The Gritty Reality of Being Both a Full-Time Student and Part-Time Trader, and the Journey to Find Balance Amidst Chaos

Being a student and a trader isn’t for the faint of heart. My days are filled with classes, assignments, and group projects, while my nights are spent glued to my laptop, eyes flicking between lecture notes and live market charts. The sound of traffic outside my window at 3 a.m. is a reminder that the world keeps moving, whether I’m prepared or not.

It started back in my first year of university, fueled by an interest in finance that grew into a full-fledged obsession. Reading about legendary traders and market movers, I thought, *Why not me?* The idea of applying classroom theories to real money on the line was too tempting to pass up. What I hadn’t anticipated was just how demanding this double life would become.

First Glimpse of Success

I’ll never forget the rush of my first big win. One night, I bet on the yen appreciating against the dollar after studying Japan’s central bank decisions for weeks. When the news broke, my screen lit up with gains that felt surreal. I was on top of the world—that is, until I remembered I had an 8 a.m. exam in microeconomics. Running on adrenaline and two hours of sleep, I stumbled into class, brain full of exchange rates and technical analysis but not much else. The professor’s disapproving glance as he handed back my barely-passing paper was a wake-up call I chose to ignore.

A Vicious Cycle

The balance between student life and trading was a constant tightrope walk. I’d skip lunch breaks to analyze market trends, glancing at my phone during lectures to track positions. Friends teased me, saying I was always “trading with ghosts,” lost in my own world. They didn’t know that behind my distracted stare was the pressure of making decisions that could either skyrocket my confidence or wipe out weeks of hard work.

One of the toughest moments came during final exams. A crucial U.S. employment report release coincided with my most important test of the semester. I tried to manage both—watching my trades well into the night and showing up to my exam half-asleep. The caffeine kept me awake, but it couldn’t stop the brain fog that muddled my thoughts. The numbers on my exam paper danced just as chaotically as the ones on my trading chart had the night before. That evening, my trades tanked, leaving me staring blankly at the red numbers, too tired to feel the sting of disappointment.

The Breaking Point

Late one night, my phone buzzed with a call from my mom. She immediately picked up on something being off. “Are you okay?” she asked gently. I paused, swallowing back the frustration and exhaustion. In that moment, staring at my reflection in the dark window, I didn’t see the driven student or ambitious trader I’d imagined myself to be. I just saw someone burned out, trapped by his own goals.

“I’m trying,” I whispered, the words catching in my throat. That simple admission unraveled the tension I hadn’t even realized was there.

Finding a Balance

The next day, I committed to a change. I started setting boundaries—only trading during set hours and making sure my schoolwork came first. It meant accepting smaller wins and slower progress, but it also meant no more sleepless nights or feeling like I was racing against the world.

Over time, I found the discipline needed to maintain both roles without them eating me alive. The market taught me resilience, while school demanded discipline. Each day was still a challenge, but I learned that real success wasn’t just about how many trades I won or acing a test. It was about showing up for myself, balancing my ambition with sanity, and realizing that sometimes just surviving the chaos was a victory in itself.

Navigating life as both a student and a trader is a story of high stakes, lessons in humility, and learning to pace yourself through it all.