Any ideas?

Looking forward to read your comments and advice!
What are your strengths?
 

Karigan

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What are your strengths?
Well that's a good question.
I'll try to answer it as objectively as possible.

I'm quite resourceful and independent, I always try to find solutions at problems.
I've a great emotional intelligence, which helped me a great deal with overcoming mental health issues.
I analyze a lot, and I'm always trying to understand how things work, it helped me with my engineering classes, and even architecture. I tend to overanalyze things so it's a bit of a weakness too.
I'm high stress resistant, and I'm committed to my objectives. I usually never do things by halves. I'm also a perfectionist, but it's a weakness as much as it's an asset.
I'm quite creative and I'm well organized.

And how can you use those strengths to help others whilst being paid?

The million dollar question haha!
 
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Knugs

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And I have no clue what to do instead.

This is an impossible question noone can answer for you. Be aware that this is an entrepreneurial forum and that potential answers and ideas are biased towards the entrepreneurial route. Many or even most at your age are trying to figure out what to do with their lifes. Heck, I'm turning 29 in 2 days and I'm still not entirely sure.

University and the working life are also quite different from each other. I found University much more stressful, unfulfilling and tiresome. On the other hand, working in employment has given me an entire different perspective on the subject I studied. I believe you are not able to come to that conclusion until you have truthfully worked in architecture and lived that life. Life in employment vs life as student are categorically completely different.

When you draw your first salary and live in your own apartment you find yourself in completely different circumstances. You might love it, you might hate it or you might be just fine with it. Most likely its an upgrade from your current life. You dont know until you have done it. Saying "no" now is a mistake. You are young and you can still make the switch later on. You have almost nothing to lose.

Entrepreneurship is far more difficult than most can imagine. This forum is full of success stories which were initially inspired by MJ's books. There are far more people here that dont tell their story. The ones that do quickly drop off in the archives.

I dont think forex trading is the right way for you based on what you have written. I think traveling to a place such as Australia and experiencing life from a different angle can really be eye opening. At the end of the day however, nobody can find that answer for you.
 

Karigan

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This is an impossible question noone can answer for you. Be aware that this is an entrepreneurial forum and that potential answers and ideas are biased towards the entrepreneurial route. Many or even most at your age are trying to figure out what to do with their lifes. Heck, I'm turning 29 in 2 days and I'm still not entirely sure.

University and the working life are also quite different from each other. I found University much more stressful, unfulfilling and tiresome. On the other hand, working in employment has given me an entire different perspective on the subject I studied. I believe you are not able to come to that conclusion until you have truthfully worked in architecture and lived that life. Life in employment vs life as student are categorically completely different.

When you draw your first salary and live in your own apartment you find yourself in completely different circumstances. You might love it, you might hate it or you might be just fine with it. Most likely its an upgrade from your current life. You dont know until you have done it. Saying "no" now is a mistake. You are young and you can still make the switch later on. You have almost nothing to lose.

Entrepreneurship is far more difficult than most can imagine. This forum is full of success stories which were initially inspired by MJ's books. There are far more people here that dont tell their story. The ones that do quickly drop off in the archives.

I dont think forex trading is the right way for you based on what you have written. I think traveling to a place such as Australia and experiencing life from a different angle can really be eye opening. At the end of the day however, nobody can find that answer for you.
Thank you. I understand that nobody can know better than myself what to do with my life. It was a bit stupid of me to ask that question haha
To answer you about your comparison between university and work, I did an observation internship in an architect's office and it didn't change my mind.

And I'm definitely going to travel to experience life from a different point of view! I am convinced that getting out of my little comfort zone will be eye opening for me :)
 

Knugs

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Thank you. I understand that nobody can know better than myself what to do with my life. It was a bit stupid of me to ask that question haha
To answer you about your comparison between university and work, I did an observation internship in an architect's office and it didn't change my mind.

And I'm definitely going to travel to experience life from a different point of view! I am convinced that getting out of my little comfort zone will be eye opening for me :)

Internships are quite different to the real deal but I understand how it might have had no impact for you. Nobody respects you, nobody cares and you are kind of at the bottom of the hierachy. I studied medicine and about 80% of my studies were rotational placements. Oh I was treated like crap. What a difference when I started. I was doing work and seeing the results of my decisions. Plus I was part of the team. That felt really good and was fun.

Do it! I moved out of my comfort zone at 16 and moved to the UK. Best decision I have ever made. I lived in 5 different cities (3 countries) in the last 12 years. I absolutely love seeing new things, meeting new people and new cultures. You are not far from Cologne, perhaps it sucks in Belgium as much as it sucks here? Btw, I had a really good look at Australia (UK docs work there quite frequently) and I have a few friends who work there. Seeing IG stories daily. Thinking about doing that again, maybe.
 
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Karigan

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Internships are quite different to the real deal but I understand how it might have had no impact for you. Nobody respects you, nobody cares and you are kind of at the bottom of the hierachy. I studied medicine and about 80% of my studies were rotational placements. Oh I was treated like crap. What a difference when I started. I was doing work and seeing the results of my decisions. Plus I was part of the team. That felt really good and was fun.

Do it! I moved out of my comfort zone at 16 and moved to the UK. Best decision I have ever made. I lived in 5 different cities (3 countries) in the last 12 years. I absolutely love seeing new things, meeting new people and new cultures. You are not far from Cologne, perhaps it sucks in Belgium as much as it sucks here? Btw, I had a really good look at Australia (UK docs work there quite frequently) and I have a few friends who work there. Seeing IG stories daily. Thinking about doing that again, maybe.
Well Belgium really sucks. How did you do to move to UK at 16? Were you alone? And yes Australia is really open to immigrants, that's why I chose to go there. Thought about uk too!
 

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Well Belgium really sucks. How did you do to move to UK at 16? Were you alone? And yes Australia is really open to immigrants, that's why I chose to go there. Thought about uk too!

Before I moved to the UK (alone) I applied to a few schools. Then I just needed to sort out accomodation. I had a lot of help from my brother and parents but this was far easier than I imagined.

Once in school its so easy to go through the university application process. Once at university it was easy to get to the first job. Somehow that added up to 9 years in total.

Moving around in the EU is easy. Australia requires a VISA process. They are not as friendly as you might think. It requires a little more planing and organisation. VISA for doctors are usually limited to a few years only.

Germany sucks too
 

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Hi, I’m Helene and I’m from Belgium. I’m 20 and I’ve been a college student for the past 3 years, studying engineering and architecture (a double diploma to get a “good job”… no comment). I’ve worked hard to get good grades, even making the best project of my year last December… but I’ve always felt like there was more than just working every day and sometimes at night to get my projects done (as most architects do!).

Last year I’ve had my first glance at financial freedom: Forex trading. Since I lived at my mom’s (and still do), she showed me the website of a fx trader, travelling the world while earning 10 000$ a month. I was mesmerized. I started learning about trading and opened a demo account, and started being profitable, earning 10%/month, but still in demo. At that times I was convinced I could make trading a living within a few years of hard work. Then when I first traded live, blew up my account. Great. I worked hard, took courses, and returned to demo and changed my system, and developed a good risk management, working every day on it to make it better, always thinking : There must be a way of being really profitable. All that when being an architectural engineering student and passing my year (I am a woman I multitask).

In June, discussing with one of my best friends and fellow student, I realized that I didn’t want to make architecture a living, and I was just fed up. But I didn’t know what to do instead… I sure didn’t want to go back to university, even if most people I talk with want to push me that way. (In Belgium we have the chance of having very cheap college fees: about 875€ a year, so literally you have “no excuses” to not having a diploma, except being really dumb)

I started working quite a lot on myself, to know better who I wanted to be: reading self-development books, going to a psychologist (I have my fair share of traumas), knowing that I have huge mental blocks. It helped me a lot but I still didn't have a clue what to do for living. I then decided I would take a gap year to find what I really want to do, and have a better mental health, having a job to make money and be independent. It seems a bit crazy but I wanted to take a working holiday in Australia to get out of my comfort zone, and out of the slow-laners of my entourage.

Then last week I came across The Millionaire Fastlane , and it was a huuuge punch in the face for me. I haven’t finished it yet, but I started to see things differently. What if I developed my own business to be independent? It’s difficult to admit but I think forex trading like I’m still doing it isn’t going to take me anywhere. Maybe if I trade for other businesses I can take it to another level but I don’t think I’m ready for that.

So here’s my story! I’m a bit lost now, I really don’t know what to do, where to start. I have plenty of interests, from psychology to economics, and maybe it's a bit too much. I really want to take that “gap year” (it’s more an excuse to immigrate and completely start over, I have literally nothing holding me back) but it seems like I’m not going anywhere with the corona crisis. Well, for now. I don’t know if continuing trading is a good idea, or if I can spend my time for developing more useful skills. And I have no clue what to do instead. Any ideas?

Looking forward to read your comments and advice!
I noticed that you mentioned truama. I’m 17 (turning 18 next week) I have a few myself and it can be really hard to think abt the future when the past keeps coming up on you. I lost my dad at a young age and my mother is a raging alcoholic. It’s not my fault but how I deal with it is. I’m gonna find a way out of this situation. I got a lot of life left ik this prolly doesn’t help u but I just thought it was comforting to hear that I’m not alone. I also feel lost. Aimless
 
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Kevin88660

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Hi, I’m Helene and I’m from Belgium. I’m 20 and I’ve been a college student for the past 3 years, studying engineering and architecture (a double diploma to get a “good job”… no comment). I’ve worked hard to get good grades, even making the best project of my year last December… but I’ve always felt like there was more than just working every day and sometimes at night to get my projects done (as most architects do!).

Last year I’ve had my first glance at financial freedom: Forex trading. Since I lived at my mom’s (and still do), she showed me the website of a fx trader, travelling the world while earning 10 000$ a month. I was mesmerized. I started learning about trading and opened a demo account, and started being profitable, earning 10%/month, but still in demo. At that times I was convinced I could make trading a living within a few years of hard work. Then when I first traded live, blew up my account. Great. I worked hard, took courses, and returned to demo and changed my system, and developed a good risk management, working every day on it to make it better, always thinking : There must be a way of being really profitable. All that when being an architectural engineering student and passing my year (I am a woman I multitask).

In June, discussing with one of my best friends and fellow student, I realized that I didn’t want to make architecture a living, and I was just fed up. But I didn’t know what to do instead… I sure didn’t want to go back to university, even if most people I talk with want to push me that way. (In Belgium we have the chance of having very cheap college fees: about 875€ a year, so literally you have “no excuses” to not having a diploma, except being really dumb)

I started working quite a lot on myself, to know better who I wanted to be: reading self-development books, going to a psychologist (I have my fair share of traumas), knowing that I have huge mental blocks. It helped me a lot but I still didn't have a clue what to do for living. I then decided I would take a gap year to find what I really want to do, and have a better mental health, having a job to make money and be independent. It seems a bit crazy but I wanted to take a working holiday in Australia to get out of my comfort zone, and out of the slow-laners of my entourage.

Then last week I came across The Millionaire Fastlane , and it was a huuuge punch in the face for me. I haven’t finished it yet, but I started to see things differently. What if I developed my own business to be independent? It’s difficult to admit but I think forex trading like I’m still doing it isn’t going to take me anywhere. Maybe if I trade for other businesses I can take it to another level but I don’t think I’m ready for that.

So here’s my story! I’m a bit lost now, I really don’t know what to do, where to start. I have plenty of interests, from psychology to economics, and maybe it's a bit too much. I really want to take that “gap year” (it’s more an excuse to immigrate and completely start over, I have literally nothing holding me back) but it seems like I’m not going anywhere with the corona crisis. Well, for now. I don’t know if continuing trading is a good idea, or if I can spend my time for developing more useful skills. And I have no clue what to do instead. Any ideas?

Looking forward to read your comments and advice!
The entry barrier to being successful in trading is very high. There is not enough edges in traditional technical analysis and fundamental analysis.

Statistical background and programming skill is almost a prerequisite now. If you like trading you can build relevant skills here and look for an internship opportunity.

Personally “trade your own money” to learn and grow as a personal business is an incredible hard way that has Major flaws and should be avoided. It is a zero sum game and By and large every dollar you make comes from someone else who lost it while trying to win too-no value creation. The latest trend for profits are machine learning systems and using data analytics to study changes in fundamentals- I do not think it is wise to try figure this out on your own without working for an established trading firm for a few years first.
 

Karigan

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I noticed that you mentioned truama. I’m 17 (turning 18 next week) I have a few myself and it can be really hard to think abt the future when the past keeps coming up on you. I lost my dad at a young age and my mother is a raging alcoholic. It’s not my fault but how I deal with it is. I’m gonna find a way out of this situation. I got a lot of life left ik this prolly doesn’t help u but I just thought it was comforting to hear that I’m not alone. I also feel lost. Aimless
You are not alone. I know it seems like you're in the middle of the sea, but you are not. Lots of people have childhood trauma, they just hide it or ignore it. You have to understand that you are not responsible for your mother's choices, or everything that might have happened. You are enough the way you are (I know it sounds cheesy af but you have to aknowledge it). You are far stronger than you think ;)
 

TheGreek

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I have plenty of interests, from psychology to economics
Can you use any of these interests to find a job or earn money in any way? Or do you want to learn more about them?

You have worked on Forex trading, but do you like it?

My suggestion is to find something you can do and go for it. It can be any of the things that you mentioned or other interests you didn't mention. The safe option is to get your diploma. It will give you extra time to think while you please others around you for a while. Another safe option is to find a job.

It's ok to build a business later once you figure out what you want to do. You don't have to know everything now. Take your time and have fun.
 
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Karigan

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Can you use any of these interests to find a job or earn money in any way? Or do you want to learn more about them?

You have worked on Forex trading, but do you like it?

My suggestion is to find something you can do and go for it. It can be any of the things that you mentioned or other interests you didn't mention. The safe option is to get your diploma. It will give you extra time to think while you please others around you for a while. Another safe option is to find a job.

It's ok to build a business later once you figure out what you want to do. You don't have to know everything now. Take your time and have fun.
You don't now how much I needed to hear this, thank you! I feel like I put a lot of pressure on myself to know what I want to do right now. I think I'll do a mind map with every job and option I have for my interests, and start from there :)
 

Karigan

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Every time I go to Oz they give me the third degree. Revenge for sending them on the prison hulks I guess.
"Are you going to work here?"
"No, why would I want to work here, it's expensive & you're racist."

@Karigan not sure if EU citizens can get a 12 month working visa for Oz. Worth investigating, I got one as a UK citizen & it changed my life.

Paradoxically by not going to Oz though. LOL

We decided rather than fly direct we'd backpack through Asia first.
Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Oz.

Got as far as Singapore & started getting masses of work. Illegally of course.

Ended up living in Asia for 28 years.

I did finally make it to Oz on another working visa.
Stayed two weeks & returned to Asia.
There is actually a visa for working there a year and it can be extended. Glad it changed your life! its exactly what I'm looking for :)
 

ads0401

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Not sure if it's been mentioned before but a couple of good (free) forex educational things are:

Youtube - tradewithmonty
Youtube - wicksdontlie

Babypipsdotcom

I have been trading for 3 years on and off and I'm finally at a point where I can say I am profitable. It's definitely not a get rich quick scheme but if you educate yourself it can 100% be a fulltime salary on part time hours.
 
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Karigan

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Not sure if it's been mentioned before but a couple of good (free) forex educational things are:

Youtube - tradewithmonty
Youtube - wicksdontlie

Babypipsdotcom

I have been trading for 3 years on and off and I'm finally at a point where I can say I am profitable. It's definitely not a get rich quick scheme but if you educate yourself it can 100% be a fulltime salary on part time hours.
I've learned a great deal from Babypips :) thanks for the tips!
 

ygtrhos

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This is going to sound a bit arrogant but there is no other way to say this:

You might feel "lost" but you cannot be lost when you are 20.

Basically, you are a kid. You are going to stay a kid until you are 30. I am 31, and I still see myself as an adolescent. I have 11 years of university behind me. I had 2 major depressions and I am single with no family members in this country I am living in. None.

F*ck my story. The other day, I was watching the story of this woman called Ayse Tükrükcü. (google her if you wish, she is real) She was born in Turkey, raped by her uncle when she was 9, accused of her own goddamn mother and got regularly beaten because she was probably promiscuous to get raped, rather than reporting that motherfcker to the police. She was taken into protection by social services when she was 13. Then she married and she was sold by her first two husbands to bordellos (because she was not a virgin) and spent 20 years prostituting around. She could not quit it because of discriminative prostitution laws. When she was 50, she went out and started a foundation for homeless in Istanbul. She has created a restaurant business and still running that to help homeless people get a life.

So you, me or any other F*cker from first world countries comes around and tells that you are miserable because of "being lost"?

I am sorry but, lets go F*ck ourselves. Our problems are just NOTHING.

I hope that gives a bit perspective.

You have never "found" your way anyway to be "lost" again. Go try to find your way. If you do nto want to be an architect or engineer, dont be one. Nobody forces you. Go do your thing.

And stop trading forex. That would only make the dude rich, who made entry easy for you. Not you. He is fastlane, not you.
 

Karigan

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This is going to sound a bit arrogant but there is no other way to say this:

You might feel "lost" but you cannot be lost when you are 20.

Basically, you are a kid. You are going to stay a kid until you are 30. I am 31, and I still see myself as an adolescent. I have 11 years of university behind me. I had 2 major depressions and I am single with no family members in this country I am living in. None.

F*ck my story. The other day, I was watching the story of this woman called Ayse Tükrükcü. (google her if you wish, she is real) She was born in Turkey, raped by her uncle when she was 9, accused of her own goddamn mother and got regularly beaten because she was probably promiscuous to get raped, rather than reporting that motherfcker to the police. She was taken into protection by social services when she was 13. Then she married and she was sold by her first two husbands to bordellos (because she was not a virgin) and spent 20 years prostituting around. She could not quit it because of discriminative prostitution laws. When she was 50, she went out and started a foundation for homeless in Istanbul. She has created a restaurant business and still running that to help homeless people get a life.

So you, me or any other F*cker from first world countries comes around and tells that you are miserable because of "being lost"?

I am sorry but, lets go F*ck ourselves. Our problems are just NOTHING.

I hope that gives a bit perspective.

You have never "found" your way anyway to be "lost" again. Go try to find your way. If you do nto want to be an architect or engineer, dont be one. Nobody forces you. Go do your thing.

And stop trading forex. That would only make the dude rich, who made entry easy for you. Not you. He is fastlane, not you.
thanks for the change of perspective!
 
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Mandible

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Hi, I’m Helene and I’m from Belgium. I’m 20 and I’ve been a college student for the past 3 years, studying engineering and architecture (a double diploma to get a “good job”… no comment). I’ve worked hard to get good grades, even making the best project of my year last December… but I’ve always felt like there was more than just working every day and sometimes at night to get my projects done (as most architects do!).

Last year I’ve had my first glance at financial freedom: Forex trading. Since I lived at my mom’s (and still do), she showed me the website of a fx trader, travelling the world while earning 10 000$ a month. I was mesmerized. I started learning about trading and opened a demo account, and started being profitable, earning 10%/month, but still in demo. At that times I was convinced I could make trading a living within a few years of hard work. Then when I first traded live, blew up my account. Great. I worked hard, took courses, and returned to demo and changed my system, and developed a good risk management, working every day on it to make it better, always thinking : There must be a way of being really profitable. All that when being an architectural engineering student and passing my year (I am a woman I multitask).

In June, discussing with one of my best friends and fellow student, I realized that I didn’t want to make architecture a living, and I was just fed up. But I didn’t know what to do instead… I sure didn’t want to go back to university, even if most people I talk with want to push me that way. (In Belgium we have the chance of having very cheap college fees: about 875€ a year, so literally you have “no excuses” to not having a diploma, except being really dumb)

I started working quite a lot on myself, to know better who I wanted to be: reading self-development books, going to a psychologist (I have my fair share of traumas), knowing that I have huge mental blocks. It helped me a lot but I still didn't have a clue what to do for living. I then decided I would take a gap year to find what I really want to do, and have a better mental health, having a job to make money and be independent. It seems a bit crazy but I wanted to take a working holiday in Australia to get out of my comfort zone, and out of the slow-laners of my entourage.

Then last week I came across The Millionaire Fastlane , and it was a huuuge punch in the face for me. I haven’t finished it yet, but I started to see things differently. What if I developed my own business to be independent? It’s difficult to admit but I think forex trading like I’m still doing it isn’t going to take me anywhere. Maybe if I trade for other businesses I can take it to another level but I don’t think I’m ready for that.

So here’s my story! I’m a bit lost now, I really don’t know what to do, where to start. I have plenty of interests, from psychology to economics, and maybe it's a bit too much. I really want to take that “gap year” (it’s more an excuse to immigrate and completely start over, I have literally nothing holding me back) but it seems like I’m not going anywhere with the corona crisis. Well, for now. I don’t know if continuing trading is a good idea, or if I can spend my time for developing more useful skills. And I have no clue what to do instead. Any ideas?

Looking forward to read your comments and advice!
Hi Helene,

A gap year might be just what you need to figure things out, a friend of mine went to Australia with a working visa for half a year and really enjoyed themselves, but it never did amount to a lot of change for them specifically.

For me personally I have been working really hard on making my life here more optimized instead of moving but then again maybe that's just what you need as well. Mister Demarco moved away because of his struggle with seasonal depression so if a change of environment is something you're after it may be the first step towards autonomy for you.

What are some of your business ideas precisely?
 

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