Quoted from ctviss:
Though those that have the drive and motivation to start their own business are probably not the types to go to college - usually they already have a skill that fills a very specific niche that there isn't a college for.
WOW! That totally fits me. When graduating high school I was offered scholarships to several colleges because of my papers I had to write for English. I won the English award in high school, one male and one female for each subject. I was like what? The whole school was like what? I hated English, I was all into business classes. And in business they showed how much the average college graduate made right after completion, and I said screw this I hate school, I am already making more money while in school than college graduates at the time, I am going to make my life the way I want it.
The work was underground pipeline, very deep, the kind of work you hear people dying in cave ins, but I loved it, and I still do. I have been a few feet from a cave in before, most of the time I know what to look for. And I do stay safe, and do the work safe.
There have been a few days in the past I made 10 grand in one day with this work. Most of the time I averaged 2500.00 a day profit.
I only did it a few years for myself. I still do it because I enjoy it, but now I work for a friend and let him have all the stress to make the big bucks. I bought rental houses when I was doing good, and now pipeline is a few extra bucks with no stress on me, and I enjoy it a lot more now, like when I was young.
In the past also, my Dad went blind and was in bad shape with strokes and stuff caused from diabetes. That was when I stopped doing pipeline for myself, and worked from home so I could watch him. I live 10 miles away from where they used to have postal auctions, and I bought up the dvd's and cd's there, and listed them on Ebay and Amazon.
There was a time I made 10k in a day doing pipeline. There was years I mailed 50k packages a year from Ebay and Amazon sales.
I still do all that on a lot smaller scale, but now I enjoy just cutting grass the most. And you can make some pretty good money with just bs like cutting grass.
To be honest, when even now I go in a deep trench to work on a pipeline, I feel safer than being on a lawn tractor. Ever notice all those dead limbs in the trees, dead trees, etc.? One little gust of wind it is all over. OSHA stays all over pipeline work, but in my opinion, just bs like cutting grass is way more dangerous, and widespread.
And it is that time of year, Good luck class of 2019, high school or college. I wish you the best. The best advice I can give if you really want to work for yourself, spend lots of time doing research about it, know what you are doing and know you are one of the best at your skills, and last and most important, if you want to work for yourself, you need to have already saved enough to live for at least a year with no income in case things do not work out, and make sure the people you work for will pay you. There are a lot of crooks out there. A crook beat me out of 500.00 one time. I know people that have been beat out of 500k.
Way back while I was done with school period, I did love business so much I did take college courses in business. I did not go after any other crap to get some full whatever. I never cared about some degree, I just wanted to see if there was anything else I was missing.
Just be careful, protect yourself the best you can, and BIG TIME REMEMBER THIS: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
I have been on this site around 2 years, and I have not met anyone else on here in person yet(not many pinball people in my area), but I can tell you one thing, I am the most honest person you will ever meet.
I currently have a whole lot of work going on, but anytime I have some time to have a few beers I will be here reading everything I can.
Sorry for the long vent, but what I had just read really touched what I have lived.