When you guys are talking about stocks tanking (or conversely doing very well), do any of you actually short the stock? I'm asking because I'm a college studen

When you guys are talking about stocks tanking (or conversely doing very well), do any of you actually short the stock? I'm asking because I'm a college student and don't have much money, but an opportunity like this looks good. Buuut I also don't know enough about the market to feel comfortable making a bet like this. My main concern is if people who trade stock often can set their shorts and sell extremely early (maybe minutes after the market opens) leaving the average trader only able to buy shares once the price has fallen too far for a short to be a good strategy. I poked around on Google but it would also be great to hear what people here think.