r/india • u/watevershit • 10h ago
Careers Do people actually get rich working a 9–5?
I’m 23F, and I’ve always wondered how people get rich without generational wealth.
I used to work a 9–5 but could barely save ₹2,000 a month. I contribute to my family’s home loan and invest in SIPs, but there’s barely anything left. I don’t spend much either.
I know we all have to work to survive, but sometimes life feels like nothing but work, sleep, and repeat.
I’ve tried making content for Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to earn extra money, but honestly, I don’t think I’m interesting enough for it.
My definition of rich is being able to buy things without checking the price every time. Anything above ₹400 feels expensive to me right now. I want to try fancy food, take my parents out, go on little trips, and have enough savings to manage at least two months without a job.
I also worry about my future and whether I’ll be able to support a family someday. I don’t want to take on debt just to get married.
I have a B.Com in Finance and Taxation and work experience in tax. I want to switch to something with better pay and a better work-life balance.
For those who started without generational wealth, how did you build it? Did you grow in your job, switch careers, start a business, or do something else?
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u/TheMailmanic 9h ago
Yes if that 9-5 pays multiple lakhs per month and if you invest aggressively into assets that have strong rates of return
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u/Majestic-Influencer 10h ago
Yess depends on the field tho
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u/watevershit 10h ago
Which field will get you this?
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u/putin_putin_putin 9h ago
To make generational money by working a job, chasing a specific high paying field won't really work well because there will be millions with the same mindset competing with you. It is better to assess your strengths and interests and get into a company which will enable that while switching whenever you feel underpaid or under promoted. Eventually if you progress to an executive level position of a well known firm, you'd also be well known in your industry where you can be the one demanding a huge pay.
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u/yashg 10h ago
Depending on the definition of rich, yes you can. It requires a valuable degree, suitable company, some timely job switches and a bit of luck. You will not build generational wealth but you can propel yourself to a very comfortable life. Large home, car, foreign trips, multiple househelps, abiity to splurge without checking peice. It's possible. Takes time but you can get there.
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u/CriminalLawyerX 10h ago
Wealthy people often work throughout the day at first, and build assets that earn for them, and use the free time to build more. You can get a comfortable savings by adding money a little at a time, but to get wealthy, you’ll have to have a bigger income.
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u/spiderweb91 9h ago
This is not a good question because for the most part it does not matter if you have a job or a business. It does matter eventually if you are talking about being some of the richest people in the country or the world where business dominates, but otherwise this job or business discussion is moot.
As an example my neighborhood shopkeeper has his own business but he makes about 50k rupees in his best months, and all that while working from 7am to 9pm 6 days a week with almost no vacation for decades. On the other hand my first salary when I joined Google in Hyderabad back in 2015 was about 30 lakhs, which was really good money. And I got a month of vacation a year on top of national holidays.
Both business and a job can pay you well, it depends on the individual situation and opportunity.
The most important thing is to try and play to your strengths, identify and work on things you are good at and also enjoy. That's the path to getting the most you can.
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u/Cautious-Shape-8507 9h ago
You have to be lucky to become rich.
Out of 1000 lakh hardworkers, only 1 gets lucky. (Not some.number but just for understanding)
If you keep working hard, keep trying here and there or excelling in your job, make good job switches, AND if you are lucky, you may become rich.. atleast do basic things without looking at price.
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u/Bluelaw1 8h ago
I would say luck or destiny and offcourse generational wealth. Rest it will take years. Even if you buy assets you need complete your loans. You next generation might have good life.
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u/Sundu_Rapid 8h ago
Get into top companies like EY, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, etc get RSUs u will get rich 🧐
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u/subhrajnath 6h ago
Depends on what your threshold for 'rich' is. If it is 100s of crores, no. You will have to have generational wealth or start a successful business. If it is ~5-15cr, yes you can. Jobs in tech and finance pay well enough. If you are willing to put in the effort( and some luck), there are options which pay well enough. If you are financially responsible and invest diligently, this number is achievable.
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u/Few_Chest_7063 6h ago
For most people, life is full of struggles and hard work, with intermittent moments of happiness mixed in between. It is not possible to get everything in life—you gain a few things and lose a few others. What matters overall is what is left with you and how content you are with it.
You are a woman, so I won't talk about women. I will talk about men. For young men these days, major expenses can include dating, addictive substances (cigarettes, alcohol, etc.), travel, big cars, houses, and showing off. If they get married, family expenses also start adding up. I am not saying any of these expenses are wrong, but if a normal middle-class man's goal is to become rich, all these things will prevent him from saving the money that he can invest and grow.
Money makes money. If you invest ₹1 lakh and make a 10% profit on it, you make only ₹10,000. But if you invest ₹1 crore and make a 10% profit on it, your profit is ₹10 lakh. So, your focus should be on increasing your invested amount as soon as possible. Mutual funds are not going to help much because I have seen them invest in all kinds of shitty companies and then exit at huge losses. It is better to find a few good companies and invest yourself, if you can.
Becoming rich in old age is useless because you won't get to enjoy your riches as much. And the above-mentioned expenses prevent you from becoming rich at a younger age. It all comes down to a choice—the choice between sacrificing guilty pleasures during 10–15 years of your youth to save and invest money that will make you rich and let you enjoy your life stress-free from middle age onwards, and spending as you earn to enjoy your life during your youth but never achieving financial security or freedom from the vicious cycle of stressful exploitation.
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u/OwnEnd2327 4h ago
Top 0.1%.
No matter what field, that many people will always earn extraordinarily.
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u/IndyGlobalNRI 2h ago
If you are good at studies then try for higher degree while working or start some business on the side.
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u/Junior-Ad-133 2h ago
No one becomes rich at 23. You become rich by saving investing for over 10 year horizon if done well
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u/davejo_21 1h ago
9 to 5 with such less education discription will only earn you daal roti and Nothing else.. either improve your qualifications like become a chartered accountant or become self employed start your own business or something and that will make you financially free
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u/jon-the-don 55m ago
No, you end up paying different kind of taxes even with top tier companies/ RSU/ESOP.
My advice- own your business, tax consultant/ CA
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u/Venn_Diagr 22m ago
Yes. However, if you are a grad then career progression will be slow. Consider an MBA from a premier institute Secondly, at 23 you are paying EMI and doing SIP. That is actually impressive. Wait for 5 to 7 yrs for the compounding to do its magic. First 10 yrs of career is just slogging- after that it takes off, no matter which line you are in.
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u/Far-Meat8607 10h ago
No, salary will never make you rich. Thats by design. Only ownership can make you rich.
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u/AnveshArumilli 10h ago
Health is wealth. Happiness is often found in simple things in life. Once the fondness in materialistic things fades away unless you find a way to be content with meaningful things in life you are not going to find peace. Hence work towards finding things that gives you content and happiness rather than thinking about money itself. Anything that you do with discipline might fetch you money, money is always a by product. If you want to be "rich" start thinking like a capitalist, an entrepreneur. It is easy when you are organised,, write down a list of things you want to achieve and work towards it. Discipline , time and patience are the only things which will help you find success in whatever you do.
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u/bombaytrader 10h ago
We are a tech couple based in US. Our NW is closing in on 6m and projected to cross 10 m in 5 to 7 years. My dad worked his entire life in India and he has saved 3m usd in Indian RS. Anything is possible with right mindset and lot of luck.
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u/Longjumping-Tie-549 38m ago
Honestly do something of your own. If something doesn’t work within the first 1-2 years, try switching or / changing up things a bit, but the key is to just make money through yourself. But definitely start with something that takes v low investment and try to capitalise anything you’re even remotely good at.
You won’t believe the kind of money some morons make, even if your halfway decent you should be good. Just be nice to people and keep networking.
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u/ibarmy ba ba ba ~ 10h ago
if you got lucky break from work RSUs, otherwise nope