• Home
  • Courses by Subject
    • Accounting
      • Accounting
      • Bookkeeping
      • Payroll
    • Administration
      • Administration
      • Business Administration
      • Medical Secretary
      • Personal Assistant
      • Secretarial
    • Animal Health & Wellbeing
      • Animal Care
      • Dog Grooming
      • Vet Assistant
      • Zoology
    • Building & Construction
      • Construction
      • Landscaping
    • Business & Finance
      • Banking
      • Business
      • Business Communication
      • Business Management
      • Consultancy
      • Excel
      • Finance
      • Logistics
      • Sales
      • Supply Chain Management
      • Trading
    • Design
      • Gardening
      • Graphic Design
      • Interior Design
      • Web Design
    • Digital Skills
      • Analytics
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing
      • CompTIA
      • CompTIA A+
      • Computer Science
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Cyber Security
      • Data Science
      • Ethical Hacking
      • IT
      • IT Support
      • Networking
      • Penetration Testing
      • Software Testing
    • Ecology
      • Environmental
      • Sustainability
    • Education
      • A-Level
      • GCSE
      • Teaching
      • Teaching Assistant
    • Fashion & Beauty
      • Hair & Beauty
      • Massage
      • Nail Technician
    • Health & Safety
      • Construction Health & Safety
      • Work Health & Safety
    • Healthcare
      • Care
      • Childcare
      • Counselling
      • Criminal Psychology
      • Disability
      • Health
      • Healthcare Management
      • Mental Health
      • Nursing
      • Nutrition
      • Personal Training
      • Psychology
      • Public Health
      • Social Care
    • Hospitality & Events
      • Event Management
      • Floristry
      • Hospitality
      • Wedding Planner
    • HR
      • CIPD
      • Human Resources
      • Learning & Development
    • Law & Justice
      • Criminology
      • Forensic Science
      • Law
      • Legal
    • Management & Leadership
      • Agile
      • Change Management
      • Leadership
      • Lean Six Sigma
      • Management
      • Operations Management
      • Personal Development
      • PRINCE2
      • Project Management
      • Quality Management
      • Real Estate
    • Marketing & Communication
      • Digital Marketing
      • Marketing
      • Media
      • Music
      • Public Relations
      • Social Media Marketing
    • Microsoft
      • Microsoft
      • Microsoft Azure
    • Programming
      • App Development
      • Cisco
      • Cisco CCNA
      • Coding
      • Programming
      • Python
      • Software Development
      • SQL
      • Web Development
    • Tourism
      • Travel & Tourism
    • University
      • Business Management
      • Business
      • Criminal Psychology
      • Criminology
      • Finance
      • IT
      • Law
      • Marketing
      • Psychology
    • Blended
    • In-class
    • Online
    • A-Level
    • Advanced Certificate
    • Advanced Diploma
    • Award
    • Bachelors
    • CertHE
    • Certificate
    • Certified
    • CPD
    • Diploma
    • ELCAS
    • Extended Diploma
    • Foundation
    • GCSE
    • Level 1
    • Level 2
    • Level 3
    • Level 4
    • Level 5
    • Level 6
    • Level 7
    • Level 8
    • LLB
    • LLM
    • Masters
    • MBA
    • MSc
    • Postgraduate
    • Practitioner
    • Short
    • Undergraduate
    • University
  • Courses by Providers
    • Acudemy
    • Avado
    • BARBRI
    • Brunel University London
    • CIPP
    • Course2Career
    • DLC Training
    • DPG
    • Hudson
    • ICS Learn
    • Institute of Supply Chain Mana
    • International Career Institute
    • ITonlinelearning
    • Learning People
    • London Academy of Trading
    • London College of Contemporary Music
    • London Governance & Compliance Academy
    • London School of Business and Finance Online
    • Next Level Impact
    • Online Courses Learning
    • Open Study College
    • Samuel & Co
    • The Career Academy
    • TPT Consultancy & Training
    • University College of Estate Management
    • University of Essex Online
    • University of Liverpool Online
    • University of Roehampton Online
    • Walbrook Institute London
    • Wise Global Training
    • How To Become
    • The Workforce Training Hub
    • Career Advice
    • Study Tips
    • Quizzes
    • Resources
    • Industry Insider
  • Top Courses
  • Become a Partner
  • Contact us
 
How to Begin a Career in Trading

How to Begin a Career in Trading

  1. Home
  2. Business & Finance
  3. Trading
  4. How to Begin a Career in Trading


How to Begin a Career in Trading


Do you thrive in thrilling and dynamic environments? A career in trading on the London Stock Exchange or Wall Street could be for you! In order to start your career in trading, you will need to understand the nitty-gritty involved in buying and selling goods to earn money. You may want to become a full-time professional trader or trade in your free time.

What Qualifications Do You Need to Begin a Career in Trading?

If you’re wondering how to become a stock trader but aren’t sure where to start, having a background or education in business and finance can equip you with the basics to go forward with. A finance or accounts degree is a smart step to start your trading career. Next, try to identify the right field for you within the financial sector, whether that’s day trading, investment banking, or asset management.

You could choose to study equity investment, trading skills, trading psychology, and more. Courses like these can give you the wide range of skills needed to succeed in trading. Trading can be a dream job for many, but working out which part of this career you want to specialise in can help you get the most out of it. Additional certifications in Forex trading, institutional trading, or CISI & CPD will further your professional credentials and knowledge of the stock market. Once you’ve got a basic knowledge of trading locked in, looking at advanced trading courses can be a great next step.

Additionally, completing work experience or internship with an investment bank or trading firm will also give you an edge in this competitive industry.

As a Beginner, Where Should I Start in Trading?

Working in the stock market can be an enjoyable and lucrative career. Trading for a living can bring in substantial income, and working as a full-time trader can open up lots of opportunities to accumulate wealth. 

So, is stock trading worth it? How much money do traders make? Well, the nature of the stock market is unpredictable, and there are no guarantees. 

As a general rule, it’s good to avoid investing more than you can afford to lose, and investing in less volatile stocks, such as government bonds, as well as riskier stocks, can be a good way to invest in a sustainable way. Having a long-term trading plan and building up trading experience before taking on riskier stocks is a great way to build up a solid career path as a successful trader.

Skill Set Required for a Career in Trading

Trading can be a demanding job, and there are lots of skills you’ll need to brush up on before you get started. Having these skills in your repertoire will help you to succeed in your career. 


  • Exceptional analytical skills

  • Confidence in working with quantitative data or a large amount of money

  • Strong communication skills

  • Keen interest in the workings of the market

  • Strong personal discipline and motivation

  • Physical and mental stamina

What Does a Trader Do?

Trading can involve earning money for yourself, as well as providing services to consumers. Trading is an important part of the global economy by creating liquidity in financial markets and is the main source of profit for investment banks, hedge funds, and commodity companies.

Using their analytical skills and financial knowledge, traders survey the financial market and make predictions. They will then need to make prompt decisions on when to buy and sell, with the aim of making as much money as possible for the client while reducing financial risk.

There are three main ways trading can be done:

  • Proprietary trading – which involves buying and selling financial products on behalf of a bank
  • Flow trading – which involves executing trades on behalf of a bank’s clients
  • Sales trading – which involves acting as a mediator between a client and the people responsible for executing trades.

Typical Duties for a Trader

A trader’s day-to-day activities can change quickly, and they have to be on their toes and ready to react to different situations. However, there are some responsibilities that will remain the same throughout your career as a trader.


  • Liaising with clients and colleagues
  • Analysing data and making rapid fire decisions
  • Finalising trades over the phone or online
  • Executing trades and securing deals
  • Presenting ideas to clients
  • Obtaining market prices from market-making traders to inform trades’ purchases

Popular Career Pathways for Traders

You may start off as a graduate trainee or entry-level trader. After gaining experience, you can become an associate, then a senior associate, and finally, at a director level. Because trading is of international significance, you may come across opportunities to work abroad.

Other opportunities as a financial analyst, day trader, or risk management consultant could also be for you.

Are you keen to start your trading journey today? Explore trading courses and see how we can help you begin your education journey. 

Browse Finance Courses Now!

Related To Trading Courses


6 Reasons Why Trading May Be Your Dream Job

If you were to design the perfect dream job, it might look a little something like this: no boss, no...

By CoursesOnline Contributors
Aug 18, 2020
Read More
  • Popular Subjects
  • Qualification Type
  • How to Become
  • Bookkeeping
  • Computer Science
  • Counselling
  • Hair & Beauty
  • Human Resources
  • IT
  • Networking
  • Payroll
  • Psychology
  • University
  • Supply Chain Management
  • Web Development
  • View More
  • Advanced Diploma
  • Bachelors
  • Certificate
  • Diploma
  • ELCAS
  • Foundation
  • Level 2
  • Level 3
  • Level 4
  • Level 5
  • Level 6
  • Level 7
  • Masters
  • MBA
  • MSc
  • Postgraduate
  • Short
  • Undergraduate
  • A-Level
  • Award
  • University
  • View More
  • How to Begin a Career in IT
  • How to Become a Bookkeeper
  • How to Begin a Career in Trading
  • How to Become a Change Management Consultant
  • How to Become a Cloud Architect
  • How to Become a Construction Health & Safety Officer
  • How to Become a Cryptocurrency Expert
  • How to Become a Forensic Scientist
  • How to Become a Financial Modeller
  • How to Become Java Certified
  • How to Become a Leadership Coach
  • How to Become a Manager
  • How to Become a Mentor
  • How to Become Microsoft Certified
  • How to Become a Psychologist
  • How to Become a Public Health Consultant
  • How to Become a Software Developer
  • How to Become a Software Tester
  • How to Start Your Career in Human Resources
  • How to Become Xero Certified
  • View More

Newsletter sign up

We'll email you updates on job trends, career advice, study tips, news and more.
Courses
  • All Courses
  • Online Courses
Education Providers
  • Our Providers
Resources
  • Our Blog
  • How to Become
About us
  • About CoursesOnline
  • FAQs
Contact us
  • Advertise your course
  • Become an Affiliate
Privacy Policy Terms of Use
Certified B Corporation
Tafecourses Facebook Tafecourses LinkedIn Tafecourses Instagram
Certified B Corporation
Copyright © 2025 Coursesonline.co.uk
All Rights Reserved.
Back to Top

Newsletter Sign Up

We’ll email you updates on job trends, career advice, study tips, news and more.

By submitting this enquiry I accept the "Privacy Policy" and "Terms of Use"

Coursesonline.co.uk uses cookies. By continuing you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Learn more.

GDPR - Logo
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

Additional Cookies

This website uses additional cookies to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

Cookie Policy

More information about our Cookie Policy