My trading journey began in March 2020, right as the markets crashed. I had just started learning about stocks and knew very little — but I understood that markets tend to return to fair value over time. So I invested $400 across a few companies in different sectors.

​

By October 2020, a few of those positions were up anywhere from 100% to 300%. I sold some shares, noticed that other names were forming higher highs and higher lows, and reinvested in those. I repeated this process a few times, with wins heavily outweighing losses. But like many during that bull market, I was benefiting more from momentum than skill.

​

In January 2021, I came across options trading for the first time. I didn’t even know what a derivative was, but I was hooked. I spent six months studying everything I could before placing my first trade — a covered call. I was all-in on the idea of trading for a living, so I used my life savings to buy 100 shares of AAPL just so I could sell weekly calls against it. The internet made it sound like free money. And for a while, it was — $150 per week when the call would expire worthless. But eventually, I started giving profits back and realized I couldn’t build a sustainable income that way.

​

In early 2022, I sold half my AAPL shares and started buying long calls and puts. I made a little money here and there, but I didn’t truly understand market behavior, and by August, I’d lost most of the capital. That loss took a mental toll — I was burnt out, waking up in cold sweats, and experiencing full-on night terrors. I had already quit my job by that point, so I took a break and picked up a full-time job earning $20/hour. Even then, I never stopped learning about the markets.

​

In spring 2023, I discovered futures — and realized they were far better suited for scalping and day trading because they don’t suffer from time decay like options. Around the same time, I came across the volume profile — and that changed everything. It answered questions I had carried for years and helped me finally understand how the market actually moves. In May 2023, I rediscovered my passion for trading and began trading futures with prop firms.

​

I knew prop firms had a reputation for being shady, but I saw them as a low-risk way to get screen time and build skill while risking only $30 per evaluation. The next year was all about learning the volume profile on a deep level. Most videos and articles I found were surface-level — so I had to get creative, dig deep, and learn through trial and error. It took time, but it worked.

​

By spring 2024, I was earning consistent payouts from prop firms. I had confidence in my process, discipline to sit out when the read wasn’t there, and a real understanding of market structure. In October 2024, I quit my job for good — I was making more from trading than I ever had working full time.

​

Since then, I’ve continued to grow as a trader — but I’ve also felt the urge to do more. Trading for money is great, but teaching has become just as meaningful to me. Most traders lose or barely break even. Not because they’re lazy or undisciplined — but because they never get the chance to truly understand the psychology and structure behind price movement. I created my Volume Profile Module to change that — so others can shorten the learning curve and build a real edge before they run out of capital or confidence.