1. Agricultural Careers Commodities Broker By: Dr. Frank Flanders and Trisha Rae Stephens Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum Office Georgia Department of Education June 2005 START

2. Job Duties & Responsibilities Track the world markets for changes Carry out trades for the client Advise clients on the position of the market Seek out potential clients Maintain account balances and financial records

3. Qualities and Skills Those on the floor of the exchanges must be able to stand for extremely long periods of time Be capable of handling stress Detail oriented and analytical Strong Communication skills Must be confident, driven, and aggressive Should be persistent and disciplined with ability to make quick, reasonable judgments.

4. Salary Most brokers are paid a base salary plus a commission. Brokers are paid a commission based on the number of clients they recruit and the amount of money they make. A newly hired employee in a brokerage firm would average around $1,500 a month plus 30% commission. Commission earnings rise and fall with the changes in market activity. The median annual earnings of securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents were $60,990 in 2002. The middle half earned between $36,180 and $117,050.

5. Work Environment Offices Indoors Traveling maybe necessary Exchange floor for some traders

6. Becoming a Commodities Broker Take college preparatory classes in high school including history, math, science, agribusiness and business education classes. Visit one of the futures exchanges or explore them online, so that you can see how the markets are run. Subscribe to an industry newsletter or magazine Work a part time job in a brokerage or investment firm

7. Career Resources Commodities Future Trading Commission Three Lafayette Centre 1155 21st Street, NW Washington, DC 20581 Internet: http://www.cftc.gov Futures Trading Association 2001 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Suite 600 Washington, DC 20006 Internet: http://www.futuresindustry.org National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. 1735 K Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20006 Internet: http://www.nasd.com