[backtoswdev15]

Yes, I received a CS degree.

In the past 15 years I read a lot, analyzed companies/special situations, and created financial models in order to invest my savings. Plus I learned a few languages, primarily for reading purposes. And I've been active in a depression/suicide channel, trying to "help" people.

[blablabla123]

Maybe you can frame that as "self-employed day trader" or something. Actually this is really remarkable to be able to do that for 15 years. Most people who try that fail far earlier or don't even start.

How did you create the financial models? Pen & paper/Excel/Scripts/...?

With the help channel it might be possible put it in the CV under social engagement, like "Online Crisis hotline".

[Bedon292]

Definitely this. The fact that you have managed to keep yourself going investing for 15 years is impressive. Put some of what you did on the resume / CV and it will be much less empty. What types of models? Did you you data analysis? Those are things that might get you into a Data Science role of some sort somewhere. Something like Kaggle might be a good way to hone some of those skills and make it to someone's radar.

[backtoswdev15]

As I mentioned in another comment, a frugal lifestyle also played an important role.

I create models of income statements, it's nothing fancy. And no, I don't use data analysis.

[backtoswdev15]

I use "self-employed portfolio manager" in my CV.

There was a lot of luck involved that allowed me to do it for so long, and a frugal lifestyle also played an important role. I have no car and I live in a ~16sqm "tiny home", so there is not much space to have stuff and the rent is low.

I create the financial models with Google sheets.

[blablabla123]

Ah ok, I could imagine "self-employed day-trader" or "self-employed trader" to be more catchy/on point. But this is of course your decision what you see fits better.

Yeah but still, in many places, Berlin for instance it's quite normal for people to not have a car and exception to have one. I guess the modeling part proves that you are really good at that. So far I met 10 people (including myself) who at some point planned to do (day) trading for a living. Most never left the conceptual/preparation phase, a friend of mine started, lost some money and halted it. Of them I know 2 people who did this for a longer time (years).

[backtoswdev15]

I don't do day trading as I don't have the personality for it. And I think it would have been difficult to be successful over a longer period because of the fees.

My investment style is value investing, primarily in the nano- and microcap space (i.e., companies with a market capitalization of less than $300 million).

Active investing is something you can easily start doing on the side: to find your personal style, and, probably most important, to experience losses and the effect it has on you. And of course to figure out whether it is really something you want to do, because I think people often have a wrong idea of what it means to do investing for a living. At least in my case, it primarily consisted of reading. Absolutely unsexy.

[junippor]

> analyzed companies/special situations, and created financial models in order to invest my savings

You say you "analyzed" and "created financial models". But did you actually put money into it? And if so, did you make money?

[backtoswdev15]

Yes, I made my investment decisions based on that work, though not from the beginning. My first "investments" were of the kind: ah, stock XY dropped by 50% in a day, it must be cheap now.

I made some money, otherwise my savings wouldn't have lasted so long. But I failed to make enough to make it sustainable.

[junippor]

That's reasonably impressive.

[beforeolives]

So you haven't held a full-time job for around 20 years (since you got fired during the dotcom bubble burst)?

[backtoswdev15]

Yes, I never held a traditional full-time job during this time.

[wrycoder]

Congratulations!! Don’t change that.