Ampatch
New Contributor
Hey Everyone,
I’m structuring this post so that I can both introduce myself and hopefully provide some value to someone who may have faced problems similar to mine.
Life Before TMF
I enrolled in college for Mechanical Engineering with no direction other than wanting to be an inventor from a young age. I was always told I was smart, and because of it I never developed proper discipline and work ethic. I eventually graduated college with a decent GPA, but didn’t take advantage of the opportunities to discover something I enjoyed.
I fell into the path of least resistance, taking jobs because they would hire me, rather than work hard and develop a skill in something I enjoyed. As defined by Napoleon Hill, I was a drifter.
I decided to stop numbing my discontent in video games and TV, which I was deeply addicted to. This put me on the path of self-improvement, looking for alternative means of income, and dreaming of a better life.
I tried and failed at being a day-trader in my year leading up to graduation. Even though I ran out of money and stopped three feet from gold, I learned the mechanics of the financial system, and had my first experience being completely obsessed with something.
I took an engineering job after graduation with optimism, and even enjoyed it for a while. It wasn’t long before I realized that senior engineers I was supposed to look up to were not as wealthy (family, fitness, freedom) as I assumed. I was starting to have doubts again.
The Red Pill
I was recommended the Millionaire Fastlane by John Sonmez of Simple programmer. I don’t need to tell you all what that was like, but it was nothing short of the red pill from the matrix. Not only did it confirm my suspicions, but it gave me a blueprint for how I could take my life into my own hands. I was empowered.
A New Direction
I was fully bought into entrepreneurship, but like many of you I was frozen in indecision. I knew I just had to find a need, but I was conveniently short of ideas. I’ve read TMF twice, and Unscripted 4-5 times over. I understood the concepts, but I couldn’t shake the “play it safe” mentality I had been raised on.
I left my job, my relationship, and moved, which left me a lot of time alone to think. I was terrified of committing to a path and wasting time if I failed, until I realized I was already wasting time doing nothing. The pain of inaction became stronger than the fear of failure, so I made a decision.
I thought about what I had enjoyed in the past, and decided that my Fastlane would be to build and sell software. I settled on Android development, because it was something I could teach myself, build myself, and quickly get experience interacting with customers. Having little experience coding , I taught myself Java by working through an intro book. I learned just enough until I felt comfortable diving into Android. Then I bought a beginner android book and set a schedule to finish the 650 pages in three months.
I blocked off time every evening and weekend to learn as quickly as possible, and hit my goal on the exact day I planned to finish. Learning to code was not easy, so this was a huge confidence boost.
You may think, as I did, that all this time could be considered “confusing preparation for busywork” (The Hunger Games for business). I see it as building a highly valuable skill that I will need for any type of software product or service I want create. I also now love to code.
Where I am now
I finished the book two months ago. My day job is unrelated to coding, so I’m currently building up my CV to start applying for a company that builds apps for clients. This will allow me to accelerate my development skills and learn the industry.
My Two Cents
I’m just starting my journey, but I can still share some things I have found valuable.
1. I’ve been building an app to learn but it’s not solving any substantial need. I would like to work with real people and their problems. I have been suggested to reach out to nearby professors for work. At what point do you feel ready to take on real clients?
2. I have no experience selling or marketing. I have a technical mind. Does anyone have any resources that could help me develop these skills and mindset?
3. Any other suggestions from people who have followed a similar path?
Thanks for reading, I hope you got something out of this.
-Aaron
I’m structuring this post so that I can both introduce myself and hopefully provide some value to someone who may have faced problems similar to mine.
Life Before TMF
I enrolled in college for Mechanical Engineering with no direction other than wanting to be an inventor from a young age. I was always told I was smart, and because of it I never developed proper discipline and work ethic. I eventually graduated college with a decent GPA, but didn’t take advantage of the opportunities to discover something I enjoyed.
I fell into the path of least resistance, taking jobs because they would hire me, rather than work hard and develop a skill in something I enjoyed. As defined by Napoleon Hill, I was a drifter.
I decided to stop numbing my discontent in video games and TV, which I was deeply addicted to. This put me on the path of self-improvement, looking for alternative means of income, and dreaming of a better life.
I tried and failed at being a day-trader in my year leading up to graduation. Even though I ran out of money and stopped three feet from gold, I learned the mechanics of the financial system, and had my first experience being completely obsessed with something.
I took an engineering job after graduation with optimism, and even enjoyed it for a while. It wasn’t long before I realized that senior engineers I was supposed to look up to were not as wealthy (family, fitness, freedom) as I assumed. I was starting to have doubts again.
The Red Pill
I was recommended the Millionaire Fastlane by John Sonmez of Simple programmer. I don’t need to tell you all what that was like, but it was nothing short of the red pill from the matrix. Not only did it confirm my suspicions, but it gave me a blueprint for how I could take my life into my own hands. I was empowered.
A New Direction
I was fully bought into entrepreneurship, but like many of you I was frozen in indecision. I knew I just had to find a need, but I was conveniently short of ideas. I’ve read TMF twice, and Unscripted 4-5 times over. I understood the concepts, but I couldn’t shake the “play it safe” mentality I had been raised on.
I left my job, my relationship, and moved, which left me a lot of time alone to think. I was terrified of committing to a path and wasting time if I failed, until I realized I was already wasting time doing nothing. The pain of inaction became stronger than the fear of failure, so I made a decision.
I thought about what I had enjoyed in the past, and decided that my Fastlane would be to build and sell software. I settled on Android development, because it was something I could teach myself, build myself, and quickly get experience interacting with customers. Having little experience coding , I taught myself Java by working through an intro book. I learned just enough until I felt comfortable diving into Android. Then I bought a beginner android book and set a schedule to finish the 650 pages in three months.
I blocked off time every evening and weekend to learn as quickly as possible, and hit my goal on the exact day I planned to finish. Learning to code was not easy, so this was a huge confidence boost.
You may think, as I did, that all this time could be considered “confusing preparation for busywork” (The Hunger Games for business). I see it as building a highly valuable skill that I will need for any type of software product or service I want create. I also now love to code.
Where I am now
I finished the book two months ago. My day job is unrelated to coding, so I’m currently building up my CV to start applying for a company that builds apps for clients. This will allow me to accelerate my development skills and learn the industry.
My Two Cents
I’m just starting my journey, but I can still share some things I have found valuable.
- Commit to something valuable and then get good at it. I speak to so many smart people who bounce from interest to interest, never finishing anything.
- Don’t read books, study them. If MJ spent three years writing a book that could change your life, would you just read it once? Book aren’t achievements, more isn’t always better.
- Do less. If you’re like most people, you have "no time" and get distracted easily. Cut out activities from your life that are not contributing to your goals
- Block off time and defend it aggressively.
- Failing to plan is planning to fail. Load yourself up on things you need to do so that you stay focused during your blocked off time. And set deadlines.
1. I’ve been building an app to learn but it’s not solving any substantial need. I would like to work with real people and their problems. I have been suggested to reach out to nearby professors for work. At what point do you feel ready to take on real clients?
2. I have no experience selling or marketing. I have a technical mind. Does anyone have any resources that could help me develop these skills and mindset?
3. Any other suggestions from people who have followed a similar path?
Thanks for reading, I hope you got something out of this.
-Aaron
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