From an early age, I knew my potential was limited due to the fact I didn't really give a crap about school. In this day and age, practically everyone has a degree of some sort to add to their resumes to land their high paying dream job.
I went to a technical school for accounting and flunked out of the program by 2%. For the next few years, I was in/out of school and worked on the side.
While I was working at a retail store, a former classmate came into the store and we exchanged a few pleasantries. She graduated and was now working for a reputable company nearby in her field of study. A pang of guilt stabbed at my heart. If only, I studied for my finals that day. I wouldn't be in this situation.
Determined, I started looking for a full time office position. I sent out a ton of resumes, but I hardly got any call backs due to my lack of experience. Eventually, I landed an accounting clerk position that paid $10 per hour at a small company. My commute was an hour each way and my days were long. But I was happy to be making money on a consistent basis. I worked hard for the next three years, yet I did not get a raise at all. They took advantage of me and I was ready to move on.
For the next 8 years, I have slowly climbed my way out of minimum wage. In 2008, I took on a part time job to supplement my income working an extra 16 hours per week on the side. Yes, I still have my part time job to this day but on a very scaled basis.
As you can see, I never made a lot of money from my day job. I struggled to save money in every way I can. I knew from the beginning, I was never going to get far with just the salary I make from my day job.
In order to grow my wealth, I need to make money work for itself and that's what I have done for the past decade in the stock market. It is not an easy ride up, there have been many hiccups and bumps along the road. But I have learned over the years to adapt and deploy new strategies to improve my overall performance in the stock market.
All it takes is making that one step!
Interesting story you have here. I remember going to university and hearing things such as "engineers will be basically guaranteed a job when they graduate..." . The market is saturated with people that have degrees, so it is even harder to get a job with a degree. The company who interviews you offers you X dollars an hour , which is like $8-$15 dollars less than what you are looking for. You basically take their offer or the next person who passes an interview will. I was told in my second year, that engineers success is about 80% communication, so get good at it. The look on everyone face was like total shock. Thinking if my communications skills are not very good I will be working in a lab the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteInvesting and trading options is what help me over the years to move forward.
Thanks for the comment. It's quite competitive out there. One job posting will get a ton of replies all seeking for that one position. I think the key is to get your foot into the industry even though the pay isn't what you're seeking for. Just gotta suck it up for a couple years. Once you gain experience then you can demand more especially as an Engineer.
DeleteI took whatever that was presented to me for my first two jobs. My current job I was able to negotiate a 10% raise from my past salary and I was really happy.