Many of my family, friends and acquaintances were surprised, even shocked, when I revealed to them that I wanted to change careers and become an investment advisor. Questions like "how did you even think of become a financial advisor?" "You have a good, well paying job. Why leave now and start a 'risky' venture?"
I asked myself the same question. Having the benefit of hindsight, there were three primary drivers for my decision to launch my second career.
Passion
I have been interested in finance since when I was a child. I grew up in Chennai in South India and my daily morning routine was to read the newspaper along with a cup of coffee early in the morning. I always used to read the paper backwards! This was because the sports page in those times were on the last but one page:-) The page immediately prior to that was the "stock quotes" page. I would think to myself: "if they used up one whole page of the newspaper for this, it must be important". In my early thirties, I pursued my post-graduate program in analytical finance at the Indian School of Business at Hyderabad, India due to the same desire and passion to enhance my knowledge.
Purpose
A couple of years back, I came across a Japanese concept of "Ikigai". It directly ties in to why I chose this profession. I am able to do what I love, what I am good at and what I can be paid for and I strongly felt that majority of mid-career professionals needed the coaching, guidance and direction to achieve their financial goals.
Freedom
Lastly, this career offered me the freedom to set my own timings and define my goals without constraints, instead of a traditional "9-to-5" job.
It took me while to get there, but I feel happy and energized to find where I am and look forward to making a difference in people's life in a meaningful way. If you would like to get in touch with me, feel free to schedule a no-obligation, free consultation today!
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