My Path Into Technical Analysis

I was 16 when the COVID-19 pandemic began which caused a large increase in the number of retail traders, of which I was part of.  I first heard of the markets from listening to Bloomberg radio.  I would hear the quick reports of the daily % changes of the major U.S. indices and the only thing I wanted to know was how I could capture those changes. 

 

I studied by reading Investopedia articles.  One day, at the bottom of one of their articles, I saw an ad for their "academy" which offered video based courses rather than articles.  I bought the technical analysis and advanced technical analysis courses which happened to be taught by JC Parets (CMT).  I loved the courses so much and managed to talk with him on the phone about how I could learn more on the subject.  He directed me towards the CMT program and about a month later, I registered for the level 1 exam.

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This was during the second semester of my senior year in high school.  I spent most of my classes looking at charts and using my homework time to study the level 1 book.  My frustration with school grew as I viewed it as a pure impediment to my study of TA.  I reached a breaking point during one of my calculus exams, walking out after not answering a single question and going to my guidance counselor to tell her that I only wanted to study TA.  She suggested that I take a gap year and that's exactly what I did.  I ended up passing all 3 CMT exams in succession, making me the second youngest to do so.  I also studied stoicism, python, and many other technical analysis books.    

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I attended the 50th annual CMT symposium which was an incredible experience.  Being on the floor of the NYSE, listening to several great info sessions and seeing many of the legends of TA in person.  Most importantly, I was able to connect with the AllStarCharts team and became an intern there.

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