Wow, what a blast from the past. I'm flattered to think you would even think I have anything of value to say. There are many great traders and/or investors on this forum.@Wack@fbx258@binwood @BaltasarG just to name a few. You're much better asking for their input, which is sure to be of greater value than anything I have to say.
Your question reminds me of an anecdote related by one of the greatest traders of all time, Jesse Livermore a.k.a The Boy Plunger. He was at a dinner party and someone asked him how to become a "great trader". His reply was "I don't know". I'm sure he actually meant it. If you had asked me years ago, I would have pontificated about Moving Averages, Volume, Trend Lines, Resistance, Japanese Candlestick Patterns, etc, etc. But now, i can honestly say, I don't know what makes a good trader/investor.
Sure, technical indicators are important. Read as many trading books as you can. Don't pay for them. Many are available for free if you just google the title + PDF. At first, they may not make much sense, but as you spend time in the market, they will. Eventually, you'll read them, and shrug your shoulders and agree with some of what they say, and discard much of what they say as well. Not that rules aren't good, but this is an art, not a science. Some rules can be broken. It all comes down to the most basic human emotions- greed and fear. Greed and Fear. Shitco managers understand this and will appeal to the former. So will many pumpers on HC and Twitter / X .
The biggest lessons for me have been my losses. I could blame these on any number of factors, especially dishonest management who just want to keep their lifestyles going at the expense of poor, long suffering shareholders. They will lie with a straight face. Their livelihoods depend on applying as much lipstick to the proverbial pig as they can. But I was the idiot who pressed the buy button. And kept it when I should have sold. The buck stops with me. I wasn't in control of my own greed, nor my own fear. Risk management is the key, No matter how good the story, don't go too long to be wrong. You need a lot of time in the markets. You need to experience the pain of losing money, and the elation of making it. Fun fact: In my first month of trading, I made $50,000 in three hours, trading a shitco. It was the WORST thing that could have happened to me. It took me years to stop chasing that high. Which brings me to the most important point of all - "Know Thyself" . Self awareness is the MOST important thing in this business. No book or course can teach you this.
So to answer your question, I ended up getting educated through the ups and downs, the pain and the highs. Learn risk management, respect technical indicators and Price Action. But above all, understand what makes you tick. Good luck mate.
