Don't make it complicated, just try to understand fiat and compare it with Bitcoin, you will know the reason why you must holding Bitcoin.
lastly you can always earn Bitcoins once you have a solid knowledge of it .you can even earn Bitcoins indirectly by teaching others or even running a local exchange and lots more.
Having knowledge about Bitcoin doesn't make you able to earn, it's just a currency. What you're need to learn is a hard skill that you can work and get paid from someone e.g. design, programmer etc. No one want to use unknown local exchange that charge high fees, they prefer to use centralized exchange.
Like what I have previously mentioned, having the knowledge about forecasting the price of BTC is useless with inaction. There must be some sort of application where you can use this knowledge for you to maximize your BTC investments.
If you think that HODLing BTC, by using your initial investment, is better for short-term, then feel free to do so. I agree with you- at the end of the day BTC is considered as a currency and an investment at the same time.