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What do I need to do to be on a trading floor?

One of the things I really want to do is be on a trading floor when I start to work. I am currently studying finance and was wondering if there was something else that could really help me become more of a candidate for being on the trading floor. #finance #stock-trading

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Christopher ’s Answer

Studying finance is a good start. If your school has an investment club or something of that nature, I would recommend joining that as well. Any exposure to the world of investments is a positive and potential employers will want to see that you are doing as much as possible to show interest and learn. It is also beneficial to learn the different types of assets (eg, stocks and bonds), the structures of them (eg a stock is an ownership stake in a company, a bond is a loan to a company), how they trade generally, and what would make their prices move. Good candidates that I have seen are able to follow world and economic news and start to figure out how this will impact various asset classes. If the Federal Reserve raises interest rates, what effect will this have on the US bond market? If the price of oil falls, how will this effect the stock prices of companies involved in the energy sector? Understanding these linkages will move you on the right path to a trading role.
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Bruce’s Answer

Trading floor jobs are difficult to come by. I suggest that you major in investments in college and work really hard to get summer internships with investment firms in your town. You may need to take a client service job to start with, which gives you time to complete your Charter Financial Analyst designation. CFAs are almost a prerequesite for any trading job.
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Steven’s Answer

Agree on sentiment that it's not easy to get into trading at big organization, but that shouldn't stop you - it happens! Obviously, it's tough to start there on floor, but there are lots of assistants on any floor. Otherwise, you could investigate analyst/associate programs at banks in your area - some more difficult than others. First step might speaking with a professor, relative, or family friend in finance - any one who might be a source of contacts. Just getting into a firm will allow you to learn so much more about paths to the floor. Good luck!
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