Chasing Money

Was Mr.Krabs right? The point of life is accumulating money.

Growing up I idolized the rich. Not their private jets, designer clothing, or extravagant weddings - I found those wasteful. But their accumulation of wealth. It seemed like the ultimate game - dollar bills were XP points, so if you had a lot of money it meant you were the best. Wealth accumulation is also one of the few games in which everyone is inherently a player. So I thought, I wanted to be the best at the game everyone was playing.

This view of money had a very large impact on my initial views of life and what I wanted to do with my life. If you asked twelve-year-old Ajay what he wanted to be when he grew up he’d probably say doctor or CEO or lawyer. But no matter what he responded, his end goal was making a lot of money. And for a long time, till mid-college, making lots of money remained my north star. 

In October 2021 I was applying for full-time jobs. Given my skills and my main goal of making money, there were two industries I was considering: quantitative finance and startups. The former offered exorbitant, truly crazy, amounts of money. Quants can make ~$500k out of college, they'll move to NYC, get an amazing apartment, and buy tables at the club every Friday night. The latter offered the chance to make lots of money given an exit. Startup employees at successful companies can earn millions, get a ton of professional clout, and buy out the whole club on IPO day. There seemed like a logical choice: quant; because no one would ever turn down that type of guaranteed money. But as I gave it more thought, I realized that quant offered a lot more than just money: a stressful job where a mistake could cost millions of dollars, an often toxic work environment where your colleagues compete and are focused on money above all else, and doing work that adds zero value to the world. Startups on the other hand offer a mission, the chance to change the way things are done, and the opportunity to work in a learning environment where your colleagues help you and the the team has a shared goal. The logical decision then seemed like startups, as I’d be much happier there. But this conclusion shook my core values, I thought my main goal, above all else, was to make money. 

At the time, I didn't give this new info much thought. I still more or less viewed money as the end goal. I realized that I wasn't willing to chase money and ignore all else, I still wanted money, but only by doing things I enjoyed. 

Then I got money. Not the amounts I had aimed for, as that was still far off, but a solid salary. I was able to go pretty much anywhere I pleased, swipe the card, and not worry about it. I was able to accumulate wealth and start growing it. I had reached a major milestone in my journey to mass wealth accumulation, I should feel triumphant and accomplished. But I wasn't. The goal of making millions, billions, of dollars felt meaningless. If I did accumulate that wealth, I wouldn't feel successful based on the wealth accumulation alone. So what was my main goal and how does money play into it? 

I don't have a steadfast answer. But I heard this analogy that explains my current thoughts well. 

Life is a journey on a series of roads. You need a car, gas, and places to go. The car is your lifestyle, a certain lifestyle means a certain car. Simplicity would be a lightweight car like a Honda Civic, and luxury would be a bulky car like a Hummer. The gas is the money required to get you and the car to different destinations. If you have a bulkier car, you need more gas. And the places to go are the continuous search for new experiences. When thinking about how much money you need, think about where you want to go and how you want to get there. 

For now, I’m speeding across the roads in a Honda Civic, using gas but not accumulating it, and just trying to see as many places as possible. Who knows if my views on money will change, only time will tell. But I do know I made the right decision back in college; if I'd become a quant I wouldn't be here writing this article, I'd probably be in Ibiza. 

-Ajay