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? 
There are other ways other than buying and holding. If you are interested in trading it's by far the fastest way to earn but is also risky. There are also opportunity in ICOs investment as long as you know which one to support but that's the tricky part you know, finding the right one. Everything is a risk here and the question is how much of a risk taker are you. Remember that no one succeeds who doesn't take risks