Pre-game

Wow. Not sure how to start this or where this will lead. This is officially my first blog entry ever. I choose to stay anonymous for now to limit any additional pressure this might contribute to my performance expectations.

Ok, so here's the deal.

The primary purpose of this blog, as of today, is to serve as a sort of a trading journal for me. To give you an idea of who "I" am, let me give you some background. I'm an engineer who has always found technology to be fascinating, especially in the potential cross-disciplinary domains (such as biomedical applications to improve lives or things like video games, which mesh art and fun with technology). I have pursued this interest professionally, but have kept a keen appreciation for other areas of study and extracurricular pursuits.

To make a long story short, I somehow became obsessed with the markets over time after joining a technology company after the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2002. This led to my exploration of trading and Wall Street, along with an unexpected journey in psychology. Without any formal training, I plunged right into options trading in 2002 and have been learning through the School of Hard Knocks ever since. I've only recently (in the past couple of years) begun reading books such as Market Wizards (some of which I have been able to relate to on an almost spiritual level). The market doesn't care about what degrees or status you bring to the table, allows you to see exactly what you're made of in the rawest form, and allows you to express and test yourself to the core. Although I have been part of high profile corporate organizations, climbing the corporate ladder has never really appealed to me. I'd rather do my own thing without having to rely upon a corporation. Also, if an individual contributor is really good at what they do, why would they suddenly want to enter management anyway? The lives and mentalities of inventors, entrepreneurs, and traders are what appeal to me, especially seeing the potential personal upside to becoming successful in those endeavors amidst a backdrop of corporate outsourcing and politics. The prospect of joining the ranks of middle management or seeking recognition a 'star performer' doesn't excite me. To me, it's all about staying close to the game (whether your game is music, forensic science, software, etc) and taking care of my finances.

My hope is to eventually become an extremely successful trader while maintaining my links to the high-tech world. The tuition to Market University has been steep, but I've presumably picked up valuable insights and a feel or knack for the markets (with all of its unseen variables that we may not even be conscious of). I guess you can call it experience.