An autodidact is someone who educates him or herself. This is the lifelong learner, the bookworm. You find autodidacts in all kinds of places – and they’re not always the most outwardly successful or overachieving. The self-taught and self-teaching tend to be interested in life itself, not in achievement for its own sake, though there are exceptions. It’s interesting to observe the financial and investment lives of people like this, because they don’t tend to industry norms. Basically, you don’t have to have higher education to do well with money. But you’ll have to spend more time teaching yourself to beat the trends.

And the trends don’t favor people without higher education. Studies show that college graduates earn more than high school graduates, 2:1. This is largely due to job quality and job accessibility for college grads compared to high school grads. And it just makes sense: higher education gives people more specialized skills, which prepare them for more specialized work and higher pay. This may be an unavoidable glass ceiling for people lacking a college education.

But investment and personal finance don’t work the same way as traditional career paths. With a little learning, investment favors people with savvy, not those with fancy degrees. It’s for this reason that investment circles are home to people of all education levels. Having an elite education doesn’t hurt, but it’s not the only way.

So how can a person without higher education start investing? Well, there are a few ways. One of the best is to take advantage of fast-paced investments that don’t require a lot of money to initiate. I’m talking here about Forex. DailyForex.com can help new users learn how the process works before they risk any of their money at all. Then, once the user has learned the basics and theory of Forex trading, it only takes a small deposit to begin trading. Relative to traditional investment, Forex traders will see faster returns, on smaller investments. It’s the ideal investment platform for a skilled trader who might lack the education and wealth pedigree of the stereotypical “investor”.

Early successes through methods like Forex trading can be translated into long term gains. If Forex earnings are funnelled into more traditional stocks and mutual funds, they can see steady growth over decades. Or they can be reinvested into Forex, for fast gains. Of course, Forex users risk fast losses, too. But because this is a skill-based trading platform, with bankable decisions made many times a day, this is the investment for the fast learner. Because there is low financial barrier for entry, it’s a good first investment step for without the resources to see significant returns on more demanding traditional methods.

College is expensive. And so are most investments. But Forex offers a leg up into the world of investment for people who either lack formal higher education, large financial resources, or both. Because it’s fast paced, it’s a skill that’s able to be learned well. Just because you lack a college degree doesn’t mean you don’t learn well. So put your autodidact nature to use, and learn the ropes of investment in a way that provides results fast.