Don’t go for the get-rich-quick (or get-free-time-quick) schemes. You’re 18 frickin’ years old! The most reliable strategy would probably be:
Do whatever you have to do to get into a great undergraduate college. The more famous the college is, the more money you will make. It may take a year or two if your high-school record isn’t impressive.
Take out a big scary loan to pay for the 4 years. Major in something geared towards getting a position in finance, law, doctor, or overseas defense contracting.
Do whatever grad school is necessary for your career choice, but only what is necessary!
Get a ridiculously high-paying job. Work for 20 years. Save your money.
Retire and do what it was you wanted to do in the first place, living off the interest.
Alternate plan:
Apply for a ROTC scholarship.
Go to college, whether you got the scholarship or not.
The main plan seems to disregard the fact that he places a high value on having lots of time to faff around and low value on having a large income.
That said, I would disregard that fact as well and go with your suggestion anyway, since during one’s twenties one’s major life priorities will often change around every couple of years (generalising from personal + social circle experience), and switching to a profitable-career path is much harder than switching away from it.
I don’t, but well-paid lawyers are significantly more likely to quit their job for some low-stress activity than someone with no relevant training is likely to quickly acquire a ridiculously high-paying job.
Lots of people with no relevant training spend a lot of time and money trying to acquire the relevant training to get a high-paying job. I’d guess that this is more common than people quitting a high paying job for a low paying job with less stress. How many people start a law or medical degree every year relative to the number that quit those jobs for something less stressful and lower paid?
My grampa’s friend did that and now literally has more many than he knows what to do with, as he lives in a trailer and presumably doesn’t care much for charities. I guess he’s gonna leave all his money to his kids.
Anyway, thanks for the advice, but I wasn’t actually looking for advice. Sorry, it was a mistake to write this post in the first person. I actually have things decently well figured out, but I wanted to make the post a little engaging, which was stupid of me. The knowledge is still useful though, in case things blow up, so thanks. :)
My grampa’s friend did that and now literally has more many than he knows what to do with
This is evidence that your friend’s grandpa screwed up. Indeed, after 20 years on a decent salary and retirement at half pay thereafter, I would imagine that income has long since reached the point of diminishing marginal returns, specially for someone so unconcerned with status as to live on a trailer and with no intention of giving to charity. To spend the next 20 years continuing to earn even more paychecks and a second retirement pension rather than living an eudamonic life with the little youth one has left seems like a horrible case of work for work’s sake.
If any decent percentage of this singularity stuff pans out, any plans greater than 20 years are bunk.
Hell, within the next 6-15 years, the price for models will plummet. Why?
Because, computer graphics are getting so good and cheap, that simply creating a model that looks beautiful, will be easier and cheaper just using the computer.
Reading, and contemplating all of these technology trends really changed thought process of what constitutes a solid job.
But, some advice I would give, is perhaps try and double major in computer science and electrical engineering. Go to a good grad school after college(since as he dropped out of HS, the only decent college he can get in to, is one that has a guaranteed acceptance program by sat scores), then work from there.
Don’t go for the get-rich-quick (or get-free-time-quick) schemes. You’re 18 frickin’ years old! The most reliable strategy would probably be:
Do whatever you have to do to get into a great undergraduate college. The more famous the college is, the more money you will make. It may take a year or two if your high-school record isn’t impressive.
Take out a big scary loan to pay for the 4 years. Major in something geared towards getting a position in finance, law, doctor, or overseas defense contracting.
Do whatever grad school is necessary for your career choice, but only what is necessary!
Get a ridiculously high-paying job. Work for 20 years. Save your money.
Retire and do what it was you wanted to do in the first place, living off the interest.
Alternate plan:
Apply for a ROTC scholarship.
Go to college, whether you got the scholarship or not.
Join ROTC.
Work for the Army for 20 years.
Retire; receive half pay thereafter.
The main plan seems to disregard the fact that he places a high value on having lots of time to faff around and low value on having a large income.
That said, I would disregard that fact as well and go with your suggestion anyway, since during one’s twenties one’s major life priorities will often change around every couple of years (generalising from personal + social circle experience), and switching to a profitable-career path is much harder than switching away from it.
Don’t underestimate the strength of golden handcuffs.
I don’t, but well-paid lawyers are significantly more likely to quit their job for some low-stress activity than someone with no relevant training is likely to quickly acquire a ridiculously high-paying job.
Lots of people with no relevant training spend a lot of time and money trying to acquire the relevant training to get a high-paying job. I’d guess that this is more common than people quitting a high paying job for a low paying job with less stress. How many people start a law or medical degree every year relative to the number that quit those jobs for something less stressful and lower paid?
overestimate → underestimate?
Thankyou, fixed.
This works extra well if you supplement it with:
Work as a teacher for 20 years.
Retire; receive half pay thereafter.
My grampa’s friend did that and now literally has more many than he knows what to do with, as he lives in a trailer and presumably doesn’t care much for charities. I guess he’s gonna leave all his money to his kids.
Anyway, thanks for the advice, but I wasn’t actually looking for advice. Sorry, it was a mistake to write this post in the first person. I actually have things decently well figured out, but I wanted to make the post a little engaging, which was stupid of me. The knowledge is still useful though, in case things blow up, so thanks. :)
This is evidence that your friend’s grandpa screwed up. Indeed, after 20 years on a decent salary and retirement at half pay thereafter, I would imagine that income has long since reached the point of diminishing marginal returns, specially for someone so unconcerned with status as to live on a trailer and with no intention of giving to charity. To spend the next 20 years continuing to earn even more paychecks and a second retirement pension rather than living an eudamonic life with the little youth one has left seems like a horrible case of work for work’s sake.
Maybe he did really care a lot about leaving lots of money to his heirs.
If any decent percentage of this singularity stuff pans out, any plans greater than 20 years are bunk.
Hell, within the next 6-15 years, the price for models will plummet. Why?
Because, computer graphics are getting so good and cheap, that simply creating a model that looks beautiful, will be easier and cheaper just using the computer.
Reading, and contemplating all of these technology trends really changed thought process of what constitutes a solid job.
But, some advice I would give, is perhaps try and double major in computer science and electrical engineering. Go to a good grad school after college(since as he dropped out of HS, the only decent college he can get in to, is one that has a guaranteed acceptance program by sat scores), then work from there.
Solid, but boring.
I don’t know, but I think the odds of getting into a top-tier grad school from a third-tier undergrad are low. I haven’t yet found hard data on this.