Student of the Month - Jay McVicker

Ted Francisco on Jan 14, 2022
Interview with Jay McVicker
 
Tell us your story.  We want to hear about you.

 

I was an IT manager for ATT for 21 years. I discovered OTA in 2015 and attended the three-day class. I found it very valuable. A few years after joining OTA, I had been laid off. At 55, finding comparable work was challenging.  

My wife and I sat down and talked about our options. In 2019, we sold our five-bedroom house in Washington and bought an RV. We hit the road and ended up in Texas. We love it! 

 

 

We were on our way back to Washington when COVID hit, which closed down all of the RV parks between Dallas and Washington. We ended up here in Idaho and really enjoying it. We’re planning on relocating here. 

What are you trading?

Right now, I trade mostly stocks and options. I have also taken Futures, Forex and Strategic Investors. I’m trading full-time now. 
 

Have you ever had an experience where you felt like you were failing?  How did you overcome that?

Early in my time at OTA, I was trading Forex and was not successful. I had been trading live and wasn’t doing well. I was really discouraged. I went back to simulator and that really helped. I also started trading Options at the time. I found that Options created a lot of different trading opportunities. 
 

What have you found most valuable?

I think OTA is a community. You really have the chance to support one another and learn from each other. I think the instructors are great.  I’m in XLT sessions 6-8 hours a week. I think with every instructor, I learn something new.

 

Have you taken classes at other centers as you travelled?

I have. I attended an options class when I was in Dallas. It’s great that you can do that. 

 

Are you a Mastermind?  What do you think of that community?

I think it’s great. Mastermind gives you access to a lot more tools. Mastermind really is for people who want to take what they learn in Core Strategy and take it to the next level.

 

If you had one piece of advice for newer students, what would you tell them?

Keep at it.  You may get discouraged early on but keep at it. It can be difficult at first, but I would recommend that you retake classes if you can. Eventually, you’ll get it.