Drifting through life, in need of advice

[Deleted106527]

Hello everyone,
while the 10.000th "what should I do right now"-question might not be the most exciting thing to read, I honestly believe this forum is just about the only place where I can get solid advice on this kind of thing, so here goes:

My situation:

I am currently 19 years old, having finished school close to 8 months ago. I live in Germany, I'm not poor, Have basically no debt, somewhat supportive parents and I would say I am not completely stupid.
So basically, I have a blank slate, very good circumstances and all the options in the world right now (or atleast close to it) to attain my goal: the fastlane.
But that also seems to be the root of my struggle:

My struggle:

Overchoice, choice overload or simply put: Close to infinite options resulting in close to no actions. I feel like I know the rough outline of what I should do in life (You know, make a fastlane business, etc...), but it all just feels so far away and unattainable right now.

The time since I finished school, I have, looking back, honestly not been doing too many things that actually got me closer to my goals (while did spend some time learning valuable skills (bit of the stock market, coding, etc...), I am also a master of action faking activities (damn right a todo-list with 20 things feels good, but if close to 0 of those are really relevant to my future, that kinda changes things)).
So right now, as the title says, I am kinda drifting through life. I guess I am in the "mental battle with yourself" phase of becoming an entrepreneur, but I just don't know how to actually take a big step:
I've considered lots of possibilities (even going to uni since it's very affordable here (basically no debts) and I could do something related to finances or business, but I always have the looming fear of choosing one thing and then realising after some years that it was basically wasted time.
I know I definitely need some real life & market experience to actually become an entrepreneur, but I guess the thought of waking up in 5 years and realising "oh damn, that uni-course did not help me at all" is kinda paralysing.
In the worst, paralysing sense, I have always been a perfectionist when it comes to taking these kinds of choices

It's funny, maybe even paradoxical: Being almost constantly stressed about "needing to start soon or else I'm just wasting time" is making me not take action, which is actually causing me to waste time, kinda fueling the vicious cycle.

So,
what could I be doing right now?

Are there rational alternatives to going to uni? I know that especially in MJ's books, uni is always knocked a bit, but I honestly struggle to see meaningful and productive alternatives right now, so of course I am open to any suggestions.

I would love to hear from people that are in a similar situation or have overcome a similar situation.

Thank you

P.

Edit: 2 things that just came to mind:

1. I know that at my age, even „losing“ 3 years to something like education wouldn‘t be a problem really, since I have time/am in no real rush, but somehow that thought is not really making it better

2. I feel like a new perspective/change of scenery in life might make a real difference, not sure about this though.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years? Have you constructed a 1/5/10 Planasy?

Is UNI in Germany government funded, or is it super expensive like here in America?

 

[Deleted106527]

Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years? Have you constructed a 1/5/10 Planasy?

Is UNI in Germany government funded, or is it super expensive like here in America?

Hello MJ,
to be honest, I have not yet made a 1/5/10 Planasy. I had it in the back of my mind, but I guess It slipped out. Definitely making one when I get home today!

I had to ask some of my friends that are already in uni just to be sure, but it's very cheap here. Not completely free, but the costs are basically a joke, especially compared to America (A friend of mine goes to a very prestigious technological uni and he has to pay about 600€ per year of studying there, no debts attached at all).

Thanks for the answer!

P.

 

[financemailer]

During my 20s, my life was idyllic. I got sick and couldn't go to college after high school, so I "hung out" at my parent's retail business for a long time before I decided to do something with my life. For you, I would look into apprenticeship. If you can decide which field you want to get into, you can find a job in that field and get an internship for their company. Gain some experience and start your own company after a few years of learning the ins and outs. That's what I would do if I was in your shoes. If you decide to go to college, it's not necessarily a bad thing. You get a degree and get a job. You learn what it's like to be an employee and learn how to be an employer that way. That's another way of doing it.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

A college education that doesn't cost a lot can be very helpful if it is technically related: engineering, software, robotics, AI, data-science ... again, I'd take a look at your 5 and 10 year goals and see if college would help in those pursuits. And always consider your happiness too which should be a primary objective. (don't confuse happiness with comfort)

 

[fastlane_dad]

Hello everyone,
while the 10.000th "what should I do right now"-question might not be the most exciting thing to read, I honestly believe this forum is just about the only place where I can get solid advice on this kind of thing, so here goes:

My situation:

I am currently 19 years old, having finished school close to 8 months ago. I live in Germany, I'm not poor, Have basically no debt, somewhat supportive parents and I would say I am not completely stupid.
So basically, I have a blank slate, very good circumstances and all the options in the world right now (or atleast close to it) to attain my goal: the fastlane.
But that also seems to be the root of my struggle:

My struggle:

Overchoice, choice overload or simply put: Close to infinite options resulting in close to no actions. I feel like I know the rough outline of what I should do in life (You know, make a fastlane business, etc...), but it all just feels so far away and unattainable right now.

The time since I finished school, I have, looking back, honestly not been doing too many things that actually got me closer to my goals (while did spend some time learning valuable skills (bit of the stock market, coding, etc...), I am also a master of action faking activities (damn right a todo-list with 20 things feels good, but if close to 0 of those are really relevant to my future, that kinda changes things)).
So right now, as the title says, I am kinda drifting through life. I guess I am in the "mental battle with yourself" phase of becoming an entrepreneur, but I just don't know how to actually take a big step:
I've considered lots of possibilities (even going to uni since it's very affordable here (basically no debts) and I could do something related to finances or business, but I always have the looming fear of choosing one thing and then realising after some years that it was basically wasted time.
I know I definitely need some real life & market experience to actually become an entrepreneur, but I guess the thought of waking up in 5 years and realising "oh damn, that uni-course did not help me at all" is kinda paralysing.
In the worst, paralysing sense, I have always been a perfectionist when it comes to taking these kinds of choices

It's funny, maybe even paradoxical: Being almost constantly stressed about "needing to start soon or else I'm just wasting time" is making me not take action, which is actually causing me to waste time, kinda fueling the vicious cycle.

So,
what could I be doing right now?

Are there rational alternatives to going to uni? I know that especially in MJ's books, uni is always knocked a bit, but I honestly struggle to see meaningful and productive alternatives right now, so of course I am open to any suggestions.

I would love to hear from people that are in a similar situation or have overcome a similar situation.

Thank you

P.

Edit: 2 things that just came to mind:

1. I know that at my age, even „losing“ 3 years to something like education wouldn‘t be a problem really, since I have time/am in no real rush, but somehow that thought is not really making it better

2. I feel like a new perspective/change of scenery in life might make a real difference, not sure about this though.

I went the college / corporate job route , prior to quiting and finally embarking full time on my fastlane journey.

I chose engineering at a local state university, as it was relatively inexpensive and offered tons of bang for the buck once you got out of school.

I always treated college / majors etc as a business as well - I wasn't going for an 'education' - I was investing time and $ for a payoff after that was very well calculated.

Once a more 'lucrative' opportunity was found that freed me further from a 'job' I technically did not need my degree any longer - but it served me well throughout the years to know that I went through a rigorous course, and did / will help in certain promotions of myself and my products throughout my lifetime.

Looking back - maybe I would of made a few tweaks on what I chose to do in school (focus it closer to programming / computer science etc), but overall I have ZERO regrets I spent several years of my adulthood going through college.

Map out a plan, at least a plan you can embark on today - and you have your entire lifetime in front of you to adjust and alter course.

Good luck on your journey!

 

[Deleted106527]

During my 20s, my life was idyllic. I got sick and couldn't go to college after high school, so I "hung out" at my parent's retail business for a long time before I decided to do something with my life. For you, I would look into apprenticeship. If you can decide which field you want to get into, you can find a job in that field and get an internship for their company. Gain some experience and start your own company after a few years of learning the ins and outs. That's what I would do if I was in your shoes. If you decide to go to college, it's not necessarily a bad thing. You get a degree and get a job. You learn what it's like to be an employee and learn how to be an employer that way. That's another way of doing it.

I was also thinking about getting into an apprenticeship if uni turned out to not be my thing. I am lucky to have had respectable grades in school, so I have quite a lot of options in both apprenticeship and going to uni, which makes choosing anything a bit hard for me.
Maybe I'm a bit closed-minded, but wouldn't an apprenticeship be a bit inferior to uni in terms of fastlane-potential? Where I'm from, apprenticeships are 99% things like car mechanic or trades, while uni seems to be more and more about online-related stuff or directly business related stuff, which I feel like would be better suited for a fastlane business nowadays.
Though maybe I have just not done enough research about apprenticeship, so I will definitely look into it more.
I also do see that an apprenticeship is much more practical knowledge & experience-related, which would definitely help with creating any business.

Thank you

P.

 

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[Deleted106527]

A college education that doesn't cost a lot can be very helpful if it is technically related: engineering, software, robotics, AI, data-science ... again, I'd take a look at your 5 and 10 year goals and see if college would help in those pursuits. And always consider your happiness too which should be a primary objective. (don't confuse happiness with comfort)

Having finally taken the time to make a proper 1/5/10 plan (such a simple but eye-opening concept), I think I got some more insight into what might help me.
I'm kinda curious, since I was thinking about getting into a business college (and IIRC you have a degree in Marketing & Finances):
Would you say a technical degree is better than a business-related one?
As for my 1/5/10 goals, college would most likely help, since getting knowledge & experience is probably the most important thing in those goals right now.
Also, I think that even if college were to get a little rough, the happiness of knowing that I'm actively pursuing my goals would most likely overshadow the rest, so that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Deleted106527]

I went the college / corporate job route , prior to quiting and finally embarking full time on my fastlane journey.

I chose engineering at a local state university, as it was relatively inexpensive and offered tons of bang for the buck once you got out of school.

I always treated college / majors etc as a business as well - I wasn't going for an 'education' - I was investing time and $ for a payoff after that was very well calculated.

Once a more 'lucrative' opportunity was found that freed me further from a 'job' I technically did not need my degree any longer - but it served me well throughout the years to know that I went through a rigorous course, and did / will help in certain promotions of myself and my products throughout my lifetime.

Looking back - maybe I would of made a few tweaks on what I chose to do in school (focus it closer to programming / computer science etc), but overall I have ZERO regrets I spent several years of my adulthood going through college.

Map out a plan, at least a plan you can embark on today - and you have your entire lifetime in front of you to adjust and alter course.

Good luck on your journey!

Honestly, your story sounds exactly like something I can imagine choosing as my path!
Why would you have liked to focus closer to programming/CS? Did you spend your free time during college already focussing on building a business/learning other skills (finances, sales, etc...)?

Thank you very much for sharing!

 

[fastlane_dad]

Honestly, your story sounds exactly like something I can imagine choosing as my path!
Why would you have liked to focus closer to programming/CS? Did you spend your free time during college already focussing on building a business/learning other skills (finances, sales, etc...)?

Thank you very much for sharing!

I find that programming / CS is more applicable in the 'real world' Vs. tons of theoretical knowledge I got in my engineering degree (that can only be applied in certain environments, mostly working for someone else).

Progamming is also way more adaptable and positioned to make strides in the fastlane world - and you have more opportunities to not only be a 'freelancer', but also have more location independence, whether working for yourself or someone else.

With more and more of the world turning 'online' - it would of been more important then ever to understand various programming languages to be able to make apps, program sites, setup custom backends etc. I'm adaptable enough to learn some of the basics on my own, but feel that I would of gotten more use and knowledge out of going through a rigorous course in such.

I did not spend much time during my college years working on any fastlane, as I was preoccupied with course work, working part time to make ends meet and have somewhat of a social life.

I got WAY more serious about venturing out, learning and trying/executing on some ideas close to IMMEDIATELY getting out of college (as 40 years of cubicle life / promotions / climbing the ranks / depending on someone for a paycheck did not appeal to me AT ALL).

Hope that helps!!

 

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[Deleted106527]

I find that programming / CS is more applicable in the 'real world' Vs. tons of theoretical knowledge I got in my engineering degree (that can only be applied in certain environments, mostly working for someone else).

Progamming is also way more adaptable and positioned to make strides in the fastlane world - and you have more opportunities to not only be a 'freelancer', but also have more location independence, whether working for yourself or someone else.

With more and more of the world turning 'online' - it would of been more important then ever to understand various programming languages to be able to make apps, program sites, setup custom backends etc. I'm adaptable enough to learn some of the basics on my own, but feel that I would of gotten more use and knowledge out of going through a rigorous course in such.

I did not spend much time during my college years working on any fastlane, as I was preoccupied with course work, working part time to make ends meet and have somewhat of a social life.

I got WAY more serious about venturing out, learning and trying/executing on some ideas close to IMMEDIATELY getting out of college (as 40 years of cubicle life / promotions / climbing the ranks / depending on someone for a paycheck did not appeal to me AT ALL).

Hope that helps!!

That definitely makes sense, especially since things like web 3.0 are spreading so quickly nowadays that even my parents have now heard of it.

I guess my primary concerns with a CS related degree were:

1. It would be too hard, so it might rob me of my "fastlane"-drive/motivation (But I honestly think that's probably just me being a lazy bum/finding excuses to stay lazy)

2. I should instead focus on a finance/business-degree to get the "business-basics" because If I wouldn't, there'd be a huge "hole" in my knowledge (but then again you can probably pick those up on the way easier than deep CS-related knowledge)

How hard was it for you to pick up that business-related knowledge? (Stuff like sales, basic business accounting, etc...)

I'm gonna start searching for good uni-courses in my area, maybe it's not too late to enroll in the next semester. The change of scenery will probably help me get into a different, more productive mindset too.

Thank you