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PapaGang

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It's Friday, 6:26 am, and I'm at work. I'm not supposed to be. Another employee couldn't make it in to open the store. I volunteered. I thanked her for the opportunity, because it gives me more time to work on my ideas when no one is around.

I drive a 2003 Acura TL. It's got 220,000 miles on it. It's a Yakuza ghetto vehicle. I should be driving something nicer. My credit score is over 800, I have no consumer debt, I could roll into a dealership and drive out with a big fat payment and a shiny new car that will make my neighbors jealous. Instead they look at me disapprovingly, the way they would look at a hillbilly intruding into their nicely manicured suburban neighborhood. It's the worst car in my neighborhood, and occasionally I'm embarrassed.

But, I'm thankful for it. It's 9 degrees out right now. And this car has heat. AND heated seats! I'm thankful this thing gets me to work and back. Not only that, but when I get embarrassed about my ride, I think about the thousands of dollars that go into my high yield savings account every month instead. It makes me smile. Put your money towards things that appreciate in value. I learned that from MJ

I'm thankful for this slowlane job. I'm working for someone else's dream. My father in law died in November. I took 4 days off to support my wife and her family. I didn't have any vacation days left so they docked my pay. Think about that. They punished me for choosing family over a job.

But I'm thankful for that. It was the catalyst that motivated me to write a 26 page case study on how I took this job with several goals in mind, and how I achieved all of those goals in less than three years. To much success. And I shipped that case study to two recruiters, who are actively setting me up with interviews at places that are bigger, who are doing interesting things, with better benefits, and double the pay. More money in my "high yield" account! I'll be able to fund my startup sooner. I learned this from Ramit Sethi & MJ. Stop pennypinching. Start thinking of ways to increase your value to the marketplace.

I'm thankful for this job. It motivated me to wake up at 4 am every day and spend two hours a day on my side project. It's a reminder that I have bigger goals than working for someone else's dream.

Every day I get to build something that will help other people. That will solve a need. That will ease someone's pain. That will give someone's life a little more meaning, maybe some peace. And I don't think one second about the money. The money will come. I learned that from MJ. There is no way I'd be doing this if I hadn't read MFL. Thank God for Amazon's recommended books feature.

I'm in my forties and I basically have no retirement. I've never made more than 60 grand a year. But I'm thankful because I have a modest but great home in a great neighborhood with great schools.

Money was never a priority to me. I sacrificed my career to a certain extent so I could raise my son, instead of having his development outsourced to some corporate day care center. Now he's 16 and he's literally the best kid. Honor roll every semester. In a band. Produces music and videos. Brown belt in karate. Respectful and mature. Plays in the youth symphony orchestra. He's an inspiration. He's got the best peer group. He told me that I said to him once when he was 10 that he was the average of the 5 people he spent the most time with. I must have been listening to Jom Rohn when I said that. But it made me happy to know I have an impact on his life.

So my decision 10 years ago paid off. Sometimes it isn't all about money. It's about doing your duty and putting your resources into something that makes a difference in the world.

I didn't make much money, but I will never regret the time I spent with him. You only get that time once. You can't rewind the clock.

Today I work on solving a problem. Finding the need and working to ease the pain for someone. I will focus on that, and I will make a lot of money soon, there is no doubt. Because I play with a stacked deck. The odds are always in my favor.

And the odds are always in your favor. This is a big game. And all you have to do is play it with a flexible mindset and a desire to make things better for people. If you live in America, the odds are always in your favor. You may lose a few hands, but you end up winning in the long run. You just have to keep playing. You are the damn casino. You have access to the world's knowledge, and a comfortable environment that is supportive to entrepreneurship. If you make more than 30 grand a year, YOU ARE the 1%.

Most of all, you have access to this forum, this wealth of knowledge that MJ and a lot of others here have built over the years. I am a wiser person just through reading these posts.

What a treasure.

Go out and make yours today. I know I will be.

So today, before I start working on my project and making a ruckus, I want to thank everyone here, for just being here. I'm in your corner.
 
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Timmy C

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It's Friday, 6:26 am, and I'm at work. I'm not supposed to be. Another employee couldn't make it in to open the store. I volunteered. I thanked her for the opportunity, because it gives me more time to work on my ideas when no one is around.

I drive a 2003 Acura TL. It's got 220,000 miles on it. It's a Yakuza ghetto vehicle. I should be driving something nicer. My credit score is over 800, I have no consumer debt, I could roll into a dealership and drive out with a big fat payment and a shiny new car that will make my neighbors jealous. Instead they look at me disapprovingly, the way they would look at a hillbilly intruding into their nicely manicured suburban neighborhood. It's the worst car in my neighborhood, and occasionally I'm embarrassed.

But, I'm thankful for it. It's 9 degrees out right now. And this car has heat. AND heated seats! I'm thankful this thing gets me to work and back. Not only that, but when I get embarrassed about my ride, I think about the thousands of dollars that go into my high yield savings account every month instead. It makes me smile. Put your money towards things that appreciate in value. I learned that from MJ

I'm thankful for this slowlane job. I'm working for someone else's dream. My father in law died in November. I took 4 days off to support my wife and her family. I didn't have any vacation days left so they docked my pay. Think about that. They punished me for choosing family over a job.

But I'm thankful for that. It was the catalyst that motivated me to write a 26 page case study on how I took this job with several goals in mind, and how I achieved all of those goals in less than three years. To much success. And I shipped that case study to two recruiters, who are actively setting me up with interviews at places that are bigger, who are doing interesting things, with better benefits, and double the pay. More money in my "high yield" account! I'll be able to fund my startup sooner. I learned this from Ramit Sethi & MJ. Stop pennypinching. Start thinking of ways to increase your value to the marketplace.

I'm thankful for this job. It motivated me to wake up at 4 am every day and spend two hours a day on my side project. It's a reminder that I have bigger goals than working for someone else's dream.

Every day I get to build something that will help other people. That will solve a need. That will ease someone's pain. That will give someone's life a little more meaning, maybe some peace. And I don't think one second about the money. The money will come. I learned that from MJ. There is no way I'd be doing this if I hadn't read MFL. Thank God for Amazon's recommended books feature.

I'm in my forties and I basically have no retirement. I've never made more than 60 grand a year. But I'm thankful because I have a modest but great home in a great neighborhood with great schools.

Money was never a priority to me. I sacrificed my career to a certain extent so I could raise my son, instead of having his development outsourced to some corporate day care center. Now he's 16 and he's literally the best kid. Honor roll every semester. In a band. Produces music and videos. Brown belt in karate. Respectful and mature. Plays in the youth symphony orchestra. He's an inspiration. He's got the best peer group. He told me that I said to him once when he was 10 that he was the average of the 5 people he spent the most time with. I must have been listening to Jom Rohn when I said that. But it made me happy to know I have an impact on his life.

So my decision 10 years ago paid off. Sometimes it isn't all about money. It's about doing your duty and putting your resources into something that makes a difference in the world.

I didn't make much money, but I will never regret the time I spent with him. You only get that time once. You can't rewind the clock.

Today I work on solving a problem. Finding the need and working to ease the pain for someone. I will focus on that, and I will make a lot of money soon, there is no doubt. Because I play with a stacked deck. The odds are always in my favor.

And the odds are always in your favor. This is a big game. And all you have to do is play it with a flexible mindset and a desire to make things better for people. If you live in America, the odds are always in your favor. You may lose a few hands, but you end up winning in the long run. You just have to keep playing. You are the damn casino. You have access to the world's knowledge, and a comfortable environment that is supportive to entrepreneurship. If you make more than 30 grand a year, YOU ARE the 1%.

Most of all, you have access to this forum, this wealth of knowledge that MJ and a lot of others here have built over the years. I am a wiser person just through reading these posts.

What a treasure.

Go out and make yours today. I know I will be.

So today, before I start working on my project and making a ruckus, I want to thank everyone here, for just being here. I'm in your corner.
We are in your corner to
 

James Klymus

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I drive a 2003 Acura TL. It's got 220,000 miles on it. It's a Yakuza ghetto vehicle. I should be driving something nicer. My credit score is over 800, I have no consumer debt, I could roll into a dealership and drive out with a big fat payment and a shiny new car that will make my neighbors jealous. Instead they look at me disapprovingly, the way they would look at a hillbilly intruding into their nicely manicured suburban neighborhood. It's the worst car in my neighborhood, and occasionally I'm embarrassed.

If theres one thing I learned in the past year, it's nobody gives a F*ck what you drive besides you. I traded in my 2015 dodge charger R/T with a big thumping V8, for a 9 year old toyota with a gas sipping 4 cylinder engine and cloth seats. No more car payments, and I don't have a mental breakdown if someone scratches it.

But I'm glad that you raised your boy well, we need more men with integrity in the world. Everybody has to make a sacrifice somewhere, and I respect the fact that you sacrificed your career for your son. It seems to be paying off for you.
 
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PapaGang

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If theres one thing I learned in the past year, it's nobody gives a F*ck what you drive besides you. I traded in my 2015 dodge charger R/T with a big thumping V8, for a 9 year old toyota with a gas sipping 4 cylinder engine and cloth seats. No more car payments, and I don't have a mental breakdown if someone scratches it.

But I'm glad that you raised your boy well, we need more men with integrity in the world. Everybody has to make a sacrifice somewhere, and I respect the fact that you sacrificed your career for your son. It seems to be paying off for you.
Thanks man. The way I see it when you have kids, you either can spend a fair amount of time with them early on, or a TREMENDOUS amount of time later on dealing with problems. Like I said, you only get one shot at getting it right. So far, so good.

I have at least 20 years to make my money, and it's the next to the last goal I have in life, so I have plenty of time, and as long as I work the plan every day, I'll get that goal too. And I love every damn minute of it.
 
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If theres one thing I learned in the past year, it's nobody gives a F*ck what you drive besides you.

I don't know if I read or heard this from someone but there is a lot of truth to this.

In your twenties you worry what others think about you.

In your thirties you don't worry what others think about you.

In your forties you realise others weren't thinking about you at all.

Dan
 

jesseissorude

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I have made a lot of money in jobs in the past. I graduated as an Electrical Engineer, got an M.B.A. worked as a scientist for an aerospace testing complex, left that to work for a tech startup... and left (laid off) that to finally start my own business.

The jobs I had all looked amazing (on paper) so I sacrificed my personal time to keep working harder and harder (no I didn't get paid more for the efforts). It was all a distraction from the goal I've had ever since I was a kid: Own a business.

I shouldn't have done the MBA, I should have worked like crazy on mornings, nights, and weekends on a side-hustle, and I shouldn't have ignored my desires because "well, I get paid a lot and my job title sounds impressive so I guess this is what I ended up doing with my life."

Even if you DO love your job, you are ultimately just a line on a balance sheet. There's never a reason to not hustle for yourself.

In your thirties you don't worry what others think about you.
I'm 37... when does this superpower kick in? :happy:
 
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BizyDad

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Yakuza ghetto vehicle! I almost spit out my coffee. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Great story. Great attitude. I'm sorry to for your loss.

Perfect timing (for me) reading this, as a fellow 40's guy raising kids. Thank you.
 

PapaGang

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Yakuza ghetto vehicle! I almost spit out my coffee. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Great story. Great attitude. I'm sorry to for your loss.

Perfect timing (for me) reading this, as a fellow 40's guy raising kids. Thank you.
Thank you.
As a dad, you know where I'm at.
 

PapaGang

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If theres one thing I learned in the past year, it's nobody gives a F*ck what you drive besides you. I traded in my 2015 dodge charger R/T with a big thumping V8, for a 9 year old toyota with a gas sipping 4 cylinder engine and cloth seats. No more car payments, and I don't have a mental breakdown if someone scratches it.

But I'm glad that you raised your boy well, we need more men with integrity in the world. Everybody has to make a sacrifice somewhere, and I respect the fact that you sacrificed your career for your son. It seems to be paying off for you.
Dude trading in an R/T for a Toyota with cloth seats? That's hardcore right there. I love it.
 
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PapaGang

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I have made a lot of money in jobs in the past. I graduated as an Electrical Engineer, got an M.B.A. worked as a scientist for an aerospace testing complex, left that to work for a tech startup... and left (laid off) that to finally start my own business.

The jobs I had all looked amazing (on paper) so I sacrificed my personal time to keep working harder and harder (no I didn't get paid more for the efforts). It was all a distraction from the goal I've had ever since I was a kid: Own a business.

I shouldn't have done the MBA, I should have worked like crazy on mornings, nights, and weekends on a side-hustle, and I shouldn't have ignored my desires because "well, I get paid a lot and my job title sounds impressive so I guess this is what I ended up doing with my life."

Even if you DO love your job, you are ultimately just a line on a balance sheet. There's never a reason to not hustle for yourself.


I'm 37... when does this superpower kick in? :happy:
It's funny, getting an MBA has been a small goal of mine for about 10 years now. I wish I would have pursued that in college. Grass is always greener, right?

BTW, your experience & knowledge is super impressive, I'm guessing you will be killing it as an entrepreneur.
 

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Yes! Kids are awsome!
I know an entreprneur here around, who only once visited his wife in hospital, when she gave birth to their son. He has a house building business, which is a job more than a business. Dont step in this trap!

I spent countless hours with my sons. Reading books before sleeping. Spending time for just spending with them. Thats one reason for not having had side hussles. But worth it.
They are grown up now and still spend multiple hours with me. I m blessed with that!

Well done! Same corner!
 

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Sounds to me like you're doing a great job already. I love hearing stories about great invloved fathers who actually raise their kids instead of letting the gover ment or daycare centers do it for them.

Also love the car, I just bought a 2003 Acura TL in december had a nice low 60k miles on it. Cheap too, got it for $6000, with heated leather seats and everything!
Others may see a cheap old car, but I see a reliable and cost effective method of transportation with some nice comfort features added in.

I can tell from your posts that you're a value provider and trust the process. Keep that up and you'll make it
 
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PapaGang

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Yes! Kids are awsome!
I know an entreprneur here around, who only once visited his wife in hospital, when she gave birth to their son. He has a house building business, which is a job more than a business. Dont step in this trap!

I spent countless hours with my sons. Reading books before sleeping. Spending time for just spending with them. Thats one reason for not having had side hussles. But worth it.
They are grown up now and still spend multiple hours with me. I m blessed with that!

Well done! Same corner!
That's great to hear. I hope my kid hangs out with me after school, but you never know. Glad yours do.
We all have choices right?
 

PapaGang

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Sounds to me like you're doing a great job already. I love hearing stories about great invloved fathers who actually raise their kids instead of letting the gover ment or daycare centers do it for them.

Also love the car, I just bought a 2003 Acura TL in december had a nice low 60k miles on it. Cheap too, got it for $6000, with heated leather seats and everything!
Others may see a cheap old car, but I see a reliable and cost effective method of transportation with some nice comfort features added in.

I can tell from your posts that you're a value provider and trust the process. Keep that up and you'll make it
Thank you.

The TL is a nice ride dude!
You got a nice deal, they will make it to 200k pretty easily with maintenance.

And the build quality is great, much better than domestics of the same year.
 

PapaGang

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Yakuza ghetto vehicle! I almost spit out my coffee. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Great story. Great attitude. I'm sorry to for your loss.

Perfect timing (for me) reading this, as a fellow 40's guy raising kids. Thank you.
Dude, I think the 40s are great. You still have 10-20 years to hit your goals. A LOT can happen in that time with the right attitude, skills and commitment.
 
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Dude, I think the 40s are great. You still have 10-20 years to hit your goals. A LOT can happen in that time with the right attitude, skills and commitment.

But I heard if you're over 35 you can't make it /s
 

BizyDad

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Dude, I think the 40s are great. You still have 10-20 years to hit your goals. A LOT can happen in that time with the right attitude, skills and commitment.

Man, I'm a never going to retire kind of guy. If you create a business with time flexibility or time freedom, why stop at 20 years? Imagine what you can do with 40 more years. 60.
 
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PapaGang

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Man, I'm a never going to retire kind of guy. If you create a business with time flexibility or time freedom, why stop at 20 years? Imagine what you can do with 40 more years. 60.
That's funny, because my financial advisor asked me about retirement, and I was like, "I'm not doing that. I want to be busy doing something I like that provides cash flow." He liked that.
My psychological profile identifies me as heavily industrious, so I know my a$$ is going to stay busy.

Glad we're thinking alike.
 

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By the way, when you own your own business you will see that they were not punishing you for choosing family over work but they have a set rule. Business is business. They can't be liable for every down turn their workers have. If they did that for you.... next week Bob's grandma needs to go to the doctor but he doesn't have any more days off. Now if his grandma doesn't go to the doctor she might die. Mary needs off because 1 kid is sick and the other is having trouble in school so she needs to go to the school at some point, on top of taking care of her sick kid. Should they also get paid days off? Where is this FREE money coming from? But Phil has saved 8 days for emergencies so when his wife is in the hospital for 6 days, he can take his paid time off with 2 extra days to spare for doctor visits...... would it be fair to Phil that you, Bob & Mary got extra paid time off? He didn't go on vacation in order to save his paid days off in case something went wrong..... So in in this story, Phil would have been the guy that got punished, not YOU! Just thought I'd point that out. Great job on everything you've done. When our grandson was 8 we got custody of him so my 'work' time went down to almost nothing for awhile. I was so damn lucky to be where I was in life at the time. Those were some of the funnest times of my life! He is 17 now.... I sure wish we could go back 7 years...... He just got his 1st vehicle, a 2003 Dodge Dakota pickup.... piece of junk but that's what he wanted and it was his money ($2000). I said, Devin, how about we sell this for what you bought it for and I will buy you a nice truck so you have something nice to drive. Nope.... he loves that dang thing. Honestly, I'm just ashamed of it sitting out in front of the house and that's why I wanted to buy him a newer one. lol And.... he understands money and work. I still go over numbers with him. 3 days ago we went over the cost of living again. I'm making it clear that on $12-$15 an hour, you have $0 left to do the things he is used to doing. Schools need to teach real life but until they do, it's our job.
 

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By the way, when you own your own business you will see that they were not punishing you for choosing family over work but they have a set rule. Business is business. They can't be liable for every down turn their workers have. If they did that for you.... next week Bob's grandma needs to go to the doctor but he doesn't have any more days off. Now if his grandma doesn't go to the doctor she might die. Mary needs off because 1 kid is sick and the other is having trouble in school so she needs to go to the school at some point, on top of taking care of her sick kid. Should they also get paid days off? Where is this FREE money coming from? But Phil has saved 8 days for emergencies so when his wife is in the hospital for 6 days, he can take his paid time off with 2 extra days to spare for doctor visits...... would it be fair to Phil that you, Bob & Mary got extra paid time off? He didn't go on vacation in order to save his paid days off in case something went wrong..... So in in this story, Phil would have been the guy that got punished, not YOU! Just thought I'd point that out. Great job on everything you've done. When our grandson was 8 we got custody of him so my 'work' time went down to almost nothing for awhile. I was so damn lucky to be where I was in life at the time. Those were some of the funnest times of my life! He is 17 now.... I sure wish we could go back 7 years...... He just got his 1st vehicle, a 2003 Dodge Dakota pickup.... piece of junk but that's what he wanted and it was his money ($2000). I said, Devin, how about we sell this for what you bought it for and I will buy you a nice truck so you have something nice to drive. Nope.... he loves that dang thing. Honestly, I'm just ashamed of it sitting out in front of the house and that's why I wanted to buy him a newer one. lol And.... he understands money and work. I still go over numbers with him. 3 days ago we went over the cost of living again. I'm making it clear that on $12-$15 an hour, you have $0 left to do the things he is used to doing. Schools need to teach real life but until they do, it's our job.
Totally right. Agreed.

Until it's your paycheck. Wage garnishment is a form of disciplinary action mostly. Not all the time, but mostly that's what it's used for. Now it may be used differently in my case, but psychologically it doesn't matter. It's perceived as a punitive action. Or at least as a disappointing result after years of hard work creating a lot of revenue for them.

I don't want to discuss such a small part of my post, because the point of that was to illustrate the same principle that motivated MJ to take action and commit to the Fastlane: Working for other people sucks, and I'm going to do something about it.

Here's my intended point from that part of my post:
This company has a poor bereavement policy, as well as a poor benefits package in general. One week vacation, no health insurance, one day bereavement. There is no saving of vacation days where I work. However, I agree with your assessment. I had no free time left, and there is no free money. Unless the employer sees that I've made at least a quarter million dollar impact on their company in 2 years, in which case maybe there are more days available to me than the guy scooping olives into a container, but we don't need to debate that. I agreed to the terms knowing it sucked, so that's on me.

However, since I hold more value to the marketplace, I am free to leave and work for a company that has better benefits. Which is what I'm doing.

As far as your experience with your son, I think that's a great story about the pickup. Sounds like you raised an independent person who loves the fact that they have something that they earned.

That's a rare quality to have these days. Glad you got to spend time with him when he was younger. I had a lot of fun too!

100% agreed on parent's role in teaching life. They won't get it in school!
 
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Kudos to you for your devotion to your son. Sometimes there are things more important than money. Thankfully you didn't find yourself in the dire straits that Chris Gardner did, being homeless with his son. Hopefully, you can bring your son into being an entrepreneur with you.
 

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
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Finally got around to reading.

MARKED Notable, thanks for sharing the makings of your story, an awakening so-to-speak.
 
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jpanarra

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Family always comes first. This is a recurring thing that I've seen on this forum many times and including some of the more reputable guys on here would say the same things.

Managing risk is a very different thing when you have other human lives depending on you. I have 3 little ones myself. I've even posted about my Job and how it's going to be a legitimate pathway onto the fastlane. The biggest thing is that you need a plan and a vision. It might take you 5, 10, 15 years depending on the level of risk you're going to take.

Also, What i'm trying to do now with my son who is already 8 years old. I'm trying to instill the entrepreneurial mindset and he's had some incredible ideas already. Children's imagination has very little limits and sometimes a legitimate solution to a everyday problem can pop out of a child and I've been taking those teaching moments with my kids as well.
 

jesseissorude

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It's funny, getting an MBA has been a small goal of mine for about 10 years now. I wish I would have pursued that in college. Grass is always greener, right?

MBA is great if you want to become a Middle Manager at your current company OR if you go to an ivy league school (for the connections).
Other than that, it's totally worthless for real-world skills.

BUT don't just take my advice. I am only one person and I likely have different goals.
Find someone in the position you want to be in, and take them out to coffee and ask them "Hey, to get to where you are now, would it help if I got a 2-year MBA from XYZ University?" and see what they say.
That's what I really really wish I had done before going back to school. In my case, I hated my job and didn't know how to become an entrepreneur... so I thought going back to school was the answer. I should have found a local entrepreneur and asked her what to do.
 

PapaGang

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MBA is great if you want to become a Middle Manager at your current company OR if you go to an ivy league school (for the connections).
Other than that, it's totally worthless for real-world skills.

BUT don't just take my advice. I am only one person and I likely have different goals.
Find someone in the position you want to be in, and take them out to coffee and ask them "Hey, to get to where you are now, would it help if I got a 2-year MBA from XYZ University?" and see what they say.
That's what I really really wish I had done before going back to school. In my case, I hated my job and didn't know how to become an entrepreneur... so I thought going back to school was the answer. I should have found a local entrepreneur and asked her what to do.
I hear the same thing from several people I know who have MBAs. Most said something like "most of it wasn't useful, find someone in your industry that's doing well and ask them how to get started."
 
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PapaGang

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Family always comes first. This is a recurring thing that I've seen on this forum many times and including some of the more reputable guys on here would say the same things.

Managing risk is a very different thing when you have other human lives depending on you. I have 3 little ones myself. I've even posted about my Job and how it's going to be a legitimate pathway onto the fastlane. The biggest thing is that you need a plan and a vision. It might take you 5, 10, 15 years depending on the level of risk you're going to take.

Also, What i'm trying to do now with my son who is already 8 years old. I'm trying to instill the entrepreneurial mindset and he's had some incredible ideas already. Children's imagination has very little limits and sometimes a legitimate solution to a everyday problem can pop out of a child and I've been taking those teaching moments with my kids as well.
That's a great viewpoint. I need to read your thread.
Yeah, kids can come up with things that blow me away!
 

PapaGang

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Kudos to you for your devotion to your son. Sometimes there are things more important than money. Thankfully you didn't find yourself in the dire straits that Chris Gardner did, being homeless with his son. Hopefully, you can bring your son into being an entrepreneur with you.
Hey thank you for being here, contributing, and being a part of it.
 

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