So many of these "traders" are starting schools on teaching people how to trade. If they are so successful ask yourself why are they wasting time on setting up schools to earn money?

This is a scam. Sucess in trading is only possible if you have large amounts of money to invest in it, everything other than that is just gambling.

Doing odd electrical jobs can pay a lot because people are afraid of electricity. Switches, outlets, even pulling wire and adding new is easy enough (when the area is open enough to do it.)

Now, technically, you're not supposed to do that without a license, but I've known several jobs where half the hourly rate of an electrician was charged to replace some things and the customer was happy.

I dunno about glownigger but you sound like a Gen Z whiney bitch. "I don't want to work 9-5." "I don't want to talk to people."

Yeah, me either, but I do it anyway and that's why I'm successful. I also trade stocks. Anything other than fundamentals driven long investing is gambling. I lost 10k trading options last year. I made 30k in dividends and unrealized gains. Statistically you COULD win short term but you WILL lose long term in that game. Plus the market is going to shit blood in the streets in the not too distant future.

Don't lose your ass or you'll be chatting it up with your fellow homeless Gen Z friends.

What are your goals? Set them, assess if they're viable, chart the course to accomplish them. "I want to retire at 55." Whats it take to make that happen? You need to do some math. Make some coffee, open a spreadsheet, get to it.

But...you won't listen, will you? You'll try to take the easy, magical way out. Because some woman talked to you about her system she says works. "She knows her stuff" says the guy who doesn't...how do you know she knows her stuff if you don't know this stuff?

You're really 40? Fuuuuck dude, what are you doing?! You've got a wife and kids by now right?

My grandfather used to say "make sure you learn a difficult skill and become valuable for what you can do. Otherwise, when the communists take over, you'll end up dead." He spent time in a POW camp, and I highly value his seasoned perspective.

A man's value to society is measured by what he is capable of doing. You can trade options, great. You're the first into the ditch. That "skill" isn't of value to society.

And, personally, if that's what you bring to the table, you're not an effective person to keep in my rolodex for when I may need a hand with something either. Friendships are really hard to maintain. It takes sacrifice and work for when any one of them ever call needing something. I drop anything I'm doing and go help them. I don't have time to maintain friendships with useless people. I may come off as a dick for saying that, but it's just the raw reality of the universe. A man needs to surround himself with highly capable people, and take the absolute best care of them when they ask for ANYTHING. I do have a couple friends who dabble with stocks, but not a single one who trades options. Personally, I find that skill to be useless, which legit would make that person more of a burden than a benefit to maintain.

An honest question deserves an honest answer. I know you didn't want to hear that. Sorry bro. It's just reality.

An EMT who can suture or has access to people who can - I would absolutely saddle up with. Why not follow that passion?

A money based system on recruiting an ever-increasing number of "investors." The initial promoters recruit investors, who in turn recruit more investors, and so on. The scheme is called a "pyramid" because at each level, the number of investors increases.

Trade futures? Like with a crystal ball? Learn a trade, become competent, and add to the future of both yourself, and society. Mike Rowe has excellent data on the future of trades, and why they will become the next set of wealthy careers.

We have some commonality. My Dad died at 50, I was 27. My grandparents had my Dad at age 40. Growing up, I always felt I was raised with values/attitudes a generation older than my peers. Dad had a relatively successful career as a homebuilder/developer yet was depressed that he wasn't more successful. We weren't poor but money was usually pretty tight. Growing up, Dad wanted me to become an engineer ... I didn't know what I wanted. So, I went to school, got a job, became a semiconductor engineer - and loved it for most of 25 years. The last 7 years were far more demanding, outrageous schedules, shitty raises, threats of offshoring and no other jobs that fit my skillsets on site. I saw 31 layoffs in that career, I survived every one of them. Site workforce went from 3200 when I started to 450 when I left. Up here in the sticks there are few opportunities for a semiconductor engineer, I couldn't just go across the street and find a similar paying job, and I was unwilling to move to another state where the semiconductor jobs were. I racked my brain on finding a solution, my job was getting untenable. Earlier, I had partnered with 4 other engineers in the mid 1990s to buy a local venue in the city, we had 260 seats in the upstairs and booked national bands to play about 2-3nights a week. It had a pub downstairs that held about 120 IIRC. I busted ass at work 45-50hrs a week then worked at the bar another +/-40hrs a week. It was hard. The business went broke after about 2 years of operation. I learned a lot from that experience, an education that was worth more than the money I lost. I decided I didn't want any partners in my next business. I didn't want any employees either. I didn't want inventory. I wanted to run and control the whole show. I wanted something that made serious profit and didn't demand too much of my time. I didn't want too much, eh?! Lol!

By the early 2000s there were new subdivisions popping up on my commute to work. Every day it was a reminder of good times in my youth working for my Dad building houses as part of his crew. I knew those developers were making big money developing land. Then it hit me to become a developer. No partners, no employees, big profit, 95% of the work was up front and once completed, the rest was simply sales and marketing.

I found the perfect spot to develop. Location is everything in real estate. I bought 3 parcels of raw woodland (totalling about 100ac on a hill) cheap, contracted a surveyor and other professionals, worked up a subdivision plan, put it through the approval process and had final subdivision approval all on my own dime (everything I had was riding on this). When I went to the bank for an infrastructure loan, the banker was blown away by the project and that I had created the approved subdivision out of pocket. They were very happy to lend me the money for infrastructure. Once the infrastructure was built, all that was left to do was marketing and sales. I selected a friend (ex-coworker laid off engineer who was also an ex-partner at the bar) who went into realty a couple of years earlier and had already established a good business. Together we brainstormed, created an interactive website with pictures of the incredible mountain and water views, designed/printed our own brochures, assembled mailings, etc. It worked out great! I had no partners (I only contracted professionals), no employees, I owned it all. I had the infrastructure loan paid off by the 6th lot sale, the rest was profit. As part of the initial land purchase I had also contracted an abutting 200ac with a 3 year balloon and paid that off early. Plenty of room to build off the success of my subdivision and expand into the future. Now that I'm getting old, I will probably sell that large parcel to another developer, at a huge profit of course, and they will do well with it.

So in essense, I had created the approved subd before I left my engineering career. When I left it was on my timeline, my decision (I felt I couldn't balance the outrageous work demands maintaining my prior level of performance and successfully juggle the subd project simultaneously). That was 20 years ago in June. So I look at it as having retired when I quit. The hard work was completed and have only had to expend a little effort here and there through those years.

Meanwhile 3 years after I quit, my old department was laid off and those guys had to deal with 1.75 to 2hr commutes to find similar work without moving. Meanwhile I only had to meet buyers, sign papers, collect big checks and deposit them. I have no regrets whatsoever. I do miss the technical challenge and bleeding edge of the semiconductor biz, but I don't miss the outrageous schedules, long hours, stagnant wages and no sense of job security.

And if this isn't something worth doing, what would be something else I could look into learning and making a career out of? Preferably in same lone wolf style work that is like trading futures.

Back to your search for a different career. I'd suggest real estate. Become a realtor, learn the ropes, excel at it. Keep your eyes open for every opportunity to make money. You would have to interface with people, mostly on the phone, text, email, showings and closings. Small scale project management with a big check at the end. The upside potential is huge if you are good at it. More millionaires created their wealth through real estate than any other method. Become familiar with your area. When you stumble upon great opportunities, seize them!

It's not worth doing. The statistical offs of beating a simple S&P 500 Index without insider knowledge is negligible. Anyone who can consistently beat it won't teach anyone else for the same reason I wont teach you where I found buried treasure.

As for feeling aimless, I can tell you exactly why that is. Your parents failed to raise you, and your grandparents never bothered to tell you how and why they screwed up in raising one parent and vetting the other. So as far as you're concerned, any major life plans and goals you establish could randomly explode one day for no known reason. Which will make you unbelievably adverse to picking a goal. For much the same reason you're adverse to going for a stroll if you live in a middle of a minefield. Have a no joke talk with them about how and why they screwed up and I bet your aimlessness will vanish.

Are you talking about Day Trading stocks or something? I have a story for you if you are. I knew a guy who went into a program online to learn day trading, costed like 300$ for the privilege to trade on their platform. He had a coach and everything through that program. Though he spent a good year and a half trying to learn it, he did not learn how to use that program to make money, the stocks were too volitile and he needed to get a job soon that would pay money so he could pay the bills so he wouldnt be kicked out of where he lived. But, he did learn alot about the stock market and can now invest in it when he gets some money saved up, even though he cant daytrade through that program.

You say you're aimless. The best thing to do to not be aimless in my opinion is figure out how you want the future as a whole to look and take steps to procure that future. Is making money going to make you feel less aimless? Will it give you the funds to achieve your goals? is the job the goal or is it what you can do with the money you'r main mission? Are you trying to impress a girl and or start a family? Do you already have your own family?

to me, it is a waste of time to learn a trade in a skill which might be a moot point tomorrow. what if our entire economy collapses overnight? in my opinion, you need a skill that is timeless and can survive whatever may come. becoming a general contractor, and unless you are just really horrible at it, you will always make money. you want something that you can pass on to your kids and yes, that needs to be in your plans. we are born to live, fight, have kids, and die. make sure that your dna sees the next one hundred years and make sure that whatever you do, that it is something that you (and your kids) will be proud of. make your money providing a service, not gambling on someone's happiness.