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I initially typed out a long response but really I think it boils down to this: what do you trade, how do you trade, how much do you trade, how scalable is your trading, do you have a clearly defined, repeatable process, do you have risk metrics that you can show and produce readily, etc?
Basically, is your trading retail trading or actually institutional level? If it’s the latter, you may be able to pitch yourself and your trading. If it’s the former, I think getting into finance without a degree and getting to do what you’re looking to do would be very hard. Mostly because you would have little to no experience or resume to help distinguish you to even be interviewed. Even if you did, those types of jobs still might have their AI reject you due to having no bachelors.
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Everyone’s situation is different, and mine’s a bit unusual, so bear with me.
I’m almost 30. I went into Civil Engineering at 19 because it seemed like the safer bet, and worked across the industry, from QA/QC, supervision, drafting. But deep down finance was always the real interest, so I kept learning it on the side. nine years of trial and error, but I stuck with it.
Today I trade full time through my Ltd., which has been running nearly 5 years, I handle all the filings and taxes myself. Trading literally takes max 4 hours of my day. I also own two rentals.
On paper it’s working. But after two years of travelling, I think I was happier in a 9–5. In civil I could see the impact of my work, a roadway getting built, a client’s problem solved. Trading doesn’t give me that right now. I’ve been to plenty of business and trading events, but it’s not the same as showing up somewhere with co-workers every day. I like helping people and want to build real connections.
So I’m looking at a certificate in finance and I don’t want to commit years to a diploma or bachelor’s. Goal is to get into banking, ideally something with charts, data, backtesting, or risk management, but I’m open to suggestions.
I am not selling anything. I don’t have courses, no signals. I am here asking banking folks already in the industry: with a certificate and a solid personal track record, what’s realistically open to someone like me?