Forget Learn To Code, Learn To Invest Instead To Survive

24 snips

Feb 24, 2026

A rethink of the career mantras as AI erodes coding's job protection. A case for prioritizing investing skills to build financial buffers and optionality. Practical chapters cover investor goals, the traits of a competent investor, and when to outsource financial help. A personal FIRE story shows how investing can defend against job disruption and preserve freedom.

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ANECDOTE

How Leaving Goldman Led Sam To Rely On Investing

Sam left his finance job in 2012 and built financial buffers including investing to support a new lifestyle.
He emphasizes that investments helped replace multiple-six-figure income and enabled him to avoid full-time work since 2012.

ADVICE

Target Investment Returns To Cover Living Expenses

Aim for investment returns that regularly match or exceed your annual living expenses.
Sam suggests progressing to returns that match your day-job income and achieving this in roughly 70% of years before quitting work.

INSIGHT

More Capital Means Less Reliance On High Skill

As your capital base grows, required investment skill and returns can decline.
Sam shows examples: $1M at 10% yields $100k; $5M at 5% yields $250k, lowering dependence on high returns.

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For more than a decade, the mantra for boosting your career and income was simple: learn to code. Becoming a programmer or engineer was seen as the clearest path to job security and high pay.

But with the rapid rise of AI, coding is no longer the protective moat it once was. As I revisited my own FIRE plans after leaving work in 2012, I realized the one financial buffer that has consistently stood the test of time: knowing how to invest well.

Forget "learn to code." Learn to invest. Becoming a competent investor may be the most important skill you develop to survive - and thrive - in the coming AI wave.

Posts mentioned:

Becoming A Competent Investor Is A Vital Skill To Master

Gain Financial Security By Creating Financial Buffers For Your Financial Buffers

The FIRE Movement Is So Back Due To AI Disruption

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