[quote]jzy50309 wrote:
[quote]debraD wrote:
As an aside and just my opinion of course :). …
It worries me that you are so focused on wealth. Maybe worries is the wrong word. It makes me feel pain for the years to come since acquiring wealth, in any field, is such a long road ahead and to me it would be torture to be trying to put all my energy towards a goal like that. Being competent, making good decisions and hopefully not having shit luck will increase the likliehood of financial success but that isn’t a given. Live for the journey man =P
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Thank you for your perspective debraD, it was insightful to have another point of view/perspective. This decision to go back to school, is my atonement or redemption. I need this to prove to myself, that I was meant for more. This is not to insult those who have served or currently serve in the armed forces. That others can see my story, and see that it is possible to drop out of school and go back. As an example of how far I have come, and that second chances can be a path to success. Albeit it may take a little longer to get there. I do not need to be on a Forbes’s list, but why not aim for that? A man’s reach should always exceeds his grasp. [/quote]
Not to be dramatic about it at all
I don’t know why you’re knocking yourself so hard to be honest. I dropped out of high school at 16, ran amok for few years (and have stories to tell) and eventually enrolled in University in my late 20’s, got a degree and still haven’t completed my high school diploma. I don’t regret any of that. It’s life experience. I’ve worked with a lot of guys who were wonderful good boys in high school, never touched a single mind altering substance and went on to college, graduated with pleasant marks and got a job but I wouldn’t trade my years of shenanigans for that for anything. Once, in my attempt to right my wrongs, I went for my GED. I wrote the first half, aced it and then when I was supposed to do the second half, I got hammered with my friends the night before and said fuck it in the morning and never bothered again. You think I’m ashamed of that? NOT ONE BIT. =D I still did great in school and I still did better in my career then the guys I spoke of. I think the difference between me and them is I have a passion for what I do and that’s why I do it and they’re just doing a job. And I guess us people who need to have a passion for something probably are prone to teenage carrying-on. That’s my theory anyway. Doesn’t actually matter if it’s true
Sometimes I want to brag about all that, though less and less as my ego needs less and less I suppose. The point is there could be a day when your fuckups of the past are a source of both pride and amusement.
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I will be the first to admit, that wealth is one of the ways that I plan on gauging my success. I know this may come across as vain to certain members of the population, but many judge in the same regard towards fitness models and bodybuilders. It’s similar to the argument of why one trains; whether to be healthy or to look good (as well as many other specific reasons). I ask why can it not be both? Why can I not have success and be wealthy? I know that wealth will not automatically translate to success. Much to the same way looking great doesn’t always translate to one being healthy (i.e. steroids).
For me it comes down purely to numbers, although I know there are two types of extrinsic variables that will effect my financial standing. Variables that I will be able to control, and several that I will not. I have come to terms to this. But if there is a factor that I can control, that can dictate my success/wealth I will make sure I work relentlessly at it. I plan on working my tail off, applying many of the same principals I utilize in the gym into my career. I expect to be well paid for the amount of work that I will be putting into my career field. The same way I expect to reap the rewards of putting my body through 20 repetitions of heavy squats in a set. I know what it is like to work for the journey (its currently a little bit of what I’m experiencing now). I know wealth shouldn’t be a determinate for happiness or success, but speaking as someone who has experienced both…if I can choose one or the other, I choose the latter. [/quote]
See right there you’ve got a all wrong. A programmer would not do any repetitions because they’d use a LOOP See, smarter not harder! Clearly you are better suited for engineering because when those guys code they never loop and litter the code with GOTOs. Training is the opposite of programming. Instead of doing all those reps, you spend all day trying to devise a strategy to avoid doing more than 1 rep.
Seriously though, don’t get me wrong, I like money. I like it for what you say as a gauge of success. And I like having a nice ass. That too has it’s rewards. But there is no soul in either of those things alone. What really gets me is being challenged at work and making shit happen that seemed impossible before. And watching a bank account grow is kind of dull and painful most of the time.