was 1999 and the market was transitioning from paper tickets to electronic trading. It was also the time of dial up internet and 15 minute delayed quotes.

So while we were trading two buildings away from the exchange with level 2 quotes, immediate execution, and up to the second info, others we're trading in Oregon with dial up, level 1 quotes, and a 15 minute delay.

Guys where I worked were making $1,000 a day or more. Nearly all of us were under 25 years old.

Then... over time, everyone got real time quotes and high speed internet. Then the big firms developed computer programs that were faster than we could type ... and the market went from trading in fractions to decimals (meaning each tick of the stock was 1 penny rather than 12.5 - it eliminated much of the volatility that made us profitable).

Ultimately it put about 8,000 traders out of work. We went from making hundreds of thousands/millions per year to losing hundreds of thousands/millions as we thought we could figure out the new way the market traded.

Those guys from my trading days are lifelong friends. We look back on those years with fondness. Many went from making millions per year to making $80k. And most of them spent all of their money frivolously. None of them would take those years back. They had a ton of fun... have crazy life stories... and learned valuable lessons.

I lost a ton of money trying to figure out the new market..fortunately I didn't party hard like they did and had a few bucks saved when I quit.

I obviously wish I'd saved more and so do my friends, but we're glad we had those years.