How To Become A Securities Trader: What It Is and Career Path

What is a securities trader and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a securities trader. For example, did you know that they make an average of $56.14 an hour? That's $116,767 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 47,700 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreSecurities TraderUS Average

Salary

8.0

Avg. Salary $116,767

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

9.5

Growth Rate 10%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 11.36%

Black or African American 5.76%

Hispanic or Latino 12.12%

Unknown 4.15%

White 66.40%

Gender

female 14.89%

male 85.11%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

9.5

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.5

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a securities trader

Explore securities trader education requirements

Most common securities trader degrees

Bachelor's

80.3 %

Master's

10.5 %

Associate

6.6 %

Start to develop specific securities trader skills

Skills	Percentages
Securities	17.86%
Risk Management	10.65%
Fixed Income	8.01%
Equities	7.58%
Financial Statements	6.31%

Research securities trader duties and responsibilities

Research, analyze, and invest in equities in order to achieve short term capital gains.
Manage business, sales, marketing, international negotiation and communication for a commodities business.
Collaborate with partners in trading domestic equities, international equities, corporate bonds, and sovereign debt instruments.
Carry out NYSE and NASDAQ equity trading on behalf of institutional clientele and register investment advisors.

Get securities trader experience

Prepare your securities trader resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your securities trader resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a securities trader resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Securities Trader Resume templates

Build a professional Securities Trader resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Securities Trader resume.

Apply for securities trader jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a securities trader job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do securities traders rate their job?