I’ve just noticed that the people around me are becoming more interested in the trader profession. Honestly, this isn’t as difficult as it seems, but you need to understand it clearly first.

The trader we’re talking about is someone who makes money by buying low and selling high—simple as going to a market stall. You see a shirt for 100 baht, you know you can resell it for 200 baht, so you buy it and sell it on—making a profit of 100 baht. Traders do the same thing, just replacing shirts with gold, currency, or stocks—only through a mobile phone.

What’s important is to know that the trader profession has many types, depending on how long you hold the asset. There are those who hold it for only a few seconds (Scalper), those who hold it for several days (Swing Trader), and those who hold it for weeks or months (Position Trader). But for beginners, I recommend Swing Trader the most, because you don’t have to stare at the screen all day. Just check in the morning before you go to work, and then in the evening when you get home.

What you need to know before starting as a trader is that numbers like these might make you tremble—according to statistics, 72% of day traders end the year with losses. It’s not that trading is impossible, but most people are too hasty, don’t have a plan, and don’t set Stop Loss.

If you really want to start, don’t rush to trade with real money. First, try opening a Demo account. Every good platform provides fake money—50,000 baht—to practice. The prices are the real market prices, but you’re not risking real money—like playing a driving simulation game before driving for real. Practice for at least 2-4 weeks before putting in even a single baht of your own money.

What separates skilled traders from those who end up failing is setting a Stop Loss every time. It’s an automatic way to cut losses when they reach the point we set. It’s not mandatory, but it’s a matter of survival.

For the trader profession in this era, if you have 1-2 hours a day, Swing Trading is perfect for you. You don’t need to quit your job—make it a side income. And if you don’t want to get involved at all, being an Investor by buying mutual funds is better.

Finally, the most important point—don’t risk money you need for your everyday life. Start with a small amount that, if you lose it all, won’t cause trouble. Increase your capital step by step when you’ve been trading successfully and consistently. Getting rich quickly is a shortcut that leads straight to failure. The trader profession gives freedom over your time and income, but it comes with risk and pressure. You have to keep learning all the time, because if you stop learning, you stop making money.