Reddit mentions of Bite the Ass Off a Bear: Getting In and Standing Out On a Hedge Fund Trading Floor

Yeah, those fake prop shops are a bummer. Real ones are hard to get in to, so if an opportunity seems too good to be true, it probably is. There are lots of different prop shops that are totally legit, especially since you're already in London. I'm inexperienced and I hope to get into a prop firm too when I graduate in two years, so I'm not really qualified to give you that much advice. I can, however, direct you to /r/financialcareers. And if you're tired of erroneous advice and deceptive advertising on the internet, read books! I read one called Bite the Ass Off a Bear, and it taught me a lot about what to expect when pursuing a career in finance. It mostly focuses on hedge funds, but lots of advice can apply to anyone looking to be a professional trader.

Two things you can do that I'm also working on:

1. Build a robust track record. You need this since you don't have a degree. If your tenure as a retail trader has been less than impressive, then keep working at it until you can show that you're capable of growing an account and minimizing downside. I'm assuming you're at least kind of good, though.
   
2. Learn to program, then put it on your resume. Lots of places want you to know your quant stuff. I'm learning python on Quantopian. It's a steep learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty damn fun- and incredibly useful.