do you need a business/economics degree to be a stock trader?

you can be an english major and can still become a trader. finance courses do help. securities firms mainly look for those with soft skills (ie decisive, risk taker, fast thinking, aggressive, etc).

You need to be a great sales person & be willing to work very hard. A degree helps.. but there are plenty of successful History, English etc
majors doing well as brokers (there are many that do poorly also)...

Nope, just salesmanship and resiliency!

No, but you will generally need on to get your foot in the door at a reputable firm if you are just starting out. Once you're in pitch the sheepskin, it is worthless.

l think all you need is the knowledge to be successful, the software that a broker will provide and some capital.