MaximilianLloyd
New Contributor
Hello. My name is Maximilian Øystå Lloyd. And I a few months ago I gained national media coverage here in Norway for dropping out of high school and working as a software developer full time in the fintech space in Oslo. In Norway, high school is socially seen as completely mandatory, even though you are not required to attend by law. I outline most of my reasoning for doing this in the article, but since the majority of people in this forum do not know Norwegian I will provide a summarized version.
In the age of the internet, a huge amount of fields have become available to people that choose to invest the time in educating themselves, and with today's online resources, it can be virtually free. In my case that was software development. I had just started going to high school, I was going just because I hadn't gotten a job offer yet, even though I knew that it was software development I wanted to do. Then when the opportunity came I went into the forest with my dad and burned all of my notebooks and everything I did not need to return. I started working as a trainee for Good Morning, which I did for 7 months, then I started working at my current employer Auka in the fintech field.
Of course, I know that in the long term being an employee is a slowlaners game. But the job is very relaxed, hoodies and beanbags kind of environment, pays well and sharpens my skills. Earning 54k USD a year at 17 (turning 18 soon) while having no expenses what so ever, should not be overlooked, and leaves me with plenty of metal bandwidth to work on my side hustles that will eventually replace my main source of income.
The company I work for is a startup, so I can also learn from all of their mistakes and pitfalls for when I am running my own startup one day. I also have an extremely good relationship with my boss. He sees me as his protégé. He is one of the best men I know. In the Aftenposten article, his quote roughly translates to:
"For us who work with technology and developing new services that the world has not seen before, it is crucial to find people with an entrepreneur like naivety, perseverance and passion. Max shows extreme interest and passion for what he does, he will change the world and create good products".
(me and my boss)
It started with being on the front page of Aftenposten, one of the largest and the most respected newspapers in Norway. This then spawned a larger debate and I was brought on TV two times to talk about this. Below you can find the links:
- Newspaper article
- TV Coverage / debate
The final TV appearance is sadly behind a paywall, but I have a picture. It was on the biggest morning talk show in Norway aptly called "Good Morning Norway".
(that's me to left, yes I am wearing a "stay humble / hustle hard" t-shirt on TV, don't judge me too much
).
I went from being obese, no skills, depressed and borderline suicidal 15-year-old. To a couple of years later being in the best shape I've ever been and surrounded be wonderful, genuine and amazing people. Earning more money than I ever thought I would at my age, having more opportunities than I know what to do with. Consuming knowledge by people who have gone where I want to go, and growing every day. I have already surpassed my expectations. But I have no plan on stopping. I owe MJ DeMarco a great deal. One day I wish to meet the man himself.
Despite the success I have had, there are still decades of lessons to be learned and integrated. The more I learn the more I realize I don't know. Which is humbling. There is a difference between wisdom and intelligence, the former is only something that can come with time and reflection, and is something I have objectively little of due to the short time that I have been alive.
Which is why I am seeking the council of people wiser (and quite frankly, probably more intelligent) than myself by posting to this forum, on how I can best capitalize on this series of events. Should I create a coding boot camp company in Oslo, a market that is objectively open, with aggressively mediocre competitors? Then franchise the brand and course material? If anyone has the background to do it, I would reckon that one of those people would be me. I apologize if this post was long-winded.
To put the question in bold, what would you do if you were in my position to capitalize as much as possible on this?
I am looking forward to hearing any and all input from you guys, love from Oslo, Norway.
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