I Can't Make Money Doing What I Want, So I Better Go Get My Masters

[Sean Marshall]

I'm not quite sure if this is the appropriate place to vent this but it seems there's an epidemic of "going back to school" syndrome.

I'm 37 years old. I'm a college drop out. I don't have any credentials that most of society holds precious.

Yet, I work only 10 hours a week, make good money with my own business, and spent 3 years living in the Caribbean and Europe... together with my family. In other words, I wouldn't change my life for anything, regardless of what society says.

That outlook is totally confirmed when I have MBA's talking to me on the beaches of Playa del Carmen saying, "I sure wish I could do what you're doing!". Yeah, you can bro. You're just too conditioned not to.

Coming back to the states though, I've seen a LOT of my peers who just aren't making the money they want to be making at their jobs so they think they need to go back to school.

Before I continue, I think college is a very necessary for some key professions. Not all. Just some. Also, I believe that education is VITAL for ALL professions. It just may not come in the form of a university. Education yes. University, maybe... if it's a must for your career of choice (MD, bioengineer, etc).

The challenge I see lately is the 30-something who's not quite making it in life and decides to go back to school. He or she says to the world, "I'm going back to school to get my MBA or PhD and THEN I'll be happy and make the money I want".

And just under the surface, where they don't want to admit it, they know they don't have to worry about making money for a while. They're totally off the hook.

Why? Because you can say to anyone, "I'm going back to school!" and people commend you for it. "Oh good for you!" they say. I know. I've witnessed it.

It doesn't matter that you're 37 and have a degree in communications. It doesn't matter that you're about to live off of college loans that will take forever to pay back. It doesn't matter that you're basically avoiding the whole concept of making money and providing for your family.

Again, just to be clear, I'm not ranting about the people who genuinely have had a renewed focus and are going back to school to become something better and need the degree to do it.

I'm talking about the people who are simply avoiding life (and making money for their family) by going back to school. Instead of slapping them upside the head and saying, "Take care of your family!" society says, "Good for you!".

Sigh.

THE SOLUTION

I'm not just complaining without a solution. If anyone here happens to fall in this category (and if you're not totally pissed off by now) then here's what to do:

Identify your core motivation. Be honest with yourself. If you're just trying to avoid making money and being a grown-up, then you gotta check that attitude fast. By going back to school, it's only delaying the inevitable. And you'll pile up a bunch of debt along the way.

If you really want to take care of your family (happy family = happy life) then figure out how to make money. Get the skills that you need to make a difference in the market place. Get real, practical, hands-on education from somebody already doing what you want to do.

Then, get really good at it and create a scalable business around it. It takes time sure. You may have to do it in your spare time. But it will be faster than another 3-10 years at school and you'll be making money as you learn.

There has never been a better time to learn and then do. In fact, in this forum alone are enough business blueprints for anyone to make money! There's gold in this forum if people will just take the time to study what others are saying and the get busy applying.

 

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[ilrein]

I've heard this so many times as well. And then I laugh.

I try to share the merits of building a business instead of school, and I'm met with responses of (I have obligations, I have no time, I have no money).

Yet none of those will stop you from becoming a dropout, AGAIN.

You can lead a horse to water...

 

[EN_VY]

 

[RHL]

 

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[Alxander]

People have to break their pre-existing thoughts about how to make money.
I'm currently still in school 1 time per week but work 4 times per week, I'm only 18 years old.
When I get my college degree I'm going to work and make apps on the side.
When there goes something good with my app, I'm going to work less and do more independently.

They have to understand that you can do multiple things at the same time.

Not to learn for 4 years and then work for 40 years. But learning AND working for 44+ years.

 

[Merlox]

People have to break their pre-existing thoughts about how to make money.
I'm currently still in school 1 time per week but work 4 times per week, I'm only 18 years old.
When I get my college degree I'm going to work and make apps on the side.
When there goes something good with my app, I'm going to work less and do more independently.

They have to understand that you can do multiple things at the same time.

Not to learn for 4 years and then work for 40 years. But learning AND working for 44+ years.

Dude that´s what I thought for a long time but the reality for me was to boss up and going to work to the worst place possible and to make money. With money you gain YEARS of advantage to create your business.
Sure you can do a lot of thing at the same time but I vote to make money meanwhile. Then you will have the resources to speed up your development because the beggining are always slow.

 

[Knugs]

Just as a comparison;
My brother; bsc,msc,phd, academic post doc, now some associate, probably prof in 5yrs. The skill and talent he got is unreal and the uni is milking him. Pharma companys coming up with a biotech problem which they pay 40k£ just for him to sort out in a working week.
His wife studied drama when young and obviously got not job so now she is studying nursing at 32. Both of them slowlane mentality.

There is nothing wrong with trying to become an expert in a field through education. It might even be a good idea depending on the subject and skills learned (you also see Business opportunities and can make good networking in the industry). The problem I have is how people with highly demanded skills let themselves get taken advantage off instead of getting their real moneys worth.

 

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[Captain Jack]

A degree can work, but it needs to make sense. You need to have a plan.

I had my masters degree by the time I was 25. I'm 28 now with no debt and a 6 figure job. More importantly, I'm using my slowlane job (which has multiple facets to it and a high barrier of entry) to launch my fastlane business.

This was intentional and based off of a very detailed plan that I came up with when I was about 20.

Going to school without a solid plan will lead to failure. Hell, doing anything without a solid plan (and, of course, the flexibility to change course if necessary) is a bad idea.

 

[Late Start]

I was strongly considering going back to school online before I realized that the sense of fulfillment I was lacking wasn't going to be provided by further IT certifications and better IT jobs.

 

[Marto]

Back to School ,one of my favourite movies back in the 80's Rodney Dangerfield self made millionaire going back to school and teaching his class mates more then they could ever learn from text books funny how the best comedy often comes from true life irony's
There are the obvious professions that need the years and years of study and the world need those people too they are usually fairly well rewarded but are time poor so their lifestyle freedom suffers .
There are also the perpetual students that spend most of their lives studying but the doers are definitely my kind of people

 

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[Sean Marshall]

YES!!!!

 

[Sean Marshall]

The problem I have is how people with highly demanded skills let themselves get taken advantage off instead of getting their real moneys worth.

You said it - people with skills that are in high demand. That's the whole point. If you need school/degree to get there, fine. But it's all about expertise and being good at something. I make more money than my brother who has a Masters because he works for a hospital and has hit his ceiling of how much he can make there. All I have to do to make more is sell more. Period. I can give myself a raise whenever I wish. Not trying to sound arrogant, just stating that the world pays for skills. It pays for expertise. If you can prove that, then it doesn't matter if you have a degree or not.

 

[Sean Marshall]

A degree can work, but it needs to make sense. You need to have a plan.

I had my masters degree by the time I was 25. I'm 28 now with no debt and a 6 figure job. More importantly, I'm using my slowlane job (which has multiple facets to it and a high barrier of entry) to launch my fastlane business.

This was intentional and based off of a very detailed plan that I came up with when I was about 20.

Going to school without a solid plan will lead to failure. Hell, doing anything without a solid plan (and, of course, the flexibility to change course if necessary) is a bad idea.

Brilliant! You actually are using the system instead of it using you. And props to have figured it out when you were so young instead of waiting until to your mid-30's! Or later!

 

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