I started trading in college with $500 and no clue what I was doing. Blew through half of it in the first week.

Here's what I learned the hard way so you don't have to:

1. Paper trade first. Seriously. Every broker has a simulator. Use it for at least 2 weeks before risking real money. Your ego will thank you.

2. Position sizing matters more than the trade itself. Never risk more than 1-2% of your account on a single trade. This one rule alone would've saved me hundreds.

3. The market doesn't care about your feelings. Set a stop loss BEFORE you enter. If you can't stomach the loss, the position is too big.

4. News moves markets faster than your internet. By the time you read about it on Twitter, the move already happened. Focus on charts and price action, not headlines.

5. Consistency > home runs. The traders making real money aren't hitting 10-baggers every day. They're grinding out small, consistent wins and compounding over time.

If you're a college student or young adult looking to actually learn how to trade (not just gamble), I built Alpha Desk for exactly that. No fluff, no hype — just real advice from someone who's been through it.