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Passive Income Ideas For a 18yr Old College Student?

Anything considered a "hustle" and not necessarily a CENTS-based Fastlane

Cruzin

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Good morning, afternoon, and evening to y'all.

After some guidance, I realized that I'm at a point in my life where building marketable skills are critical. In order for me to enter the Fastlane, I first have to utilize the slow lane to construct a strong foundation. For those wondering, I'm a Cybersecurity major. As a first-year, I have basic JAVA and Python proficiency with a background in using Microsoft Products (Excel, Powerpoint, etc.). With the combination of my area of study and full-time status, finding a few hours to myself has proven next to impossible. All-nighters are the norm at this point. There are student jobs on campus that can be scheduled to my liking, but earning $8-10 USD an hour isn't profitable enough with my limited timetable.

I want to put some extra bread in my pockets while I study but do it passively.

Thanks for reading, any and all ideas are welcome, and appreciated!
 
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MJ DeMarco

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After some guidance, I realized that I'm at a point in my life where building marketable skills are critical. In order for me to enter the Fastlane, I first have to utilize the slow lane to construct a strong foundation. For those wondering, I'm a Cybersecurity major. As a first-year, I have basic JAVA and Python proficiency with a background in using Microsoft Products (Excel, Powerpoint, etc.). With the combination of my area of study and full-time status, finding a few hours to myself has proven next to impossible. All-nighters are the norm at this point. There are student jobs on campus that can be scheduled to my liking, but earning $8-10 USD an hour isn't profitable enough with my limited timetable.

Welcome my friend. Absolutely nothing wrong with a low paying job, especially if it builds skills relevant to a Fastlane -- cybersecurity is a great space.

Can you imagine if you worked for 1 year at $10 a hour, but while doing so, you also uncovered an opportunity while learning the skills to fill that opportunity and later built it into a $100 M company? Would you view that piss-ant job as negative?

There is no shame in having a job, even if it merely pays bills and clears up mental space for bigger things.
 

WJK

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Welcome my friend. Absolutely nothing wrong with a low paying job, especially if it builds skills relevant to a Fastlane -- cybersecurity is a great space.

Can you imagine if you worked for 1 year at $10 a hour, but while doing so, you also uncovered an opportunity while learning the skills to fill that opportunity and later built it into a $100 M company? Would you view that piss-ant job as negative?

There is no shame in having a job, even if it merely pays bills and clears up mental space for bigger things.
I agree with MJ. You must walk before you can run. Work. It can be really valuable.

One thing you can do is interview the other students around you. What are they doing on the side to make money? What service or product could they really use?

When I was in law school (I was in my 40s and working 60 hours at my career while carrying 9 grad units) I found several things that really helped with my studies. Commercially produced class outlines -- sets of flashcards that used children's fairy tales to learn the different law concepts -- other flashcards that gave me memory tricks to remember acronyms -- audiotapes of everything which I played all day and night long --
I just passed a national Federal test for a new business license. I used similar techniques to study for it.

How about you start a side business? I just had a Team call yesterday with 4 IT guys who are going to set up the new IT stuff for my new business. Yes, I'm gonna hire them -- providing that they give me a reasonable bid for the services -- because I don't wanna reinvent the wheel. I'd much rather hire someone who can do it all easier and faster. I want them to answer and fix problems when I pick up my phone. Can you find one business person who needs your services? And then another?

I saw a video on this forum that talked about building one step at a time. By the time you get done with school, you could build a very sizable business. How do I know that? When I was in law school, a couple of the other students had expert witness practices going -- mostly in accounting. I pulled my chair up closer and asked how and what they did. I was in real estate and I was a commercial RE appraiser and a RE broker in my career, with over 15 years of experience. By the time I graduated, I had a BIG expert witness practice up and going. When we graduated, other students were telling me about what kind of law they were going to practice. When they ask me what I was going to do, I told them I was going to be a prima ballerina. It was a great inside joke for me. I was already way ahead of them. My practice was already profitable. I did better financially than the attorneys for whom I worked.

What can you do -- where you are and with your current resources? What do you need to add to make yourself successful in your current situation? What do you need to learn while you have those resources at your fingertips?
 

Cruzin

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@MJ DeMarco and @WJK

Thanks for the advice, both of you.

Reading TMF changed my life's perspective on time and how the world really works. If I'm being honest, the truth scared the sh*t outta me once it finally clicked. I started picturing myself as a mechanic building a vehicle from scratch that I'll one day take out on the road (the slow lane and Fastlane). A couple of weeks ago, I was working in a state of ignorant bliss, entirely prepared to make a car capable of only doing the posted speed limit. Just like 99.9% of people in my life had done, and are still doing. Should I consider myself enlightened?

Either way, the one thing I want is to get ahead in any way that I can without wasting a single day. But again, the two of you are right, I have to be meticulous with how I progress. At least for now. Yesterday, I thought the Fastlane was the only lane I could take to achieve my dreams. Today, I learned that the slow lane is a necessary step to creating tons of horsepower. So when I make that lane switch, the crowd won't be able to catch up.

Still, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tempting to floor the throttle with the engine I've got right now, though I wouldn't make it far. I'll try to keep myself under control, because like you both said there's no rush.

Can you point me to that video you were talking bout, WJK, and also a resident expert on impaitence? Thanks again
 
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WJK

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@MJ DeMarco and @WJK

Thanks for the advice, both of you.

Reading TMF changed my life's perspective on time and how the world really works. If I'm being honest, the truth scared the sh*t outta me once it finally clicked. I started picturing myself as a mechanic building a vehicle from scratch that I'll one day take out on the road (the slow lane and Fastlane). A couple of weeks ago, I was working in a state of ignorant bliss, entirely prepared to make a car capable of only doing the posted speed limit. Just like 99.9% of people in my life had done, and are still doing. Should I consider myself enlightened?

Either way, the one thing I want is to get ahead in any way that I can without wasting a single day. But again, the two of you are right, I have to be meticulous with how I progress. At least for now. Yesterday, I thought the Fastlane was the only lane I Surcould take to achieve my dreams. Today, I learned that the slow lane is a necessary step to creating tons of horsepower. So when I make that lane switch, the crowd won't be able to catch up.

Still, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't tempting to floor the throttle with the engine I've got right now, though I wouldn't make it far. I'll try to keep myself under control, because like you both said there's no rush.

Can you point me to that video you were talking bout, WJK, and also a resident expert on impaitence? Thanks again
Sure. It is posted at: GOLD! - INVESTING - Personal Rules to Avoid Losing Your Wealth. The video is posted at View: https://youtu.be/a_8jOkj-9bg The date of that post was March 19, 2021.

I loved this video. It talks about the fact that the faster you build something, it takes the same period of time to tear it down. He advises building slow and solidly rather than throwing a business together like a pile of sticks. I'm big on a "productocity" rather than a flash in the pan. There are tons of side businesses that you can build once you get your core business up and going.

Think of it this way: Starting a business is like pushing a car that is at a standstill. It takes a lot of energy to get that car rolling. Once you get it rolling, it takes a lot less energy to keep pushing it. And that's the real secret -- momentum. That's one of the reasons why having a job and working is SO important. You are "started" down your road -- hopefully giving you that necessary momentum to start new things. It gives you another view of the world and a chance at new ideas.

Here's a little history that may give you some perspective. My grandmother died when I was 11 and she was my main caretaker. From then on, I went to work every afternoon after school and every weekend day. Yes, that was 7 days per week. I made 50 cents per hour at that time. I mucked horse stalls. I mowed lawns and watered the neighbors' flowers. I pulled weeds. I cleaned houses. I ironed shirts (that was before permi-press so every shirt had to be ironed). I babysat. I even talked my little brother into getting a paper route -- they didn't hire girls at that time. So, I ran his paper route and paid my brother a percentage for fronting for me. I did whatever it took to make money and pay for my needs. (My parents supplied me with a roof over my head and my portion of the food I cooked for our family -- usually nothing else.)

How did doing all those chores help me -- besides the 50 cents per hour? I learned how to be an entrepreneur. I learned how to find customers. I learned how to make my customers happy. I learned how to take a little job and use that job to get bigger jobs. I learned how to ask for referrals. I learned how to make a schedule and keep it. I learned how to work within a system and use it to forward my goals. Most of all, I learned the true value of hard work and diligence.

I am honored to still be daily working. There is no job that is too dirty or mean for me to do. I don't hire anyone to do a job that I won't do -- and there's almost none on this planet that fit into the category. I'm the boss, BUT, if a toilet needs to be cleaned for one of my rentals and I'm standing there -- hand me the brush. If trash needs to be picked up -- I carry a bag in my jacket pocket for that expected event -- someone is always throwing down some type of trash. If I need to make another trip to town to get some vital parts, just call me and tell me what happened and what you need. I'll get in my Jeep and go take care of it. If a tenant is having a screaming-minny-fit, call me. They can yell at me. I'll get them calmed down and the situation solved. Like I said. I'm the boss and the buck stops with me.

And that's why I recommend that you go to work!
 
D

DeletedUser84644

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There are student jobs on campus that can be scheduled to my liking, but earning $8-10 USD an hour isn't profitable enough with my limited timetable.

I want to put some extra bread in my pockets while I study but do it passively.

Thanks for reading, any and all ideas are welcome, and appreciated!
Yes, consider yourself enlightened.

What do you mean by making 8-10 an hour isn't profitable enough? As in it being made on a part-time basis? if so then I can understand where you're coming from with that but here's my advice on that: (1) Making something is better than nothing. Trust me you don't want months to go by without you making a single dime in income all because you were too focused on finding a job that met your exact criteria (which has happened to me). As long as it isn't something that's back-breaking, then just take the job. Yes, I know that fast food jobs and shit can suck a$$, but that doesn't mean that you have to stay working for a fast-food job once you're hired. Do not be afraid of switching jobs within your first days of being hired. Also, you owe no loyalty to a company that pays you shit wages, so if it pays better or gives you a better environment, then by all means, be a sell out and quit your job as soon as you've been offered a better one. So, i.e you have to pick the job that sucks a$$ first before you can pick the job that you want (And plus it can put you in a much better position to negotiate your salary within reason). And also, be sure to note that just because something has the potential to be passive, doesn't mean that the process behind the eventual goal / outcome of achieving passive income, is passive. It's a rather intensively active process in the beginning.

(2) If you want to make passive income in your specific situation, then you will have to create a digital product that is distributed and sold over the internet at scale (Making an app, making a course, etc.) How much income that said digital product can yield you depends on how much the market perceives the value of what it has to offer to them.

(3) You've mentioned that you kind of want to floor the throttle with the engine that you got right now, even if the odds of it taking you anywhere significant seem pretty stacked against you. The only thing you can do pretty much is (2) and / or start an online only company that you work on, on a part-time basis (B/c that's the only kind of thing flexible enough to fit your circumstances at this given time, doing anything offline would be too demanding of your time for it to be feasibly pulled off.).

(4) For you to even do (2) or (3) you need to be doing (1) so that way you can have the bare minimum funds that may be needed in order for you to become a producer for (2) or (3).

(5) Keep your consumption to a minimum. If it does not help you at all with expanding your circle of competence and / or production, then you'd best avoid spending it on whatever superficial thing you intend on spending your money on. You may not have complete control over how much you make, but what you do have complete control over, is how much you spend. Always keep that in mind. What you make is meaningless if you don't put enough value in preserving the amount made to be used for a future Fastlane endeavor potential purpose in your particular situation. What you can do to avoid excessively starving yourself of superficial consumption entirely is spend 20% of whatever you make and save the rest.
 

Cruzin

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@WJK Sorry to hear about your Grandmother, losing close family is always extremely tough.

the faster you build something, it takes the same period of time to tear it down.
I ended up watching that video more than a few times and a couple of other ones with the same guy. I see why you held onto that quote, it's concise but powerful.

For you to even do (2) or (3) you need to be doing (1)
The only thing left is to get off my a*s and get on it right?
If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious about you applied this advice in your own life.
 
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DeletedUser84644

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@WJK Sorry to hear about your Grandmother, losing close family is always extremely tough.


I ended up watching that video more than a few times and a couple of other ones with the same guy. I see why you held onto that quote, it's concise but powerful.


The only thing left is to get off my a*s and get on it right?
If you don't mind me asking, I'm curious about you applied this advice in your own life.
Assuming you have (1) going on, then yeah. Not all of the advice that I gave to you that fits in your particular situation applies to me. We all have our different circumstances and situations. I constantly iterate between my beliefs and thought experiments all the time, so my beliefs and what I can reasonably advice someone to do in their particular situation, can change all the time. It's what people who are capable of critical thinking do.
 

Votorik

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I finished my Business Entrepreneurship degree last year and I'm now doing Bachelors for Cyber Security also.
During my time in college, I've been creating blogs in the evergreen markets like Financial News.

All I do is buy a domain from Godaddy and use Wordpress and create unique content or use content from reddit and give credit to the poster.

Also, if you want more traffic you can buy and old google news domain name which are $1k+ (if you want to your news to be in the news section in google)

I then added some google ads and press release section which some PR companies reached out and I make them pay $XXX amount for $X,XXX amount of press releases a month.

Next projects are in NFTS.
 

Johnny boy

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Start any business in the area of focus that you enjoy, because it will sharpen your skills and teach you practical applications. If you are a techy guy, learn to code an app. If you are a hands on guy, go do some hands on stuff.

The first of anything you do will be trash, but you will learn so much that the next time you do it, it will be much much better.

The businesses I started and gave up on when I was 15-19 paved the way for me to kick a$$ when I turned 21 and put multiple skills to use.
 
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