i tried to calculate how much would i make from bitcoin mining using an antminer s9, and i don't think it's worth it for me as the cost of electricity is high where i live, which is in the UK (it's 20 cents approx), i make like $300 profit a year. and obviously i can't use faucets as that will take years to get one bitcoin. so is the only way to even get any value from bitcoin is to buy it and hold it on for another few years? but it is a risky investment due to the price. or should i invest in new currencies that are cheap right now and have potential to grow to $4k a coin? 
Well what do you want? To earn bitcoins? You can get bitcoins without buying.
You can earn it using signature or bounty campaign or if you have skills you can offer your services.
For me i also think that mining is not a good choice because you need to pay huge bill in electricity especially if your country is selling power in high price.
Also you need to to have good devices and always maintain it.
Also if you want to try other cyptocurrency, you can do it theres a lot of new and promising ICO out there that you can invest.
Its much more cheaper and it may be a good experience in trading.