What does it take to have success with these types of trading jobs?
If you want to be successful as a day trader, you're going to need to be disciplined, to work hard, and to do lots of research. In other words, becoming a day trader isn't an easy ride even though it can be exciting and extremely enjoyable.
Before You Get Started
Before you start this type of job trading, make sure you do your homework, research daytrading online, and make sure it's something you can do. You have to know what you're getting into and not simply "jump in with both feet" without doing your homework simply because it seems glamorous, convenient, or "a get rich quick scheme." This is actually far from the truth. So research daytrading in general and then research specific daytrading training programs to determine if there's one that will suit your particular learning style and preferences.
A second thing to keep in mind before you begin to day trade is that you should not quit your job until you are insured success as a day trader. The last thing you want to have happen is that you quit your job, get yourself in a hole financially because you don't know what you're doing is a day trader, and then be left with nothing or worse, including no job.
Practice, Practice, Practice
For these types of trading jobs, you are going to have to practice daytrading before you ever use real money, AND you're going to have to learn about all the strategies necessary to becoming a successful day trader. There are programs out there that can help you simulate daytrading so that you can see what would happen in real time without actually risking money, so that you can practice different strategies, try them out, and modify your strategy until you find something that works for you.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you should find a mentor who can school you on the ins and outs of daytrading, again before you ever get started. This would give you a good idea of what daytrading is really like, and whether or not it's something you really want to pursue.
Getting Started
Once you've done your practice runs, get set up so that you can start daytrading for real. You'll need a high-speed modem and a good computer -- ideally, you'll have multiple screens -- and you will need a budget of about $2500 in trading money.
Next, set up your schedule. These types of trading jobs allow you to be pretty flexible, but you should set a schedule and then keep to it as much as you can.
The next step is that you find your strategy. You may have already discovered a good strategy while you were doing your homework during your practice runs, but this is the time to finalize your strategy and get it set.
Open an account with an online broker so that you can trade stocks online, and get started. Start small, with a minimal number of shares, so that your risks are minimal as well while you still have a learning curve to get on top of.
Finally, as you get better at this, you can increase the risks you take, although you should always make sure you stay on top of things so that you never risk more than you can afford to lose. Make sure you stay within your budget, even if you change your budget from time to time. NEVER decide to risk more than you can afford to, for whatever reason.