I started trading before there were online brokers. Soon as I turned 18, I opened my brokerage account. There was only like one or two discount brokerages back then. I used Waterhouse Securities which later became TD Ameritrade. Back then, I had to manually call and speak with a broker to execute any stock trades. And it was expensive. Then they released automated phone setup so you could call and check stock quotes and buy and sell stocks and options using touch tone phone without talking to live broker. I used to call from street pay phone booths to trade stocks. I called so much I memorized all the menu and digits to access and check my favorite stocks without looking at the phone keypad. When online trading started getting big around 1997, I quit my day job to trade full time. Even though trades were so much cheaper online, I was still paying around $50k a year in commissions and margin interest. I did that full time for 5 years before the dotcom crash made me go back to real work.
Now, I'm older and my balls are now size of grapes instead of watermelons. So I don't have the stomach or the balls to do the stuff I used to do. I'm happy to collect like $1k-$2k a month selling far out of the money covered calls on Tesla and selling naked puts. I could make far more if I was more aggressive and sold more covered calls closer to the money but I don't want to risk it with Tesla. I don't even like selling covered calls for more than 50% of my Tesla position.
I agree WSB Robinhood guys are morons for risking bankruptcy with insane leverage but if I was young and didn't have much money or assets, I would probably do it. Bankruptcy is only 7 years. They could sue me but if you never plan to work W2 job, you can be judgement proof. And if you hit on earnings options play which is basically coin flip, you could retire with the options winnings.