Not going to college, I want to be self employed

[leman45]

I'm about to be 18 years old and a senior in high school. I decided i'm not going to college. I never had a job before. Like most people here, I want to be self employed. I do not want to work a regular job. Getting a degree to work for someone else has never appealed to me. I want to be like Steve and have a system to make money for me without requiring me to do work and give up time. Actually that is what I want, free time. I don't want to be bothered with a job, having people tell me what to do, and doing the same thing every week. My mother works 2 jobs, and thats the only thing she does is work and nothing else. I don't want to be like her. The thing is I need a way to start making money. I don't have any ideas right now. I do like the buisness website thing. I'm open to any suggestions.

[Mayo]

Get some tech skills in Ruby(RoR) or PHP(joomla) for starters, learn HTML and CSS before that. Even some graphical skills(i.e. learning to draw with your hand) are not bad when applied to Photshop or Gimp or ....(any graphical tool of choosing - if it's free go for it..) that supports graphical pad (cheap Genius and later Wacom...) or you can go even without ANY graphics at all...
If your mom is determined to get you through schooling if she has the needs you could go through some basic skill building that could include art drawing classes, web design classes, programming classes, library card, buying (or finding on eMule, BitTorrent or IRC bookz channel) programming books & manuals(Ruby, Erlang, C, C++ -- but first get the basics like in Ruby...)

Just explore for now...

[dgorila1]

You should work a few jobs to gain some "life experience". Unless you're a genius and can start the next Microsoft, you probably lack the drive and skills to make a business work. You say you want to have money coming in but don't want to do any work. How do you know.....you've never held a full time job to know what work is. Grow up and quit being so lazy. The world owes you nothing. Have a nice day

[leman45]

I was planning on working somewhere if i was not in school.

[searstower]

Hi leman45,

I'm not going to chastize you for being lazy. I don't have a degree and I own my own business.

I do want to point out though that there is much more to getting a degree than simply to get a job and work for someone else. The biggest advantage I can think of for spending time in college is to build your network and prepare to start recruiting.

Think about it. At the typical 4 year college, you'll be surrounded by smart people, have lots of opportunities to interact with them, see what their work ethic is like and build relationships that will come in handy in the future. You may not realize how important this is yet, but trust me, it's huge, especially if you want to make more than 'just enough money to get by'.

Ok, now I'm off my soapbox. If you want to use the web, check out SiteSell.com, especially the case study of Nori the high schooler.

[Zero]

Originally Posted by leman45

Getting a degree to work for someone else has never appealed to me. I want to be like Steve...

Steve did get a college degree, and he did it in 2 years. With a normal schedule, a college degree should take 4 years to achieve, and, like my self, that degree can take 6+ years. So, Steve put in a lot of hard work and determination to accomplish his goal. Not easy. And, Steve is using what he leaned in college to create this blog and administer the site.

Originally Posted by leman45

Actually that is what I want, free time.

The benefit of working at home is that you are to some extent free to do what you want, within reason. Steve can pick up his kids from school or do grocery shopping at his leisure. This is nice. However, Steve is running a website with a high volume of traffic. If you think he is on easy street, think again. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes that you do not see. I am guessing that he is putting time into this site 7 days a week, and he must be working 40+ hours per week. I really doubt Steve has all this "free time" that you seek.

Originally Posted by leman45

My mother works 2 jobs, and thats the only thing she does is work and nothing else. I don't want to be like her.

Well, your mother sounds like a hard worker, and she is doing that hard work for you. You want to be like your mother, and work hard. Starting your own business is hard work, and it will be a lot more time & energy than working two jobs.

In my opinion, you are just another lazy person that wants it all, but does not want to work. searstower brings up a benefit of college. I would suggest going to college and getting some kind of business degree. In the mean time, you can get a retail job (because that is all that you are qualified to do) and try to start your own business in your free time. If that business is successful and starts to really eat up your time, then quit the job and then think about dropping out of college.

[rene_stpierre]

Hi,

I wouldn't go as far as saying you are lazy. I would say, you need more experience in life to understand what's needed to succeed.

About going to college or not. People in this thread have made good points about going. Whether you go or not, what is key to your future success is that you commit to learn and grow presonally continuously for the rest of your life. Always look to acquire new skills and knowledge. If you don't, whether you have gone through college or not, you will never have the life you want.

About not doing any work. There are a lot of people out there who have achieved financial freedom i.e. they no longer have to work or have to work only a few hours per week and have enough money to do whatever they want. However, each and everyone of these individuals has worked extremely hard to get there and this for 5, 10 maybe 20 years or more. Pick any example, movie star, profesional athlete, business person, etc., you will see that this is a reality.The only exception are those who win the lottery at a young age but this is pretty rare.

Good luck!
René

[drakedee]

Leman45 my man...
in this day and age.. College is for the birds... I tried for 2 years and gave it up... its funny tho'... 4 months after i quit school I started a business... and havnt looked back....
So while my business flourishes... Im gettin ready to start Real Estate school and get my 'housing market' weight up... but my main goal is Land aquisition...

Its not abut working hard anymore... Its all about working smart...
no matter how many times ya hear it ... it still fits like glove !
and as far as experience... the only experience youll get from doing what you Dont wanna do is a horrible one...
Lose that notion ! The good Lord didnt have 'Experience' creating this world.. or did he ? hmmm !
anyway... in a nutshell

Go for it !

[searstower]

Leman45,

There are a lot of people out there who have achieved financial freedom i.e. they no longer have to work or have to work only a few hours per week and have enough money to do whatever they want. However, each and everyone of these individuals has worked extremely hard to get there and this for 5, 10 maybe 20 years or more.

Don't get too down by other people's advice, here or IRL. Remember, their advice and what they know to be true is filtered through their own life experiences. Some people have found in their life that the only time they make money is when they work very hard.

But the truth is, working hard is not a requirement to making money, especially if you re-think your definition of hard work. See, if you love your work, it's not work anymore. It's play!

You do have to take some action, and you really have to provide value that others are willing to pay for, but it doesn't have to be hard.

[Calculusaurus]

Just to give a different perspective...

Not any amount of money -- $1000, $1m, $1b -- would be worth the life experiences, the fun, and the personal growth I've had due to college. The friends I've made, the professors I work with...

I go to a small liberal arts college where the focus is on education, intellectual and personal growth. Students define their own schedule. They're not here to get a job. They're here to learn, to have fun, and to meet people. We take classes regardless of what that means for some future career. Grades are the last thing on our minds.

These four years are the only time in my life where I'll be surrounded by so many people my age who are heads above the average intelligence, who are just as interested as I am in learning new things.

The professors here are capable of giving you a learning experience that "self-teaching" would never, ever, ever be capable of.

[Love]

Why don't you take a year or two off and see what you can learn? If everything works out for you, great. If not, you've learned more about what you want to do and can still go to college. The whole period can be a learning experience.

[Thomas Jensen]

When I look back to my university days (I studied in Europe) I feel that most humanities courses could be squashed from 3 years into 2. I mean I had a great life. Those were definitely the best times of my life, with experiences you can't buy. And you have a very short period of time in which to do this. If you go back as a mature student 10 years down the road, it won't be quite the same.

To sum up, I strongly believe that college is worth it. If you can do what Steve did and squash three or four years into two, then go for it. You will have the time of your life and gain many valuable experiences. I think self-employment is for those who have experienced something of life beforehand (not that I want to sound condescending or against younger people). It's not something you can necessarily jump straight into, but it's good that you have set it as your long-term goal.

[Baldini]

Hey,

I started out with business at age 20 after being at two different colleagues (market economist 6 months and cooking school 3 months), and I found both of them very limiting in term of learning what I wanted to learn/gain.

I wanted to learn the necessary skills in order to succeed in business. The problem is the people who know that are (most likely) not the ones teaching, but some inexperienced teacher who only know some theoretical stuff, which most often is not congruent with the model of reality.

My advice is to become member of some entrepreneurship group and to learn from someone who actually has tried it on their own body.

I found out the best/fastest way to learn is to try out without safety-net. Just go for it and see what happens.

[tropicality]

Originally Posted by Baldini

Hey,

I started out with business at age 20 after being at two different colleagues (market economist 6 months and cooking school 3 months), and I found both of them very limiting in term of learning what I wanted to learn/gain.

I wanted to learn the necessary skills in order to succeed in business. The problem is the people who know that are (most likely) not the ones teaching, but some inexperienced teacher who only know some theoretical stuff, which most often is not congruent with the model of reality.

My advice is to become member of some entrepreneurship group and to learn from someone who actually has tried it on their own body.

I found out the best/fastest way to learn is to try out without safety-net. Just go for it and see what happens.

I agree with you. I'm currently in business at college and I have learned infinitely more out of school than I have in school, simply because they teach alot of stuff that has NO RELEVANCE whatsoever to what I want to do when I leave college, which amazingly is to own my own business.

I have learned sooo much more from spending time on the internet at home and by going out and meeting entrepreneurs, and going to conferences.

If I could go back I would have instead spent the money, like you say - going to entrepreneurship groups and meetings/conferences around my state to gain some knowledge that would actually be beneficial to my progress.

Another fact you have stated that not too many people ever realize, is that when you just go to college without ever having 'tried it without the safety-net' you maybe absorb knowledge at a rate of 20%, no more! Why? Because at that time you have no idea what you actually need to know!! And because they cover so many random-mundane topics like "What is Harold's theory on economics" "What is Krock's theory of human behaviour in a group" Blah blah blah

The way to really 'learn' is to get your feet wet and realize WHAT you need to know, then you can focus in on that information and absorb it at a comprehension rate of 90%+

So far the only positive aspect I see to being in college, is as someone else mentioned, the networking part of it, getting to meet alot of like-minded people. Although even then I don't see that as being a huge bonus - I've always been years ahead of everyone that I hang around with and that includes everyone I have met (so far). No wonder every single person whose ever asked me how old I am (I always then ask, how old do you think I am?) Has ALWAYS said 4-5 years older than I actually am, and thats about 35~ times.

Besides, a degree in my opinion is worthless unless, just maybe, you want to be a supervisor or a manager, even then all it takes is to meet the right person and display the appropriate behaviour and chances are you are off to a great start getting that position without a degree.

[toptemp]

Originally Posted by Calculusaurus

Just to give a different perspective...

Not any amount of money -- $1000, $1m, $1b -- would be worth the life experiences, the fun, and the personal growth I've had due to college. The friends I've made, the professors I work with...

I go to a small liberal arts college where the focus is on education, intellectual and personal growth. Students define their own schedule. They're not here to get a job. They're here to learn, to have fun, and to meet people. We take classes regardless of what that means for some future career. Grades are the last thing on our minds.

These four years are the only time in my life where I'll be surrounded by so many people my age who are heads above the average intelligence, who are just as interested as I am in learning new things.

The professors here are capable of giving you a learning experience that "self-teaching" would never, ever, ever be capable of.

Just to give the flip side...

I'm at college where people are supposed to be above normal average intelligence and where, ideally, everybody would love to learn and you could do so at your own pace and your own way.

This isn't college for me. I attend a medium sized state school where nobody thinks for themselves, even few professors and where I'm required to go to classes where I could learn and have learned the entire subject material in one week. Very few people here are worth networking with given the direction I'm heading. Honestly, besides the fun that I have, college is a nightmare for me because it stunts my overall growth; I literally have to stuggle to get through every day (do I go to class? do I do the ridiculous homework?).

Thankfully, much like Steve, I'm getting out of college in 2 years, and I'm thankful that I am. Chances are that I will be moving to LV this summer to perform high level business acquisitions with virtually no hands on experience; hopefully I'll be a millionaire this year. However, I could do all this without a piece of paper.

It all depends on who you are, and you definitely don't want to kid yourself about that.

BTW, I plan on putting a TON of hard work into acquisitions. ;-)

[JiriNovotny]

The saying is: You do not have to get it right, you just have to get it going.

Just start something, and keep going from there. You do not have to do this fulltime. It won't be that much different when you are out of the school.

Read the book "Multiple Streams of Income" from Robert G. Allen, that should give you some ideas. I enjoyed it.

[Robert Avila]

leman45

Definitely read "You Call the Shots" - by Cameron Johnson

Cameron created 12 successful businesses by age 21.....you will learn some important lessons on entrepreneurship.

Wish you the best!

Robert

[richie]

i am doing my college currently, and also running 3 business concurrently and my biggest project (the 4th business) is coming this month,for me its really diffcult to manage college and business but the reason i am doing it ,is that a degree could provide u a security ,because if i get unsuccessful i ll have something to standby,and if you do like what i do ,create a business ,set it all and then give someone else to run it,and reap the profits,but the one u give to run shouldnt be a lazy guy and give him % in profit so hell work for ya,this helps me create easy money making system today,though i am earning less currently ,my profit is doubling this month ,so its good.By the way
as someone said abt networking in college,i feel its not much helpful ,i have recruited some friends to do work,but now i feel i have made a mistake,hopefully i wont repeat it again

[AndrewJ]

It's not enough just to want to be self employed. You need a plan and if you don't have one then I sugest going to college, or doing some other kind of education, until you do have a plan.

Andrew

[The David]

Since when did going to college have anything to do with getting a degree?

[ispf]

Go to college anyway
Right now, you don't want to go to college because of what you think college is and what you have heard about college. Start going to college anyway. Experience it for yourself. If it is not really for you, you can always quit later. You will likely lose a year or so in the process, but at least you wont be spending years and years later, wondering if you did the right thing by not going to college.

You can learn some things in college
Its like any other life experience - there is always some things that you can learn. Not all classes will be helpful, but there will certainly be a few that will form a great foundation for your future. Also, the fun, the energy, the networking in college is something unique and should be tried at least once.

You can still start a business while in college
Going to college does not mean that you cannot start a business too. Dont stress yourself out about college - take it slow and easy. At the same time, start the business. If you decide to stick through college, in 3-5 years, you will have both the degree and a budding business. Once you leave college you will not have to work for someone else, but apply your knowledge and skills to your own business.

This path will prove you are not a bum
All of us are lazy to a certain extent and want easy money. Maybe its just that part that is justifying to get you out of going to school and starting a business. If you dont do college and start a business, you will always wonder if you took the easy way out and a small part of you will start to believe that you might be a bum. But if you go ahead and do both anyway, it will give you a legitimate reason to be proud of yourself.

Its a tough decision. Good luck in making the right choice for you.

[chopsaw]

I've seen so many posts from people that equate college/university as some sort of professional trade school. It makes me cringe when I hear "I'm not going to college to just work for someone else." Man, take off the blinders. If you're into personal development, college is a source of abundance. Where else can you so easily meet and speak with people who are engaged and passionate abou