Do you guys have any advice?

[thabeejees]

Hi guys.
I don't mean to spill a bunch of information here but the more the better in this case.
Graduating High School in June of 2018, I've since been working a construction job that pays well, and right now we have been laid-off for more than a month. Within that time period, I discovered "The Millionaire Fastlane " by MJ DeMarco and have not regretted reading it. It's intuition that scares me into thinking outside the box because we all know the alternative (The Slowlane).

With that said, I've been taking this time to pick away at an online course in Web Development. This was in hopes to start an education tool that could be used by teachers that I know personally to fix issues in the classroom. However, that seems ridiculous because the main issue is getting students to be engaged. Having just experienced high school I can tell you that is never going to change.

I love to travel, and writing is a challenge that I could wake up to face every single day. With $3000 in my bank account I have 2 options:
- My parents want me to buy a car, work in the summer, then go to college.
-I want to leave the country, travel to Portugal, and cycle to the Netherlands and blog about the entire experience. All under $3000.

Yes, it seems ridiculous. My parents as of late are getting pretty hostile and I get why they're frustrated. They want a future for their son and he just wants to take off to Portugal. If anybody has had any similar "Travel vs College" experiences please do share, it would be a great help. Thanks for reading.

 

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[TonyStark]

I would say travel, but you risk the possibility of alienating your parents trust.

So, that’s up to you.

Whatever you do, just make sure you commit to it.

 

[MitchM]

I dropped out of college and traveled to Thailand for a month and then Europe for a month at 21 - but I'm not telling you to do that.

I did Thailand under 3k for a month (living like a king) and have never once regretted the decision - BUT, I did have considerably more money saved up than you do.

Here is the reality: you are F*cking young and in a position to take risks. The most important thing moving forward through life will be to be self-aware and learn from your mistakes and NOT dig yourself into holes that you can't get out of.

So, definitely don't put yourself in any consumer debt.

Sit down and think through things like this:

1) What kind of life do I want to lead? (Think of your relationships, your finances, your business, etc.)
2) What is the best route to getting to this life?
3) What actions could severely screw my chances to achieve this life?

At 18 you aren't going to have clear answers due to a lack of experience. What you can do is experiment, learn, and minimize downside (no debt, for example). You still need to try and answer the above questions to the best of your ability.

If you don't want to go to college right now - perhaps 6 months off would be a good starting point. It doesn't have to immediately be the end of the world to your parents. You can start with some breathing room.

Instead of immediately going on vacation, what I would do first is buy the car Use this car as transportation to work a job for a short period of time and then get back to at least $3k. THEN go on a vacation if you want.

The reason that I would get a car first is because you need to have autonomy - and without a car you are your parents' bitch.

Think for yourself and make sure that you do so in a principled fashion. If you decide to start a business - pay attention to MJ's book and stick to CENTS.

You'll have an amazing life ahead of you if you are patient, self-aware, hard working, and focused. College is only necessary for a few paths in life, so don't let mainstream thinking cloud your thoughts.

 

[SolopreneurGrind]

Go travel. You can always come back and get a job, start college, etc. That's not going anywhere.

But as you get older, you'll have fewer opportunities like the one you have now to have an amazing, long-lasting experience. The blogging sounds cool and you should definitely do it, but don't beat yourself up if no one follows/reads it. Do it for fun and have a great life experience.

 

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