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Matthew: The 18-Year Old Canadian

Matthew Duff

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Hello.

My name is Matthew Duff, and I’m from Canada. I am currently living in Invermere, British Columbia.

If you’d like more detail, I was in Peterborough, Ontario, when I was first introduced to the world. This important life event occurred 18 years, 10 months, and 29 days ago. And although I’ve been on the planet for nearly 19 years, I feel as though I'm only truly entering the world now.

I’m on this forum because I see many motivated individuals who are keen to help each other, through advice and opinions. I’ve got many goals in my life, and I believe that the inspiration which can be found here will be an integral - or at the very least, enlightening - part of my journey to achieving my dreams.

I’ll admit, I was never in a place to work towards my goals.

I was heading straight for the slowlane, and I accepted that fact. Truthfully, it actually comforted me, knowing that I could sit back and let life happen to me. I surrendered control of my life.

When my family members or friends talked to me, a common question I received was this: “What are your plans for the future?” My mouth, at this point, answered the curiosity on autopilot, spewing the same words as the last 100 times I was asked. I always gave the same calculated response, saying, “Once I graduate high-school, I’ll be taking a year off to work and make money before heading to Waterloo to study Computer Science. Once I’ve completed that, I plan on becoming a programmer, and working my way up from there.”

You probably just cringed.

As I said, I was heading straight for the slowlane.

But I never truly meant what I said. There was a seed of hope in me, and it was always waiting for someone to respond by telling me I was living the wrong life. Of course, in reality, the life I had set ahead of myself was the "perfect" career move. I was on my way to a good future. So they never said what I wanted to hear.

Long story short, after a few years I finally stopped waiting for someone to tell me how to live my life and work to achieve my goals. My goal was not to become a programmer in any company. My goal was not to spend $100,000 and 4 full years on knowledge that could be obtained through self-education. The only thing I would be missing out on is the certificate to validate my knowledge (Which isn’t even necessary if I don’t want to work for someone else). I'd rather let the things I produce attest to my knowledge and abilities.

So, here I am. An 18 year-old programmer who is aiming for the fast lane.

I’ve read The Millionaire Fastlane .

I’ve got my goals laid out ahead of me.

I know it’s going to be a hard ride, but I’m ready for it.

I’m taking the first step, and there will be many more steps to come. But no matter what may come in my way, I've decided that there's no life to live if I'm not working for my dreams. I'm fully willing to live on the streets if it comes down to it. At least I will be happy, knowing that I'm working towards something that is meaningful to me.

Thank you to everyone on the forum who allowed me to introduce myself, and I look forward to meeting you.

I also believe a direct thank you needs to be given to MJ DeMarco for setting up such an incredible opportunity to communicate and learn from individuals who share a similar mindset to my own. This will be an incredible learning experience.

Here's to the future, and all of you succeeding in making your dreams come true.

And here's to my future, and whatever I may bring to it, because I'm done waiting for others to provide my success.
 
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HiMyNameIsTom

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Yeah, what I'd say the big downsides of doing software development for someone else, is you're consistently learning the skills that will make you do what they want you to do. I've recently realized that I can learn X and Y and Z technology...but, if I'm doing it "to get a job" then I'm so bogged down in the tools that I never get to set any direction at all. Now that I'm instead looking at industries and coming up with ideas on that side, when I need to do something I can decide "Ah lemme figure out how to use a Raspberry Pi, or this web framework" to solve a problem *I* want to solve.

Of course, there is a positive side to CS education, in "learning to think like a software engineer" -- the downside is that you don't understand why you're learning about it (like if I took a course in operating systems, now, and one in networking, at age 32, it would be 100x more effectual then back when I was 19-20) at the time.
 
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oen

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Welcome to the forum Matthew!

I'm more of a lurker type, but I just had to say I was born in the same city as you just a few months later. And I can relate to what you said about responding to the "What are you doing after high school?" question.

What are you working towards now? Are you going to Waterloo?
 

Invictus

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I like you.



I'm a fellow newbie here on the forum. Good to meet ya!
 

Matthew Duff

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Yeah, what I'd say the big downsides of doing software development for someone else, is you're consistently learning the skills that will make you do what they want you to do. I've recently realized that I can learn X and Y and Z technology...but, if I'm doing it "to get a job" then I'm so bogged down in the tools that I never get to set any direction at all. Now that I'm instead looking at industries and coming up with ideas on that side, when I need to do something I can decide "Ah lemme figure out how to use a Raspberry Pi, or this web framework" to solve a problem *I* want to solve.

Of course, there is a positive side to CS education, in "learning to think like a software engineer" -- the downside is that you don't understand why you're learning about it (like if I took a course in operating systems, now, and one in networking, at age 32, it would be 100x more effectual then back when I was 19-20) at the time.
Hello Tom! It's nice to meet you, and thank you for sharing your experience in software development!

I've been teaching myself programming since Grade 7, and thankfully I've never been in a situation where my learning was limited by someone else! I always had control over what I was developing. This fact alone is a good reason as to why I should not pursue a career in software development. It is a great occupation, but if I made it my job, I would find myself getting tired of it.

For now, programming is simply a skill I have, and a hobby. I'm sure it will prove to be very useful in the future!

Now obviously, I have not mastered the art of programming. There is so much more I would need to learn. But I have developed a "programmer's mind". I've not only learned to code, but have also acquired and improved my skills such as problem-solving, planning, and time-management.

Yes, I completely agree with you that an education in computer science is extremely useful. In my situation however, I would not continue to pursue a formal education to further develop my abilities. As for others, they may do as they wish!

Again, thank you Tom for sharing!
 
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Matthew Duff

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Welcome to the forum Matthew!

I'm more of a lurker type, but I just had to say I was born in the same city as you just a few months later. And I can relate to what you said about responding to the "What are you doing after high school?" question.

What are you working towards now? Are you going to Waterloo?
Thank you!

It's great to hear that you were born in The Electric City! Did your family live there for a time?

I'm also glad that you can relate. Being the same age, we're probably in a very similar situation, in terms of having to make life decisions for the future. I noticed you didn't have your own introductory post (which further proves your comment about lurking), so may I ask what path you have decided to take in the near future? If you are only here to read of other's experiences, that's quite alright. I'm just curious!

As for your question, I am not going to Waterloo.
During the first phase of my "plan", while I was beginning to take my year off, I started to look for work. Peterborough, as you may or may not know, has been a city with the highest unemployment rates multiple times over the years. Surprisingly enough, this has flipped around entirely this year, but during the summer after high-school I experienced no luck at getting a job. I applied to nearly every open position, and did not hear back from a single one. After three months, I was getting very frustrated.

While going through my daily morning routine of checking for new jobs, I found a very odd post on Kijiji. It had a click-bait title, with an icon that looked like a stock photo of a Canadian smiling. Honestly, I was about to skip it, but I was desperate for work.

So I clicked on the post, reading something along the lines of, "A ONCE IN A LIFETIME CANADIAN JOB OPPORTUNITY".

Because of that one decision, I'm now across the country living in a small town, and working at a resort.
I asked for the night-shift position, and they willingly gave it to me. Anyone who looks at my life sees me forfeiting my days to work, but I see it as giving myself more time to focus.

During the nights, there's no one to bother me. I get to manage my own time, as there are no supervisors. And, I also get paid extra for doing the same amount of work. The only negative aspect to it is that I'm still trading time for money.

My current goal is to use my extra time at night to begin developing a business plan, or as I call it, a plan of action. I am also spending time investing in myself. Just in the past week, I've read several books, from Moby Dick to The Millionaire Fastlane . I've been practicing mathematics so I don't get rusty, and I have been learning Russian.

I also purchased a course on web development, which was the cost of ordering a pizza, but has days worth of content to learn. I know I could have learned through other free resources online, but I was willing to put faith into the course and assume that it would save me more time to have it all collected and organized in one place.

Once I've decided which plan I would like to proceed with, I will be working hard to make it become successful.

And as long as no pianos fall on my head, I have no excuse to not succeed.
 

Matthew Duff

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I like you.



I'm a fellow newbie here on the forum. Good to meet ya!
Thank you! I wasn't sure whether or not I liked you as well so I read your thread which introduced you. It's fair to say that the opinion is mutual. I'm also very curious about the black-out story, but I'm also not so sure I should hear it. It sounds, interesting to say the least.

Either way, it's very good to meet you as well!
 

Invictus

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Thank you! I wasn't sure whether or not I liked you as well so I read your thread which introduced you. It's fair to say that the opinion is mutual. I'm also very curious about the black-out story, but I'm also not so sure I should hear it. It sounds, interesting to say the least.

Either way, it's very good to meet you as well!

Glad to hear that you feel the same!

Perhaps a bit off-topic, but I admire your writing. It flows exceptionally well.

The blackout story may be better told via PMs. I'm sure the forum doesn't want to hear about my college freshman shenanigans or the damage I did to my knee, haha.
 
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Matthew Duff

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@Invictus

Thank you very much! However off-topic it may be, it means a lot to me, and I really appreciate the compliment!

Also, that's very true. A personal blog would be better suited to hold and display that information. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to share your story! I too have a few, including one about an injured knee, so in that respect we are the same.
 

Alxander

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Same as you I'm an 18 year old programmer. Even though I'm not even that good at programming; I'm aiming much bigger than that. I currently working and and going to college 1 day per week. I prefer it than just only go to college, but same as you, I don't see a reason to get a degree if I don't even need it.

If you are interested, you could work with me on an idea that may become a start-up. I still need an iOS developer.
Or if you need any help for your stuff, just PM me :)

I wish you good luck on your path!
 

W4RHRSE

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That is one heck of an intro @Matthew Duff ! Great job!

Every one of us has been primed for the Slowlane. But you definalty have a plan and a way (in this fourm) to break out of the gravity of the Slowlane and accel to your dreams and desires!

Great to meet you! Hope to see more of you around!
 
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Matthew Duff

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Same as you I'm an 18 year old programmer. Even though I'm not even that good at programming; I'm aiming much bigger than that. I currently working and and going to college 1 day per week. I prefer it than just only go to college, but same as you, I don't see a reason to get a degree if I don't even need it.

If you are interested, you could work with me on an idea that may become a start-up. I still need an iOS developer.
Or if you need any help for your stuff, just PM me :)

I wish you good luck on your path!
Hello Alxander, it's a pleasure to meet you! It's also very interesting to see the large number of people on this forum who have some form of programming experience.

I'm not so sure that I will be available to help you with your project, as I have no experience in Apple Application development. I've only just begun to learn the Android side of development myself.

I will certainly let you know if I'm able to assist with anything, or if I require assistance of my own. Thank you!

I wish you the best as well, and perhaps we will find our paths crossing in the future!
 

Matthew Duff

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That is one heck of an intro @Matthew Duff ! Great job!

Every one of us has been primed for the Slowlane. But you definalty have a plan and a way (in this fourm) to break out of the gravity of the Slowlane and accel to your dreams and desires!

Great to meet you! Hope to see more of you around!
Hi W4RHRSE,

You're supposed to tell me I'm not going to make it! How else can I prove everyone wrong?
If I'm serious though, it is just as motivating to hear someone say what you have just said to me, so thank you.
 

W4RHRSE

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Hi W4RHRSE,

You're supposed to tell me I'm not going to make it! How else can I prove everyone wrong?
If I'm serious though, it is just as motivating to hear someone say what you have just said to me, so thank you.
I use to try and build business mad. Trying to prove all the people wrong who said I couldn't, but something strange recently happened...

Everyone in my life (except the old stand byes) are positive... I literally didn't know what to do... There was no fuel to my desire. I was a ship at full sail with no wind. It was weird. I had to learn how to build my business happy instead of mad.

I dont know if this helps, but it may be a lesson not to just settle into building mad. Actually, I just build to see how much better I become (as a person, a father, lover, etc.). The war with ignorant SlowLaners is over for me.... I am just going to succeeds.

My best to you! Build it however you must, but be ready to alter for the betterment of you and your business.
 
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Georgy

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Welcome to the forum! I'm new as well but pretty cool to see so many Canadians on this site. Now that no Canadian teams are in the NHL playoffs, that means more time on this forum LOL. You can learn so much here and I'm still trying to get through this thread: https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/the-astonishing-secrets-thread.50097 . Great read so far and if this is only one thread in this forum, can't imagine what else I'll find here. I'm still going through MJ's book, but once I finish I plan on getting a INSIDERS subscription. Enjoy your stay buddy!
 

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