king_kong

If you really are “THAT good” at stock picking, lock yourself up in a closet and day trade all day.  in fact, do it with options if you are that good. Just know that most people fail, you only hear about the success stories, and the kid who became a milllionaire betting on penny stocks.  Pure “day trading” moving thousands of shares daily, technical analysis etc. that’s dying, and being replaced by algo’s and programmers.
To successfully make a living off buying/selling stocks daily, you need leverage. You cannot survive on playing with a few thousand.
Also, you are incorrect on this : “”If you were to take the investment banking route (finance degree –> CFA/ MBA “”
the CFA and MBA target different areas of finance, it would be a mistke to generalize them together.