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fish417913

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Aug 10, 2019
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I'm very happy to have found this community. I just finished reading The Millionaire Fastlane and the natural progression from that is to join the community here.
I've been seeking a way to the fastlane for a long time. I served 10 years in the USAF and got out about 16 months ago. I've pretty much done everything in life a$$ backwards. Went to college, got a useless degree (BA in Political Science), got my a$$ handed to me by life. Joined the military and excelled there, but I was older (enlisted at 25), enlisted with a degree, and eventually struggled to make ends meet. My wife an I were blessed with twins 8 years ago, and let me tell you, raising them on an E-4/E-5/and even E-6 salary, as the only income source was brutal.

Anyway, I went to grad school my last 5 years in uniform and got two master's degrees, which paved the way for me to (I thought) make "big money." Turns out "big money" really isn't any money at all. It's barely even good money, especially when I've made practically every financial mistake you can think of as an adult. I've been working as a defense contractor/data scientist for my old command here in North Carolina since I got out. Once I realized that I was a literal slave to the fat executives who do nothing, while I'm expected to constantly perform and learn more and more technical skills, I decided I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life doing this--trading 168 hours a month for 13 hours of PTO. I'm a wage slave. My company keeps 80% of the revenue I generate on a daily basis just by literally having my butt in a chair at work. All I get is uncertainty about whether or not our contract will be extended or if I'll be looking for another job soon.

I decided being broke and working with people I mostly detested was no way to spend the rest of my working life. I actually heard MJ on the Michael Savage show a couple of years ago, but only decided to get the book last week. I felt like it was addressed specifically to me. Mindblowing truths hit me between the eyes.

I attempted to freelance as a data scientist this year and failed utterly. Since reading the book, I'v decided that my best course of action is to utilize my programming and web dev skills to create digital products that can help make lives better. Not exactly sure what that looks like yet, but I'm on the path now. I'm looking forward to learning from those of you who have traveled this fastlane and mastered the processes behind it.
 
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Monkeycom

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Aug 20, 2019
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The cheapest and easiest way to start an online venture is to start a B2B agency. I'd recommend you to look at this way, monetising your already acquired skills. Work for free to build your portfolio.
 

fish417913

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
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Aug 10, 2019
18
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The cheapest and easiest way to start an online venture is to start a B2B agency. I'd recommend you to look at this way, monetising your already acquired skills. Work for free to build your portfolio.
My apologies for the delayed response--I've been away from social media and forums recently in preparation for a new role I'm transitioning into this month.

That being said: First, thank you for taking the time to respond to my post. Second, I think you're absolutely right. 9 months ago, I would've scoffed at the thought of B2B free work, but my skillset is a dichotomy: data science/machine learning/web development is a VERY broad aperture, but for the average person, this is considered a niche. For example, how the hell do these skills translate into value for anyone, particularly a business owner?

I think perhaps this is where the free work gets me into the door and allows me to demonstrate the value I can deliver. Communicating that effectively is a key challenge.

I'm about 2/3 finished with reading UNSCRIPTED and it has opened my eyes to my very myopic thinking on this subject previously.

More to follow from me in the future.

Have a great weekend!
 

astr0

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Dec 3, 2017
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data science/machine learning/web development is a VERY broad aperture, but for the average person, this is considered a niche. For example, how the hell do these skills translate into value for anyone, particularly a business owner?
Those are great skills!
You can provide value by analyzing someone's data with machine learning and suggest them a way to improve their business. For example, my wife recently used the same skills to help friends mobile game company to produce more relevant games. They noticed that they make more money on themed games, especially on Christmas. She manged to analyze download data from their publisher and spot more seasonal/holiday trends to stand out from the competition.

You can definitely do something similar for other businesses. Sometimes there's more data than a human can handle, so data analysis can be very helpful.

Welcome and good luck!
 
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fish417913

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
211%
Aug 10, 2019
18
38
Those are great skills!
You can provide value by analyzing someone's data with machine learning and suggest them a way to improve their business. For example, my wife recently used the same skills to help friends mobile game company to produce more relevant games. They noticed that they make more money on themed games, especially on Christmas. She manged to analyze download data from their publisher and spot more seasonal/holiday trends to stand out from the competition.

You can definitely do something similar for other businesses. Sometimes there's more data than a human can handle, so data analysis can be very helpful.

Welcome and good luck!


That's awesome that your wife was able to do that! I'm looking to implement similar value propositions either (initially) here locally or online to the masses. I've done the Upwork thing before, and to be frank, I got screwed by some very greedy clients.

Nevertheless, like MJ says, I need to listen to the market and find an opportunity to deliver value.

Thanks again!
 

MoneyHacker

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Dec 5, 2018
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Somewhere in Asia
You went from political science to military to 2 master's degress and then to programming, that's definitely a thing. Just keep reading the forum, there are many helpful threads here. You could read the thread about Upwork or about business ideas to get inspiration. Good luck to you on your journey. Keep updating so everyone could hear from you :D
 

fish417913

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
211%
Aug 10, 2019
18
38
You went from political science to military to 2 master's degress and then to programming, that's definitely a thing. Just keep reading the forum, there are many helpful threads here. You could read the thread about Upwork or about business ideas to get inspiration. Good luck to you on your journey. Keep updating so everyone could hear from you :D
Will do. Thanks!
 
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