Post: #26

[quote='Frost' pid='619365' dateline='1388777961']

Quote:I also think you should rule out teaching English. It's not a bad gig for guys that need the money, but with your skills and financial cushion, it's not the highest-value use of your time.

I was a literature professor in Asia for several years, and I agree with Frost. It would be a waste for someone in your shoes.

lowbudgetballer

Post: #27

Again, thanks everyone for your input! I feel like the major considerations have already been well addressed, but I'll add in my reflections for the purpose of approaching some sort of closure.

On youngmobileglobal's advice to launch into entrepreneurship straight out of college:

Despite my parents' belief that anyone who doesn't get a nice 9-5 job out of college or go to med school is going to end up homeless one day, I understand that the worst case scenario really isn't that terrible. I can probably leverage my math/programming abilities and degree to land some sort of decent job, no matter how badly I fail in entrepreneurship.

The honest truth is, I've never had to deal with failure in a significant degree, so this route scares me more than it should. I've never experienced what it's like to be short on money. I've always chosen my college classes based on, "What can I get an easy A in?" rather than "What will push me to grow and struggle and learn?" I approach 6's more than 9.5's because with the 6's I know I'll get a good reaction.

Entrepreneurship is the HB 9.5 and the corporate job is the 6. I know I'll score with the 6, and I have approach anxiety with the 9.5 because she's way harder to get. But the sex with the 9.5 would feel WAYYYY better .

Quote:The risk in your case is that you wind up doing 'OK,' i.e. earning a decent living as an actuary, without ever trying your hand at something bigger.

Frost hit it spot on...it's awful how much my risk-averse upbringing has deterred me from 'shooting for the stars'.

Anyway ridiculous analogies aside, I figure this will be my tentative plan for the near future:

1) Spring 2014: Begin learning PPC or some business that can generate location-independent income. Make consistent progress and goal is to make decent positive income by the time I graduate in a year.

2) Summer 2014: Do actuarial internship to get a taste of corporate life. Continue building business which I will have plenty of time for since I won't have schoolwork.

3) Fall 2014: Recruit with companies (recruiting season is early fall for some reason). Get full-time offer and push starting date to summer 2015. Graduate in December.

4) Spring 2015: Travel for several months (SE Asia or South America) while continuing to work on business. If my business takes off then I can put a hold on the corporate world and pursue that. If not, I have a corporate job to fall back on and I can continue doing my own thing on the side until I'm ready to launch into it full-time. In the actuarial job market, entry-level jobs are by far the most difficult to come by, but once I have 1-2 years of job experience I think job security is almost guaranteed. So this is why I'd like to lock down entry-level work and do it for at least a little while.

Who knows what might come up in the near future, but this seems to me like a plan that covers the bases.

Alright, off to be be a completely shameless hedonist for the night.

Post: #28

Despite my parents' belief that anyone who doesn't get a nice 9-5 job out of college or go to med school is going to end up homeless one day, I understand that the worst case scenario really isn't that terrible. I can probably leverage my math/programming abilities and degree to land some sort of decent job, no matter how badly I fail in entrepreneurship.


You can definitely get a decent job if you fail after a year of attempting entrepreneurship.

People seem to be forgetting that this guy is going to still be outrageously young even if he does a nutty hedonistic year of traveling and trying to launch a business.

One year of corporate will never make you a better entrepreneur. It will make you good at being institutionalized.

The honest truth is, I've never had to deal with failure in a significant degree, so this route scares me more than it should. I've never experienced what it's like to be short on money. I've always chosen my college classes based on, "What can I get an easy A in?" rather than "What will push me to grow and struggle and learn?" I approach 6's more than 9.5's because with the 6's I know I'll get a good reaction.

Entrepreneurship is the HB 9.5 and the corporate job is the 6. I know I'll score with the 6, and I have approach anxiety with the 9.5 because she's way harder to get. But the sex with the 9.5 would feel WAYYYY better .




This is true.

What's also true is that you will realize that aiming for that 9.5 and failing will result in, at worst, some lost cash and time. You can always make more money. While you can't ever get your time back, you'll gain direct business experience, which would require you spending your time regardless.





Failing at 20 years old makes for a good story and great life experience.

A lot of guys here seem to be saying "you should get yourself set up first with a few years of work experience before going off on your own"

My response is why wait???

You will inevitably spend a period of time in your life failing in business and making mistakes. That is how you earn your stripes and figure out what you are doing.

You can choose to start failing now or choose to start failing later. You gotta get through that hump in order to become experienced.

Post: #29

Post: #30

An actuary earns quite a bit more than a "decent" living.

http://www.dwsimpson.com/salary.html

You say you have an internship coming up, so I take it you've already passed P and FM. My advice is to get a job as an actuary and get your FAS as soon as possible while saving as much money as you can. You can always dabble in side-ventures during this time. Once you have your FAS, then decide what to do.

The only blind spot I see in your case is that, as you said, you do not know what it's like to be without money. This may make you unintentionally reckless. Weigh your options realistically.

In the end, remember this kind of solicited advice is a lot like a suit: it may be of excellent quality, but will it fit you?

I'm sure you'll do well no matter what.

Post: #31

(01-04-2014 12:41 PM)Fathom Wrote:  The only blind spot I see in your case is that, as you said, you do not know what it's like to be without money. This may make you unintentionally reckless. Weigh your options realistically.

Excellent observation.

There is a bias that forms sometimes when one has not had to deal with challenges most other people have. Not everyone has support of parents paying for school, etc.

Many self made people often ignore the help that they got, and just start saying it was because they shit gold bricks.

The ego is a very dangerous thing. Can definitely blind you.

Post: #32

TONS of great advice in this thread, it is really invaluable, but you will only know that if you've ever tried making stuff happen on your own without having access to the same resources as here. This area of the internet - the global entrepreneur playboy lifestyle - has really taken off the last years. When I was looking for ideas like these 8-10 years ago, there was nothing like it. Take advantage of it or be sorry later.

I will add, that if you do decide to get a job, and that might be a good idea for a year or two - no more - then I strongly recommend joining a startup or a company getting ready to go public. Don't join a big firm because it will suck your soul and teach you nothing except office politics and bureacracy. Join a startup or growth company (more realistic) and you will learn so much about life, entrepreneurship, management and leadership.

In a big company, you will be far removed from the management team and the inspiration people (if there are any left) and you will only be a cog in the machine. In a growth firm, you will be close to everyone, will talk to the boss over a cup of coffee and have your hands dirty with everything. You will meet inspiring people who are risk takers and even though the pay will probably be much less, the lessons your learn will be worth much more.

Eventually you will begin feeling that you shouldn't be trading your time for money and that is when you should begin considering starting your own company.

Post: #33

(01-04-2014 06:31 PM)coolstorybro Wrote:  TONS of great advice in this thread, it is really invaluable, but you will only know that if you've ever tried making stuff happen on your own without having access to the same resources as here. This area of the internet - the global entrepreneur playboy lifestyle - has really taken off the last years. When I was looking for ideas like these 8-10 years ago, there was nothing like it. Take advantage of it or be sorry later.

I will add, that if you do decide to get a job, and that might be a good idea for a year or two - no more - then I strongly recommend joining a startup or a company getting ready to go public. Don't join a big firm because it will suck your soul and teach you nothing except office politics and bureacracy. Join a startup or growth company (more realistic) and you will learn so much about life, entrepreneurship, management and leadership.

In a big company, you will be far removed from the management team and the inspiration people (if there are any left) and you will only be a cog in the machine. In a growth firm, you will be close to everyone, will talk to the boss over a cup of coffee and have your hands dirty with everything. You will meet inspiring people who are risk takers and even though the pay will probably be much less, the lessons your learn will be worth much more.

Eventually you will begin feeling that you shouldn't be trading your time for money and that is when you should begin considering starting your own company.

Yes, this.

Post: #34

I am more or less in your situation, just finishing my engineering master's thesis. So here are my two cents.

You lose nothing by trying entrepreneurship during one or two years. If you fail or don´t like it, the corporate world will still be waiting for you. It could even be an advantage. Compared to someone who just went the easy way, you demonstrated maturity and ambition, and they like that.

Starting your company is not like spending a year playing video games. It still counts as relevant work experience, even if later on you go back to a normal job.


That's something I've learned during last year. I´ve already done several internships at very reputable places. During my free time cofounded a small startup. Nothing fancy, I consider my work experience during those internships much more relevant.

Yet when people see my CV. nobody says ¨wow, you did an internship at CERN¨ or ¨Your thesis seems to be very demanding, you must be a smart guy¨-

All they notice is... "Wow. you have a startup at 24, you must be one of those smart kids¨. It doesn´t matter if the company is successful or not. It could even go bankrupt after a few months. But people are more impressed by that that by my internship at CERN, even if getting that internship was much harder than starting my company.

Actually, to young people like me, I would recommend to have a startup with low entry cost just because it looks awesome on your CV. Even if you plan to go the corporate way straight out of college, it will make you stand up more than a good GPA or good internships.

If they ask you can just say that you quited after a few months because you were wrong and your business model sucked. They will still like that you tried, compared to some average guy who never got out of his comfort zone.


And you can also go the safe way and do both at the same time, but your time and energy are limited resources.

To lower your anxiety you can also find cofounders with more experience than you, you will learn lot's from them. I found mine through this course, sign up during the next offering and you will learn a lot

http://online.stanford.edu/course/techno...reneurship
https://novoed.com/venture13/highlight

Post: #35

There's some really, really good advice in this thread. I'm a CPA - passed my exams relatively quick while everyone else went out and wasted time. They are now suffering and I'm able to actually live life somewhat balanced (outside of tax busy season). It was a soul-crushing exam though, I feel your pain when it comes to having to take any type of professional test.

While the license won't necessarily help you if you start your own business, it's great insurance. Now that I have a CPA and some years of experience, I'm pretty much guaranteed a job for life in public accounting. Granted tax accounting isn't the most exhilarating of work, but it's a skill that can be applied to businesses. I've recently been staffed on hedge funds and have been learning more about investments, it's been a great move. By the way, getting through all the actuary exams does mean something to existing businesses and gives you rep.

Working at big firms does not always mean better. I work at a mid-tier firm, and can honestly say it was the best decision I made. Look for the job that allows you to learn more and move up quicker instead of prestige of the firm. I'd recommend the job out of college. Don't burn bridges, best of luck to you whatever you decide.

Post: #36

I agree with Frenchie, disagree with Youngmobileglobal (even though I generally like his posts).

Move somewhere where you don't know anyone. Make sure the $/life/pussy balance is optimal. The internet has given everyone a voice about entrepreneurship and it's lovely. Unfortunately, most "entrepreneur" bloggers only bank a tad more than what's necessary to pay the bills and take far too many pictures when they finally afforded a trip to Asia/Europe and then beg for opt-in emails so they can sling "Quit Your 9-5" products. I probably do 20K in a month and during startup/lean days, I don't think I would've made it (mentally) without money in the bank. The ambition was in place, but knowing that you can survive for 3, 6, 9 months is key. Everyone talks a big game but @ the end of the day self-reliance is what really matters and at 20, you don't know shit. Sorry, but that's the truth. It's also a HUGE advantage. Milk it.

I'd look at cities with a low cost of living, great job market, and at least one university. Don't move to LA or NYC unless you just want to bang yatches and leave with close to net zero $ when you move on. At 20, you can still infiltrate college parties without issue and play the "I already graduated @ 20 and am scoping masters programs" card. 99.1% of members on this forum have never been in your situation; you need to exploit it to the max.

Start pipelining opportunities immediately and run the math on what you think you can realistically save while having a great time. Dallas is probably your best bet, esp. given your academic focus. People shit on that city (myself included), but the talent is amazing, tons of fine Asian girls, and the $ to living ratio is highly favorable. Also, we both know how much Asians in college love to hang out with other Asians and occasionally, a couple white dudes. Asians in Tejas love to hang with/date/bang other Asians. That's your second easy exploit. Don't want to bang Asians anymore? Plenty of talent

If possible, land a gig in a district/hub/area where the dope shit is. Commuting sucks and the extra 5, 10, 20K per year is not worth the long haul it takes to get your ass into work everyday. I have two friends with degrees in applied mathematics (stats and econ/finance) and they both bank, econ/finance is married and stats BANKS but is too zenophobic to go anywhere aside from Cabo.

The notion that a hiring manager will respect your entrepreneurial ambition is way off. You're young and graduating early. Hiring manager probably graduated @ 25. He/she wants stability Sally, not the guy who is going to pocket some cash and bounce in a year. He hires people and his supervisor(s) look at direct employment metrics, including length of employment for every hire.

Get a dope gig in a non-shit city and save cash. I don't really care if you want to start a company, but it'll put some hair on your chest, guaranteed.

Post: #37

Your plan is well thought out, mostly.

If I had to refine it - I'd say you don't have a shot at the six month post-graduation world travel with a guaranteed job.

Even though I was the one originally suggesting negotiating something. I think you might get a month or maximum two months. Six months is unrealistic.

A lot of the uncertainty here revolves around how easy it is to begin an actuarial career through campus recruitment vs taking a couple of years off and then trying to break in as a Plan B. So for better decision making, you should aim to discover as much information as possible about that during the course of this year. This means:
a) asking people at your summer internship for an opinion
b) participating in campus recruitment even if you may not ultimately accept an offer
among other things.

Frost's idea of delaying graduation is a good one. Worth looking at.

(01-03-2014 09:36 PM)thisisastage Wrote:  Entrepreneurship is the HB 9.5 and the corporate job is the 6. I know I'll score with the 6, and I have approach anxiety with the 9.5 because she's way harder to get. But the sex with the 9.5 would feel WAYYYY better .

Quote:The risk in your case is that you wind up doing 'OK,' i.e. earning a decent living as an actuary, without ever trying your hand at something bigger.

Frost hit it spot on...it's awful how much my risk-averse upbringing has deterred me from 'shooting for the stars'.

As you're a numbers guy, I recommend fleshing out this option with some hard numbers.

To every guy who recommends ditching a blue chip career for something entrepreneurial, find out these stats for him personally:
- net worth
- monthly income over the last twelve months: best two months, worst two months and median
- elapsed time from zero knowledge to respectable profitability and average hours per week invested during that time

Calculate the EV of the entrepreneurial option. You will pick some numbers out of the air for a model - probabilities and dollar outcomes for each scenario - but it's better than nothing. It's a check to make sure your expectations match reality.

If shooting for the stars means a 75% chance of living in a $15 per night Bangkok hotel room hustling for a barely liveable online income, you should understand that up front.

Post: #38

OP, you are almost guaranteed to fail at this entrepreneurial option. To be safe, let's say that you have an 85% chance of failure. That is generous, considering you have zero experience.

You will burn through at least $10,000 USD of your own cash traveling and experimenting with your ideas that will likely crash and fail.

The reality is you are almost certainly going to fail and your expectations should be that you will almost certainly fail. 90%+ chance of this.

I will tell you up front that shooting for the stars means an OVER 75% chance of living in a $15/night Bangkok/Shenzhen/whatever apartment. You should understand that up front. You will suffer. This is not glamorous and anyone who tells you that entrepreneurship is glamorous is a liar.

You will go through moments that make you question whether or not you are bipolar. You will do joint ventures with people who seem great at the outset and turn out to be scumbags, thieves, liars, and idiots. You will vacillate dramatically between moments of pure euphoria and suicidal depression on a weekly basis.

IMO, calculating the EV of the entrepreneurial option is WORSE than nothing. That is because pulling numbers out of thin air that have no basis in reality and judging your own chances of success based on the success (or lackthereof) of some random person on an internet forum (who may be lying) is a dangerous foundation upon which to launch your own venture.

[all due respect to Tigre - I understand why he made this suggestion and I think it's logical but not necessarily the right way to advise someone in this context]

You should assume that you will crash and burn. You should assume that you will go through hell and that you will be fucked and double crossed at every turn. You should assume that you are going to burn through your cash.

Despite that, it will still be worth it, because there is only one way to learn how to be an entrepreneur, and that is by failing constantly and incrementally improving until your luck changes.

You are going to have to look at this with the grim reality that you may lose a year of your life and all of your money pursuing something that will almost certainly fail. You have to be able to look at this possibility and accept that with no regrets.

There are a million factors that can make you fail or succeed. Trying to predict these things in advance based on a bunch of random assumptions is mental masturbation at best.

I understand why all of these guys are playing devil's advocate against the entrepreneurial option. The chances of failure are very high and they are trying to give you advice that will set you up with what they view as a more stable future. In a lot of ways, they are correct. In the grand scheme of things, I think it is far less stable and secure to have a day job.

Frankly, I don't feel like continuing to defend the entrepreneurial route anymore. The fact of the matter is that if you need someone to convince you to become an entrepreneur, you are probably not cut out for it in the first place.

Assume that the absolute worst case WILL occur.

If you can accept losing every dollar you have, losing a year or two of your life, and then having to start from scratch, then you are probably cut out to be an entrepreneur. You have to assume that the absolute worst case scenario will happen and do it anyway. It's impossible to predict if you have a 65% chance of failure of 95% chance of failure.

If you can't accept that, then go get a day job.

-

Post: #39

^^^
That is basically my experience too. I have failed more times than i can remember... there are people i used to trust and respect deeply, then greed and laziness show an ugly side of them...the war stories are endless.

But... you keep on marching.

There is just a beast within that keeps you going. There are those few moments that i felt that i cannot go on anymore... you are absolutely drained, both physically and emotionally... and yet, then within a couple of hours i am back at it again... (the maximum was 3 weeks... when i just gave up for 3 weeks...) only to come back for more punishment.

(that is just my case of trying to build my sidebusiness while still working a day job.)

It is like a curse.. a fire... it burns in your veins... leaving only the purity of singular purpose. my friends and family say i am insane(about my business).

I honestly believe that you either have it or you dont. the raw instinct cannot be taught.

Good post, YMG.




regards,

Nemencine

Post: #40

everybody and his cousin wants to become a globe-trotting entrepreneurial playboy these days.

up to you, OP, but my 2 cents:

- graduate
- apply, get, and commit to the best job you can find
- ask to delay your start date by a year. 6 months at the very least. (come up with any reason for why. most of my friends said they wanted to do some traveling, and that was fine with their companies.)
- now you have a job secured. go start a company, live in a new country, travel, fuck, do whatever you want.
- towards the end of that year, decide how you want to proceed.

you may find, as some of us do, that there are more ways than one to get what we're all looking for. and it doesn't necessarily have to involve starting an internet business/ppc/internet marketing/ebook-publishing/etc...

and working for a corporation is good or bad depending on how you use your time and how you look at it. don't listen to ppl who make it out to be the bogeyman. like everything else in life, it's never purely black or white. corporations suck at some things and are great at others. just like the life of an "internet marketer" living the "high life" at his beach-front "office" in bali or phuket.

people who work for a corporation only for the money are stupid, imo.
but people who work there to gather resources, intel, networks, ideas...now that's a different story.

if you decide to come back and work at your job, what i would do is

- get a nice pad, live with other guys. preferably red pill players who are good with women. you'll learn a lot from them.
- work your 9-5 but don't sacrifice your life to it. keep a pulse on the industry, look for how things are going to change/develop in the future.
- bang tons of women. again, roommates can help a lot. i did my best when i lived with a DJ.
- you'll have made friends at your workplace by now. discuss possibilities about starting a company. these are the best people to start companies with, not your immediate "fun-time" friends.
- once you're at this point, assess your situation and decide how you want to proceed. want to branch out and start your own business with former co-workers? well, your chances of success are looking good now. better than a couple of guys sitting around a living room deciding to start an import-export business with no experience or skills whatsoever.

Post: #41

How can you delay a job for a year?

Your excuse will be you want to travel, companies are alright with that. I must be in the wrong field.

Post: #42

(01-08-2014 11:07 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  How can you delay a job for a year?

Your excuse will be you want to travel, companies are alright with that. I must be in the wrong field.

It's quite common in the finance world. A buddy of mine will graduate in April and has already signed with a major bank for next January. He's going to spend the intervening time traveling. Entry level positions are relatively cheap (although it's a bit of a lean recruiting year) and banks don't care when you start because the work you'll be doing isn't really essential. Annual campus recruiting is basically talent search rather than hiring to fill a required position.

Post: #43

(01-08-2014 11:47 PM)Peregrine Wrote:  

(01-08-2014 11:07 PM)rudebwoy Wrote:  How can you delay a job for a year?

Your excuse will be you want to travel, companies are alright with that. I must be in the wrong field.

It's quite common in the finance world. A buddy of mine will graduate in April and has already signed with a major bank for next January. He's going to spend the intervening time traveling. Entry level positions are relatively cheap (although it's a bit of a lean recruiting year) and banks don't care when you start because the work you'll be doing isn't really essential. Annual campus recruiting is basically talent search rather than hiring to fill a required position.

While it's common to delay to some extent, a year is pretty excessive. There is only a certain amount of time they may be willing to defer you and most start dates are already deferred to the fall. I know my firm rejected an extension from a guy who wanted to start 6 months after his start date. Originally he was slated to start a month after graduation. Most Big 4 in accounting will defer 3-4 months and start associates after busy season.

Can't speak to banking, but I'd imagine there's only a certain amount of time they'll delay. I've never heard of somebody delaying for a year before, but I concede it's an odd request. Smaller firms will have less flexibility because they typically want help (i.e. get me my damn coffee and scan this nao) sooner rather than later.

Post: #44

(01-02-2014 02:28 AM)thisisastage Wrote:  I want to experience different cultures. I want play with girls from all around the world. I want to look back on my 20's and have many memories of all the crazy shit I pulled off.
-thisisastage

That's what matters and that should be part of the package of what you end up doing. You want to start doing this as soon as you can and your job/business should facilitate or outright require traveling abroad. One way you can start that I would suggest is to get your english teaching certifications so you can travel abroad and teach others through language courses. The pay from what I've been told is pretty good and would more then cover your expenses in most countries. You can teach for 4-5 months in one country and then fly to another one and teach there for a time. It'll give you time to enjoy each country for a good amount of time. For extra money there is tutoring and after that your own entrepreneurial abilities will be needed to take advantage of your opportunities.

Post: #45

I can only tell you what I learned myself the hard way.

1) Keep your old friends, but make ‘better’ new friends. Loyalty is a man’s highest value, so don’t diss your friends, but be selective in the new people you hang out with.
2) If someone is a loser, then don’t bother with them. You think Donald Trump would put up with a hippie, a druggie, someone who works at Starbucks. Hell no.
3) Work for yourself. Cubicle life is braincrushing, and it won’t get better higher up, because that’s soulcrushing. It might be hard at first, but you will become a man. Only the military could come close to this.
4) Do calisthenics every morning. Just fucking do it.
5) Don’t get into stupid debt, like a mortgage. Why would you bother yourself with that in your 20s.
6) Your parents want you to choose security, don’t listen to them.
7) Your pension is not important. Fuck anyone who advices you take security over adventure/mobility/freedom at your age. Learn how to make money trading when you’re a little older. No need for that now.
8) Make a list every 1st January of stuff you want to accomplish that year – then do that.
9) If it comes to women, that’s your take. If you want to be a player, then play; if you don’t want to be a player, then don’t. But remember, at ~25 you will have lots and lots of options.
10) Don’t bother with politics, religion or people who bother with politics or religion. It doesn’t matter. It never matters. It’s a waste of time & energy.
11) Learn to understand IT a little bit, not per se how to code, but you must know how to find & work with people who can.
12) And book a ticket to some faraway country, travel. No, don’t take your best buddy Steve. You will learn & experience more doing it alone.

That’s about it for me so far.

Oh and last tip: your life is not a recipe, think what you really want, don't listen to others, but find a plan to get there. Look for a mentor who got there before you and listen to what he has to say. Just make any call that matters yourself. You're the lead role in your life.

Post: #46

(01-03-2014 09:36 PM)thisisastage Wrote:  Anyway ridiculous analogies aside, I figure this will be my tentative plan for the near future:

1) Spring 2014: Begin learning PPC or some business that can generate location-independent income. Make consistent progress and goal is to make decent positive income by the time I graduate in a year.

2) Summer 2014: Do actuarial internship to get a taste of corporate life. Continue building business which I will have plenty of time for since I won't have schoolwork.

3) Fall 2014: Recruit with companies (recruiting season is early fall for some reason). Get full-time offer and push starting date to summer 2015. Graduate in December.

4) Spring 2015: Travel for several months (SE Asia or South America) while continuing to work on business. If my business takes off then I can put a hold on the corporate world and pursue that. If not, I have a corporate job to fall back on and I can continue doing my own thing on the side until I'm ready to launch into it full-time. In the actuarial job market, entry-level jobs are by far the most difficult to come by, but once I have 1-2 years of job experience I think job security is almost guaranteed. So this is why I'd like to lock down entry-level work and do it for at least a little while.

Who knows what might come up in the near future, but this seems to me like a plan that covers the bases.

Alright, off to be be a completely shameless hedonist for the night.

And how is it going? Learned PPC and landed a internship?

Post: #47

The 9-5 job is a trap. If you get there, odds are you'll never get out.

You'll be pressured to:

1. Buy a car. And then upgrade to a nicer one.
2. Buy shit you don't need.
3. Get a loan for something or a mortgage.
4. Get married.
5. Get promoted in your job.

And then you can no longer take risk. which means no longer leave the 9-5.

Post: #48

(06-17-2014 08:53 AM)conservative Wrote:  The 9-5 job is a trap. If you get there, odds are you'll never get out.

You'll be pressured to:

1. Buy a car. And then upgrade to a nicer one.
2. Buy shit you don't need.
3. Get a loan for something or a mortgage.
4. Get married.
5. Get promoted in your job.

And then you can no longer take risk. which means no longer leave the 9-5.

Yeah, don't do it if you can avoid it. This guy nailed the play-by-play down pat. I'm doing it. I hate it, but I have debt to pay off (almost done). If you don't have debt, don't do it. I got myself into this by getting into debt from college, so I'll pay the price in the meantime (not getting into anymore debt of course). You're parents see you as their child, not as a person. They want to 'preserve' you. Live your life. And trust me, 9-5 will almost certainly make you dumber, lazier, and less willing to take the risks that need to be taken in life. Hopefully I get out soon as well.

Post: #49

Im in my early 20s just like you. I decided to leave the country and try to go into business in the far east. To subsidize my income I taught English and just went for it. There were ups and downs, for two months I had to eat rat meat got robbed; made me good money, lost good money, met and started relationships with some attractive feminine women that I would never had seen back in the West. Although I didn't get what I want at the end of the year, it was still an adventure that I would repeat in a heart beat.

I see my friends who are already getting settled down with average girlfriends, average jobs and a comfortable lifestyle of getting stoned, drunk, living for the weekend. They make snarky comments about how they don't understand why I do what i do. Not showing off, but I feel like James Bond, having a mission, motivation; seeing what you can get from life by being willing to take the risk and gamble. Of course I don't post much on social media, so they just don't get this, and who am I to awake them from their slumber.

Practically I suggest finding a job overseas, teaching english is good, as it will give you enough time to try a start up on a side and test the local environment. Also you will be earning money, its always good on your CV. Have a backup plan if I was you, something to fall back on.

Really though, its good you have this mindset, like certainly does attract like, especially in the expat world. There are risks involved and these people are certainly right to warn you against it.