Post: #1

Long story short, I'm tired of working a shit job and want to make some decent money so I can do something slightly more meaningful in life.

I have work experience and a degree as well. I graduated from a university nearly a year ago now, but haven't made any progress finding a job in my field of study though. Instead I have been jumping around from different part time jobs. Skill wise beyond that, I'm also experienced in martial arts, if that's worth mentioning.

What's the best route for achieving some sort of financial success so you can achieve some sort of short/long term goals? I see a lot of people talking about entrepreneurship and/or crypto here, are they worth looking into?

Post: #2

What is your age - mid 20's? If I were you, and in perfect / near perfect health and in early/mid 20's with a degree, I would really consider going into the military through officer training school. All of the military branches have officer training schools - you'll just have to dig. The military is concerned that you have a reputable degree from somewhere, but it can be in an obscure field and they will still allow you to become an officer (assuming you pass all of their other tests). Become a pilot if you can....helicopter or other - then get out and be a civilian pilot for an airline or private pilot. Save and invest as much money as possible in safe conservative investments. As the years go by, you are going to want to think about a sustainable work life through retirement --- and retire as early as possible, but that takes massive amounts of money and effort to get it...most of us won't be able to do that. Remember: we are all competing for the same jobs in an environment that is now rigged to give certain demographics advantages over us. Always go to where you can get the most bang for your buck and learn not to squander your bucks. Don't get in trouble with the law, work on getting good references.

Post: #3

(10-23-2018 05:44 PM)TexMexBBQ Wrote:  What is your age - mid 20's? If I were you, and in perfect / near perfect health and in early/mid 20's with a degree, I would really consider going into the military through officer training school. All of the military branches have officer training schools - you'll just have to dig. The military is concerned that you have a reputable degree from somewhere, but it can be in an obscure field and they will still allow you to become an officer (assuming you pass all of their other tests). Become a pilot if you can....helicopter or other - then get out and be a civilian pilot for an airline or private pilot. Save and invest as much money as possible in safe conservative investments. As the years go by, you are going to want to think about a sustainable work life through retirement --- and retire as early as possible, but that takes massive amounts of money and effort to get it...most of us won't be able to do that. Remember: we are all competing for the same jobs in an environment that is now rigged to give certain demographics advantages over us. Always go to where you can get the most bang for your buck and learn not to squander your bucks. Don't get in trouble with the law, work on getting good references.

I'm 22, decent shape at the moment (stopped going to the gym a few months ago, so I could be better). I have considered the military but haven't acted on it yet. I met with a recruiter back in January for the Air Force but told him I'm not signing anything as of then, especially since he was trying to get me to enlist instead of going in as an officer. The idea of the military is nice, but at the same time it's a major dedication. That's still 4-6 years of life, and in the chance that it's not something I like, I don't want to be half-assing it. When it comes to the military, if I go into it, I want to make sure I'm going in with the mindset of wanting to do the job properly, not just be there as a backup plan.

It's definitely something I think about from time to time though. I've known people who have both loved it and hated it. Heard both good and bad things about the different branches. With that said, I wonder how the Space Force will be when that eventually comes into fruition like Trump wants?

As for the money thing, I usually save most of what I make, maybe spending around 40-70 a week depending on different things. It doesn't feel like I'm going anywhere in life though only making a dollar above min-wage in a part time job despite the time and effort I've put into working towards otherwise.

Were you in the military at one point? What was your experience like?

Post: #4

Study basic internet marketing. Make useless information products and sell them online. Rinse and repeat.

Post: #5

The military would definitely be a very solid option for a 22 year-old guy with a degree but no real direction in life. If you go that route, do not enlist. Life is much better for officers in terms of pay, benefits and living conditions (fairly generous food & housing allowances mean you can save a big chunk of your pay). If you did a twenty year hitch you could retire from the military at 42 with a very decent pension and free healthcare for life. You could also have a graduate degree/MBA paid for by the military to have in your back pocket when you get out. I know that 42 might as well be 100 when you're 22, but trust me, it's coming faster than you think. I've known a few guys over the years who did 20 years and retired in their early-mid 40s, and all of them seemed pretty happy about having made that choice. Believe me, there are many worse places to be in life at 42 than as a newly-retired military officer with 20 years of highly-respected management experience, veteran status, an MBA, a pension and no worries about healthcare.

Post: #6

(10-23-2018 02:28 PM)Coffee Wrote:  Long story short, I'm tired of working a shit job and want to make some decent money so I can do something slightly more meaningful in life.

I have work experience and a degree as well. I graduated from a university nearly a year ago now, but haven't made any progress finding a job in my field of study though. Instead I have been jumping around from different part time jobs. Skill wise beyond that, I'm also experienced in martial arts, if that's worth mentioning.

What's the best route for achieving some sort of financial success so you can achieve some sort of short/long term goals? I see a lot of people talking about entrepreneurship and/or crypto here, are they worth looking into?

Can you name some specific things you like doing, places you like spending time or skills you have as in what you feel you could offer?

You have no job at all now?

Post: #7

Space Force will take a long time (many many years) to reach a point where they accept and train normal people from the outside. They will be taking elite volunteers from the other branches for quite a while.

As for half-assing it, and it not being something you like, that is the risk you are going to have to take. You can have the most romantic/idyllic notions of military service then sign your life away, get in and be absolutely miserable due to the fucks you will have no choice but to be around and have boss you around. But that is how you will learn to adapt, overcome and push yourself through bad situations and gain focus to survive and advance to your freedom back on the outside.

Post: #8

(10-23-2018 02:28 PM)Coffee Wrote:  Long story short, I'm tired of working a shit job and want to make some decent money so I can do something slightly more meaningful in life.

I have work experience and a degree as well. I graduated from a university nearly a year ago now, but haven't made any progress finding a job in my field of study though. Instead I have been jumping around from different part time jobs. Skill wise beyond that, I'm also experienced in martial arts, if that's worth mentioning.

What's the best route for achieving some sort of financial success so you can achieve some sort of short/long term goals? I see a lot of people talking about entrepreneurship and/or crypto here, are they worth looking into?

Ever tried learning to code? There are reputable coding schools that will teach you what you need for free to get a job earning between 60k - 100k+ (although most likely around 65-70k). After you get the job, you pay the school 15% of your salary for a year I think, and if you don't get a job as a software engineer, you pay them nothing. Examples of this type of school include App Academy and Hack Reactor.

Post: #9

Oilfield...save up, then do something else.

If you can lift and want days off, go frac or floorhand (90-110K). If you're lazy af go water transfer, plenty of free time (55-75K). If you're lazy but can handle being months on a location, go flowback (120K+).

Post: #10

(10-23-2018 10:24 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  Oilfield...save up, then do something else.

If you can lift and want days off, go frac or floorhand (90-110K). If you're lazy af go water transfer, plenty of free time (55-75K). If you're lazy but can handle being months on a location, go flowback (120K+).

How does one get a job like that with no relevant experience?

Post: #11

Another idea is to go back to college and get an engineering bachelors degree and professional engineer (P.E.) certification. You need to decide, get as motivated and determined as possible and take action soon. It will be harder and harder to reinvent yourself as the years go by.

Post: #12

Are you interested in some topics and can write or think about a few articles? Open a page, write and try to sell a product.
Try to get traffic by posting it on relevant forums, under relevant youtube videos (pro tips: Answer questions of some youtubers under those videos), similar pages etc and convert the traffic in money, by putting ads and some shortlinks.
Use freelancing pages to get some money on the side which you can invest in a) parking spots or b) cryptos or c) other things you feel comfortable with.
Also use P2P pages. Performing notes are also a good option and you can find some cheap ones as well.

Post: #13

OP?

What is your educational background and what work experience field have you collected the bulk of your experience? I am in the same boat as you but older so I am appearing this at an accelerated level.

From what I have realized is that you don't get good income unless you have one or many skills or work specialized fields. The bulk of jobs are service or operations which are low pay, slow in upward mobility, and capped (you get chopped at becoming an operation or service "manager" working your ass off for meager increase in pay). Most then find a way into a skilled field but general laziness keeps them stagnant or on the typical ladder towards debt and working till they are 70.

The key is to avoid the service snd operations jobs and to only work skilled or specialist fields. While young you can do oil or other of these sorts but I would look at ways to attain skills that are linked to good compensation. These can be code, sales, or a future proof tangible technical skill. If you are crafty then learn some sort of crastmanship skill that can't be automated.

Once you focus on skills income you start to connect the dots and a pathway towards good compensation becomes much more clear.

Myself, after being sold propaganda while younger that sales is a dirty and lowly profession I am going to put myself in a position to learn the skill. Analytic skill I am still trying to narrow down but I've explored learning basic/intermediate accounting and marketing. Also, looking at ways to be a factor in now legal weed here in Canada.

At your age you have lots of time but start to think a kit how you can, with a steady pace, learn good skills and strain experience in putting those skills to work. If I was 22 again I would jump into sales because that is where money is. No business exists without sales.

Also, at 22 go work the best paying job you can get and go rough it for a little while. Stack as much money that can enable you to have good savings and acquire an asset of worth. The guys that hustled early to get enough little money to get a little condo they could rent out hedged themselves well. You'll see dudes your age blowing money on Hennessey and vacations to Thailand to go bang mediocre Australian girls. Don't get caught in that respect and get yourself ahead early so you can enjoy much better third when you hit your stride at 27/28. If I knew then what I knew now this would have been my focus.

Good luck with your journey.

Post: #14

OP I'm in a similar situation to you.

What degree did you graduate with?

I have a useless bachelor's in psychology.

Been doing random low-paying office jobs through the temp agency for the past year or so. $15 an hour.

I studied psychology because I was really interested in it, and I love reading and writing.

It sucks that I'm not good at math or science because STEM degrees are pretty much the only degrees worth getting nowadays.

Also, being someone who enjoys working with his mind, rather than his hands, means trades are out of the question.

So I researched long and hard on ways that I could make money writing, and I discovered copywriting.

But man, is it harder than I thought.

You have to choose a niche, flesh out a solid portfolio, and learn to market yourself.

Although I recently completed a prestigious copywriting course which forced me to compete exercises and write sales letters, my portfolio still needs work. Plus, I'll probably have to cold call or send out lead-generating emails to get my first client and build off of that.

I'm so scared of failing, because I don't want to be stuck with low-paying jobs for the rest of my life.

At 23-years old, I already feel like I'm running out of time.

Post: #15

You should consider a job working at a brokerage firm in their wealth management division. If you put up with three years of hell, you'll have a fairly painless and high income career. In the beginning, you will need to work very hard (80+ hours a week), make a lot of cold calls and put up with a lot of rejection, but it's about the only way that someone with a BA in psychology from a non-ivy can realistically get to $500k annually by 30.

As I said, you need to put up with a lot of rejection, which will help you with getting laid.

Post: #16

Is it really so easy to earn money in USA?
I mean I would say it´s really difficult in my country (Midlle/Eastern Europe). While the life is more and more expensive, it´s hard to earn enough. And it doesn´t matter, whether you have economics or technical degree.
Young man can find good money in military. I studied 3 years, got officer rank and nice sallary. For some reasons I quit, but with knowledge, that I can come anytime back.

Post: #17

Yes, if you have drive and some intelligence it is pretty easy to make some good coin in the good old US of A.

Post: #18

(10-24-2018 01:49 PM)tomzestatlu Wrote:  Is it really so easy to earn money in USA?
I mean I would say it´s really difficult in my country (Midlle/Eastern Europe). While the life is more and more expensive, it´s hard to earn enough. And it doesn´t matter, whether you have economics or technical degree.
Young man can find good money in military. I studied 3 years, got officer rank and nice sallary. For some reasons I quit, but with knowledge, that I can come anytime back.

A lot of people here will tell you it isn't. But, I don't agree.

If you play by the rules, and you really bust your ass, yeah, it's pretty likely. If you're smart and relentless.

I can't provide any advice on the Middle East. Let me say that I'm sorry my country has decided to fuck with your part of the world so much with it's insane foreign policy. Hopefully Trump will end that.

Post: #19

Bro now you made me laugh. I'm not sure if your are joking or not. My country lies just next do Germany, not Iraq.

Post: #20

(10-24-2018 04:07 PM)tomzestatlu Wrote:  Bro now you made me laugh. I'm not sure if your are joking or not. My country lies just next do Germany, not Iraq.

Oops. Misread. Well, if you're from the former Yugoslavia, same thing...

Post: #21

Become a software developer. You don't need a bachelor's in CS. It's possible to develop the skills on your own or you can attend a bootcamp to get you started. I wouldn't quit your day job, start with doing programming lessons at home and learning the basic skills. Then sign up for on online flex bootcamp that will fit your schedule before deciding to either pursue it on your own full time or attend a boot camp.

Boot camps range from 5-15k depending on online, part time, or full time. Some have financing options. They usually last 12-16 weeks for full time and part time ones are much longer.

Entry level software developers at FANG (Facebook, Apple, Netflix, Google) make around $100k + stocks + bonus. Total compensation (TC) is usually around 130-150k if you get $100k base, $20k restricted stock units (RSUs), and $10-20k sign on or annual bonus schedule. Microsoft, Amazon, Uber, and others will be similar. The lower tier ones will obviously pay less but if you go for other firms you may not have to work in the unpoosy paradise that is Silicon Valley or Seattle.

A friend of mine had an art history degree from a state school. He worked as a substitute teacher and community college IT assistant for 3 years before he went to a bootcamp. Through meetup.com events that were sponsored by his bootcamp he got hired at an IoT startup. He didn't start as a developer but was doing customer support for a year. During the entire time he was working on his programming skills and other IoT dev skills. Now he got hired by Garmin making $140 TC. It took him about 5 years of self study, boot camp, and doing customer service at a startup before he landed this gig. He's just shy of 30 but now his career is on a solid path and he loves the technology and problem solving that he works in.

Working in tech isn't for everyone but the salaries are insane right now. Main reason is because tech is what drives the US and global economy. Large tech companies have the highest revenue and competing with each other in massive markets. I myself have a traditional engineering background. Although I think it's harder to get this engineering degree compared to just becoming a basic software developer, the developers are getting paid more on average. Obviously lots of things depend on area of expertise, skills, and years of experience.

After a couple of years working as a developer you can then make a decision to go into product management or stay in the technical path. Both are viable.

Post: #22

Best way is to switch jobs.

Post: #23

(10-24-2018 11:27 AM)Alpha_Ambitionz Wrote:  I'm so scared of failing, because I don't want to be stuck with low-paying jobs for the rest of my life.

At 23-years old, I already feel like I'm running out of time.

You're Canadian. Have you ever heard about Alberta?

Post: #24

Lance blastoff: Germany isn't neighbour state of any former Yugoslav country.

Post: #25

(10-24-2018 11:55 PM)Laurifer Wrote:  

(10-24-2018 11:27 AM)Alpha_Ambitionz Wrote:  I'm so scared of failing, because I don't want to be stuck with low-paying jobs for the rest of my life.

At 23-years old, I already feel like I'm running out of time.

You're Canadian. Have you ever heard about Alberta?

Yeah he should holler at scotian. scotian has the keys to Alberta....making that money in the middle of nowhere & then jetting off to the poosy paradise of Colombia. At least these young'ns are in the right place for finding guys that are resourceful. Best of luck to everyone in here hustling & grinding to make a buck whether it is via climbing the corporate ladder, small businesses, entrepreneurial ventures, in the oil rigs, or some other combination of these things.