As the economies creep back to normalcy and economies wake up from the slumber they were put to, another thought that enters many minds across the globe is of returning to the same old daily routine.
Before our lives where jilted to a halt, the world had acquired a well-oiled routine, a rigmarole of waking up on a certain time, eating at a certain time, sleeping for a particular duration, and repeating the same. Everyday. Had the virus not struck, perhaps this would’ve continued ad infinitum.
Alas, new time tables have had to be made because of this prolonged full stop on all movement, all activities. We’re marvels of nature and marvels precisely because we adapt. Our bodies and minds have assimilated the novel circumstances; going back would not be easy not only because of reasons of safety but also of the will.
Where the mantra of “work-from-home” was hailed as a panacea for this situation, it has turned out to be quiet intrusive. Earlier, once the clock struck 5, pens fell out of hands, suitcases were picked up, and roads teemed with people heading home, leaving work and its worries behind the closed doors of offices.
But now, work itself has taken over the house. It has spilled to your morning coffee and often stays, uninvited, through dinner and bedtime.
The concept of personal space and time is blurring, if not physically, then virtually at least. The boss calls in anytime for reports, and often, “work-from-home” is misinterpreted as “work-anytime.”
Time For A Change
If you’re tired and burned-out working yourself from 9 to 5 officially, and hours before 9 and after 5 unofficially, it’s time to consider alternative career options.
Stock market trading is one that allows you the optimum blend of the rigidity of a schedule, and the flexibility of working from anywhere and being your boss. Buying stocks online earns enough to run a household comfortably, while simultaneously leaving untouched a chunk of the day which one put to use in any way one likes.
1. No more the Yes Man. Be the Boss Man.
John Donne wrote No Man Is An Island. That’s because, in 1624, there were no day traders.
Gone are the days of kowtowing to your superiors, laughing at their pathetic jokes, and competing with other office goers to be in the boss’s good books. Day trading leaves you completely on your own, with perhaps contact only to your broker (but you can be your broker as well).
Your ship in the seas of trading sail with the winds of your whims and decisions. There is no pressure of playing along with a team. Perfect for those who consider themselves lone wolves.
2. Flexibility
In the office, one has to clock in and clock out, suffer pecuniary consequences for absences, and can only take a stipulated number of leaves from work. Trading obviates all this.
Trading allows one flexibility in routine. Yes, it can take away the security of a fixed amount of money being credited to your account at the end of the month, but then it can also bestow you with a windfall.
You might earn enough for a month in only one day, and then decide to take a leave from trading for a week or so. If you manage your earnings well, you might only have to work a few hours in a week and earn more than the average Joe who indulges in 9 to 5 drudgery.
You can cook, eat, wear only your pajamas, or even go to an amusement park while you’re actively trading.
3. Work Stops At the Bell
Being embroiled in office-work all the time can lead to many troubles. You can soon turn into the insipid 40-year-old you swore never to be. People preoccupied with work often neglect their partners, and we all know what that might lead to.
The good thing about the market is that it begins and ends at a particular time of the day, and doesn’t demand much from you after trading hours.
4. Leaves Time For Oneself
Jobs that demand long hours hold us back from learning and doing stuff we would’ve liked to do. Sometimes, people take jobs and save money to learn a particular skill later, or perhaps travel. It’s a cliche, but work can, and does, hijack your life at some point of time, and leaves you rueful.
Most markets end at 3 PM in the afternoon, leaving 9 hours of the day to utilize; however, the person wishes to. Cook, garden, read, write, or even analyze the market and plan a strategy, those 9 hours are literally your oyster. Trading is a job that can provide you the correct elusive work-life balance.
5. You Can Make Your Own Salary Package
A prevalent view is that full-time trading bereaves one of the security of a paycheck at the end of the month. While it is true that the stock market is the collective whims, strategies, follies, and business acumen of millions of people who’re trying to out-earn each other, and that the market is as whimsical as the people who inhabit it, it is also not untrue to say that the markets can offer security.
After all, every pension or retirement fund invests in the market only. The vacillations of the market can be navigated easily. Pattern day traders (PDT), people who buy and sell the same stock, or sell short on a particular day, often use the day trading to earn monthly income, while investments in blue-chips and bonds provide the safety net of guaranteed income later.
Time to Jump Ships
Armed with this glimpse into the life of a day trader, we leave you to make the final choice. Alluring as it seems, day trading is hard to master, and one must be wary of putting everything on the line all at once. Knowledge of the market and hands-on practice with real-life scenarios are a must before one is fully dependent on the market for putting food on the table.