A common question that most of us have faced as children from school teachers, parents, or relatives is “What do you want to become when you grow up in life?” (investor) Sounds familiar?
I still remember the day my class teacher asked this question in class. Most of my classmates said “Doctor, scientist, chartered accountant, engineer or pilot.” I was also one who said “Pilot”. Not that I wanted to be a pilot. I hadn’t quite thought about what I wanted to become then. So just picked up a random answer.
These stereotype answers by my classmates including me were entirely justified, as right from childhood our minds are conditioned to believe that life is all about studying well, getting a professional qualification, finding a well-paid job and settling down.
Nobody mentioned about becoming a sportsman, musician or a painter or even an actor. No doubt back then there was indeed an element of uncertainty associated with offbeat careers such as musician, painter or actor.
But times have changed now. A lot of people are opting for such careers too. Thanks to the deep reach of social media and constant reality shows on TV, few people become celebrities overnight.
Today if we ask any child the same question about what he/she wants to become after growing up in life, the answer would certainly not be limited to a few white-collar jobs like those old days.
Choosing the right career path after finishing education is one of the most significant decisions that we all make in life. One of the biggest obstacles in choosing the right career is the lack of awareness or proper guidance.
Most people think of investing as a secondary activity which can be done along with their primary profession. While they are partly right, becoming an investor can be one’s primary profession too. Some of the best examples are Warren Buffett and Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. Read more about successful investors here.
Here’s why becoming an investor as a career can be an ideal career path.
As an Investor – You are your own boss
Admit it or not, given a choice, most of us would like to work for ourselves. This mainly due to two reasons. The first reason is not being paid according to one’s worth. Secondly, there is no job security. An employer may fire any employee anytime or even promote undeserving employees up the corporate ladder while ignoring more deserving people.
By choosing investor as a career path, one can be his own boss and need not worry about deadlines, targets or lay-offs.
Freedom to work from anywhere
A laptop or a smartphone with internet are the only tools an investor needs. One has the liberty to work from their house, a cafe or even while vacationing in Maldives. Is this possible when one works for someone else? Probably not. Choosing investor as a profession gives you the freedom of not being tied to any one place.
Decades back, the majority of investors in the stock market were middle-aged or those in their 50s and 60s. But the trend has changed now! Today we can find a lot of youngsters investing, and many have been successful too. Investing is a profession where every experience counts. With enough experience, one can learn a lot to use it for planning future investment strategies.
Yes, as in all professions, there will be some challenges when you choose investor as a profession. And you don’t have to be a great investor to be a successful investor.
As stated by Peter Lynch “If seven out of ten of my stocks perform as expected, then I’m delighted. If six out of ten of my stocks perform as expected, then I’m thankful. Six out of ten is all it takes to produce an enviable record of Wall Street.”
Yes, being an investor is the new profession. And we at R&R are fully committed to creating thousands of such investors over the upcoming years by using a winning combination of smart technology and detailed research.
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Check out our Latest Article on How Long term investing helps create life-changing wealth – TOI