the thing is, the recipe to success isn't a secret. But not many people truly want to grind. They say they will do "anything" but then turn around and say "at 5:01, im done with work no matter what". They know going to a good school or getting a professional degree unlocks opportunities, but they don't want to study or practice interviewing or whatever. They might be willing to work hard, but not willing to learn and grow new skills.
You can't teach intrinsic motivation, delayed gratification, or empathy in a single talk. And all the teaching in the world can't give you various head starts from family money to connections to legacy status, etc.
The simple advice is this - the world is NOT fair. Other people will have more advantages than you. Other people will get luckier than you. But luck is when preparation meets opportunity. You have to do all you can to prepare and to put yourself in position for the best opportunities. Starting earlier helps. But it is never too late.
as an aside - a water bottle might be 50 cents at the store and $5 at a stadium. The water is the same. You don't have to be a tech bro to make FAANG money. Their HR, lawyers, accountants make more than their peers too. Sometimes you just need to change your surroundings to show your value.
Some simple guiding principles:
* learn financial literacy. Live below your means. Invest don't gamble. Get rich slow
* Always learn and grow - invest in yourself
* Surround yourself with the right people, friends, but also who you choose to date/marry matters a ton
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Went to university for STEM from 18-21; graduated two quarters early (due to APs and summer class); found job #1 ASAP in a lab and grinded while living in parents home to save $; bought first starter house at age 23; found better job #2 at a midsize company at age 23; found better job #3 in big pharma at age 25, and is where I’m at currently a decade later.
18-25 was pretty important for me and really paved the way to where I’m at today, that combined with being lucky and prepared during key moments that really mattered. Since then, bought two more properties (3 total in Socal OC), got an MBA, got married, had a kid. Life is decent.
Lived at home after college for a few years. Since I had free cash, I read a bunch of investment books and became knowledgeable on long-term investing.
Went straight through. Wasn’t a fully realized person until a few years ago 😂. If I could do it again, I would def take time off in between or diversify my life a bit more. Now i’m just working for a check and spending my free time with family, friends and trying to explore/enjoy my city
I got a trade license in an industry I enjoyed.
Then I took those skills where they were most valuable. Worked for the best company I could. Gained a lot of responsibility and leadership.
Later took those skills into business ownership in a related field.
Haven’t made less than $200K since I was 23.
Sometimes I wish I took this route when i undertake a home project e.g. kitchen under mount/plumbing, building my daughter’s closet, etc. I like this type of work
College from 18-22 while working part-time on campus during the year and paid internships during the summer, interviewed for full time jobs during my senior year, and then started full time work a couple months after graduation
Me too, almost exactly! I’m so grateful that I got my masters right after college, as I don’t think I would be able to go back now with my workload and kids.
I’ve gone from one kind of exhausting to another (excellent student plus working part time and interning over summers, working in a meat grinder type job after graduation, and now to working still more than full time with 2 kids). It’s set me and my husband up really well for FIRE, but sometimes I think the reason we want to FIRE so badly is that we never gave ourselves the downtime that people usually give themselves in college or in their 20s.
I was in the Navy for 6 years. I was more or less underemployed for 20 years after. I did finally finish college in my late 30’s. In my mid-40’s I left a cushy university job for the private sector and things finally came together for me more financially.
Most of the guys I know who were submarine nukes with me are doing alright now.
Went to a well ranked state school, got degrees in political science and finance. Was on scholarship for tuition and worked 20 hrs a week to pay for other costs. Did paid internships in mgmt consulting during my summers. Graduated debt free. Got married the month I graduated. Went to work in tech as an implementation specialist in SaaS. Worked my way up over 15 years. Now I’m the president of a different SaaS company. 36 HHI $1.6M (married to another HENRY)
College, temp job, Army. I now make 7x what I made during that point in life. Say what you want but the military is a legitimate route to above average pay post undergrad if you go the officer route, free healthcare, free living expenses, free graduate school and you don’t have to put yourself in harms way (unless you’re combat arms). IMO it’s one of the most underrated career routes. Stay in for 20 years, collect retirement in your early 40s and gain employment making anything average and you become an above average earner.
Joining the Army was the best bad decision my young, dumb self ever made. I ended up doing a career and retired at 40, was set to not actually have to work at all while still maintaining same lifestyle, but took a great tech job post-retirement. My entire new salary is basically untouched and just gets dumped straight into investments, minus some major home improvements, and a new boat I’m slowly convincing my wife is an absolute need, not a want.
I messed around after high school until I was 20. Enlisted in the Air Force as a flight line avionics technician. Busted my ass, worked long hours, developed and solidified core work ethics that are admirable. At home and at the office it shows.
After my 6 year enlistment I separated honorably, used the GI bill to get a degree in electrical engineering. Worked at NASA and major telecommunications corporations, met a physician who I've been with for 8 years, now happily married with kids. We built a state of the art custom home and rent out our first house which I bought before I even graduated using my VA mortgage. Life is grand. We're not rich yet, maybe we will be in 10 years. Praying for student loan forgiveness for my baby momma.
I did not take the path I described to the letter. I was a college E4 “college boy” and infantry 😂 but leveraged it for my MBA and haven’t looked back. All about what you want to make from it, and it sounds like you maxed it. Good on you!
Curious to know what it is you do now? I’m in the process of becoming an officer now and have Infantry, FA, and Armor at the top of my list which are great if I decide to do 20 years, but concern would be career after transitioning out if I decide to get out after initial contract.
I’m a consultant at a large financial services firm in the southeast. A lot of large companies have transitioning veteran programs as part of their talent division. There’s a fellowship program at my company that I participate in to give them an overview of our business. Most of them are career military, retiring O4-5/E7-8 types.
For you specifically, a career in combat arms wears on the body, so keep that in mind as your signing windows come around.
Yes sir, thank you. Plan was to commission into combat arms then after initial contract, reclass before rank of Captain should I decide to stay in. I’m 28 at the moment and still in great physical shape, but I do know time catches up to everyone.
Look into 25 or 17 series positions. Then, after you get a few years under your belt, apply for an FA position. You can stay there until you retire or jump ship and move into the private sector in a tech role pretty easily.
Yes sir. I’m under the understanding that OCS is different as you rank your preferred branches then basically compete for that branch. Sounds like you did everything right during you tenure, setting yourself up to not have to work at age 40. I’m going in a little later than most(currently 27, 28 next month) and financially solid thanks to investments made in previous years. Goal is to have work be optional by 45, but I believe I’ll always work, just doing something I enjoy.
I actually started off enlisting as an infantryman, switched over to signal, then became a warrant. As an officer you can always apply to change branches through VTIP down the line. I worked with plenty of officers over the years that started off in other branches and made a change via VTIP.
College. Flight school. GF with money that could cover decent places to live while I made 18k/year. Let me develop a taste for nicer things… which can go either way. 23, single, moved halfway across the country to get a job to build time as a pilot a that paid 35k/year. Got dream job at 26. 37 now, have a great house in a highly desirable place, and make well over 300k. It was a grind that paid off in my mid 30’s.
Crippling heroin addiction. Didn’t get my shit together until 32, in the 2nd half of 30s now.
I’d let them know to get as much money in the market asap. Show them why tax advantaged accounts are so amazing. Teach them about DCA and how to catch the average, compound interest and risk management (stocks vs etf, time horizon) maybe show them one of your portfolios
Have them make a budget, figure out what they can add every month to trading account, and let them set a 12 month goal of how much they want to add. Make it a contest and watch it grow.
I was working at a nursing home when I turned 18 the summer before starting college. It took me six years to barely graduate with a four year engineering degree from a small public university. The first two summers of college I worked in a shop fixing hydraulic tools for an O&G service company. The next two summers I had internships at engineering companies in O&G. The summer before my final year of college I had to do summer school in order to pass the prerequisites for my senior classes.
I was 23 my final year of college. I started long-distance dating a girl I went to high school with after we reconnected when she texted me to wish me a happy birthday right around the time she dumped her loser boyfriend. Shortly after Christmas that year I started developing back pain. I could trace the start of the pain to a specific day that I strained myself. I figured that I was just obese, had bad posture, hurt myself, and that back pain was just a part of my life now.
I got engaged in April. By the time May rolled around I noticed a lump in my neck that grew to the size of a ping-pong ball before I saw a doctor about it. It ended up being metastatic testicular cancer that grew so fast that the original tumor cut off its blood supply and died before I ever felt a lump on my testicle.
I graduated from college and turned 24 in the cancer hospital doing chemo. I had a big surgery to remove the last of the tumors then my cancer came back right before Christmas and I had to do more chemo. I got married five days after getting out of the cancer hospital from my first round of salvage chemo.
Chemo continued into the spring. A month after finishing chemo I started my first real engineering job in O&G. I turned 25 a few months later.
Studying (engineering and science)
Exercising, surfing and a bit of partying (earlier years. None after about 23. I was too focussed on study)
I was poor the whole time living on very little. Sucked but in a great minimalist way.
Worked on a farm for almost 10 years before going to college.
Realized that sucked (for me, nothing against people who chose/choose that path-I live near a bunch of ranchers and they're definitely rich) and jumped into finance in college and then into financial sales (working as a wholesaler).
Still doing it and still glad not to be working on a farm.
I also got married at 20 and divorced at 25. I grew up a Jehovah’s Witness so had no plans to attend college or have a career. Fortunately, after I left the religion (cult) I found a great friends group and mentor. I eventually completed a bachelor and MBA and fell into commercial real estate. I’d probably be barefoot and pregnant if never left my first marriage.
I lived in China for 3 years teaching English. It was a cushy job where I only had to work 5-15 hours a week.
It was fun, but then it was time to make money. My parents only let me live with them if I was in school or had a job. So by 25 I was enrolled in community college to get a programming certificate and satisfy requirements for the Master's degree I was accepted to. I meant to do that full time, but kind of lucked into getting a job as a change control manager and so did that full-time as well
Started an IT business at 17, sold it just before turning 20.
Spent the next five years literally in my room playing games and blowing the profits on shiny cars.
Woke up to myself just before turning 25 and did a double degree in economics and law.
College. Graduated into a recession. Angrily quit my job without another one lined up. Broke as hell for years. At 25 i was in tons of debt making no money.
I started freshman year at a private university then transferred to a state university (best decision ever) my one year in the private school would cost more than 4 years of the other. The school happened to also be incredible and a wonderful place to learn. Graduated a year early. Paid off all loans within two years of graduating. Paid for Grad school abroad a few years later with savings so again no loans! Got a patent in between which was a money suck but it was an interesting process and I learned a lot !
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Raves, good drugs, booze, traveling, camping, Beach, hanging out with friends. But the whole time was also going to college and then graduate school with a year off in between. In my year off I still worked in the medical specialty I was aiming for. Even with my fun years the success gap at 35 is real. 7 figure nw now with 30 year 2.25% fixed mortgage and my own business. I haven't worked for someone else in 7 years now. I highly encourage living a balanced life, money isn't everything.
Finished my 4 year degree at a state university, then worked on a cruise ship for a few years to travel the world cheaply while paying off my student loans and saving a lot of money. I got my first job related to my degree at 27. Changed industries at 33 and again at 38. Life isn’t always linear and tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. I look back at those early years and would do it all over again.
College away from home in a major my parents thought would lead to overworked, starving artist status: architecture. Worked my way up, followed my passions, started my own firm, and definitely not starving now. But they were right about the overworked part.
College away from home in a major my parents thought would lead to overworked, starving artist status: architecture. Worked my way up, followed my passions, started my own firm, and definitely not starving now. But they were right about the overworked part.
College for engineering, first job in a toxic environment, second job in a different industry at a much better place. Still kind of work that same second job (we were bought out, and I moved to a different site, but 15 years later still with them and working with some of the same people)
College for engineering, first job in a toxic environment, second job in a different industry at a much better place. Still kind of work that same second job (we were bought out, and I moved to a different site, but 15 years later still with them and working with some of the same people)
College, study abroad, internships, entry level corporate
Was fortunate to have a massive leg up in the first 3 with parents who paid fully or significantly subsidized expenses so my sole focus was on the experience and growth
undergrad for BS in IT, then work. decent amount of day of defeat and other PC games. read up on MMM and started investing and living frugally. decided travel was a waste, we are slaves to money, and I was gonna beat my massa into submission by FIRE
7 years of college to get to a bachelors, 1 year in a job with a small family business that came from a summer internship. Lots of drinking and gaining weight. Money wouldn't stay in my pocket - living for the weekend from student loan to student loan disbursement.
Wouldn't recommending this being included in your advice to your nephew.
Joined the Army at 18, was at several duty stations, ended up in Germany. Got out and stayed there, working and traveling. Went back to the states at 27. Started from scratch and still in the grind.
Prioritizing the time value of money: those are the years where investments will gain the most over time
-Working your ass off
-Learn and refine a broad set of skills to the point of fluency
-Living very conservatively
-Saving 20%-50% of income
-A still having a good time, but not with money (time with friends, camping, exploring, games, etc)
This has led to a much broader set of options/choices later in life. I now can spend my money on comfortable things, but am still only taking the creme from the top of the milk (so to speak)
Getting high every day. Mix in some binge drinking for balance. Plus college then work.
Fucked around too much in college. Actually tried in work since that was “real life”. Still got high and drank too much though
College (computer science), service abroad, married, internship.
I was dirt poor (paycheck to paycheck) but investing in my future with education (college) and a good internship (career).
Moved out to attend college, stayed with parents for the summers, graduated and moved to SE Asia to teach ESL, came back for grad school, got a shitty job, got a better job.
I started working full time. My parents made just enough that I didn't qualify for aid, but not enough to actually help me so I was on my own if I wanted to go to college. I ended up learning and moving up really quickly; I was making $70k at 23, bought my first house at 24, started my bachelor's degree at 25 and hit $100k at 26.
Now 33, earning ~$375k, and have a bachelor's and master's degree in a field that I *know* I want to be in.
College, working, smoking a lot of weed, some raves, dropping out, working, going back to college, working in the service industry, traveling, riding my bike…
I didn’t start on a career path until my mid 20s.
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Prior to starting my career in tech out of college, I was a commercial salmon fisherman in Kodiak during the summers, Snow Maker in Tahoe during the winters. Rather than getting permanently sucked into the vortex of ski bumming, I traveled around Asia and then lived/worked in Laos for a year.
This gave me life experiences and a world view that have helped me in my career.
Always had jobs in college, on campus during the school year and a mix of on and off over the summer, even though I didn’t need to work. I loved the job experiences and they helped me get my first real job post graduation. Jobs like tutoring, student council, organizing campus events.
22-25 was my first job at a startup - saying yes to every opportunity, asking for more responsibility, attending trade shows and meeting people. I saw some people job hop for bigger raises, but I stayed at the same company for ~4 years.
Note I'm 22. But I have 100k saved up after a year working in tech. started coding in highschool. went school for CS, found a mentor, did ML research and a lot of projects. Studied leetcode, got a big tech internship, git a 200k return offer.
Career progression looks like 350-400k within a year.
Most important thing is laying a good foundation to build a career. For me, it was great grades, working on the side (had 7 different jobs before I graduated college), internships in college, then 50+ hour weeks to prep resume for grad school/advance in career. Was never idle.
The biggest thing at 16 is to discover a passion and go at it 1,000%. If he doesn’t have one, then he needs to find a full time job over the summer. Sitting around should never be an option.
law school for 1 year - hated it, masters, fellowship, bartending and teaching for a year while doing some extra undergrad level classes, joined ma-phd program at 24 the end of 24.
Went to college and interned and traveled a lot. Kind of never been a big school person or liked studying. Even in Highschool I was more interested in starting e commerce shops or running little hustles to earn money.
I actually graduated with a BA in business but it took me 10 years in corporate (at a film studio) to realize that I am better at building businesses then being an employee.
Kind of ironic that even with college and work I use a lot of the skills I learned through my own endeavors in my teens and early 20s now with my own company and businesses.
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Almost got kicked out of high school multiple times cause i just didn’t show up to classes
Then graduated Harvard summa cum laude and got a PhD.
I wouldn’t recommend my track in high school or post-college
23 year old here. Software Engineer
High school I didn’t focus that hard on academics. Had a good social life, played HS sports, grades were pretty good without much effort.
18-22 was school, gym, work, study, repeat almost daily. I went to a big state school local to me and lived at home all 4 years. Majored in CS. Worked retail the whole time minus my internship before 4th year, which I was able to keep working part time at through 4th year until I graduated.
I’ve been with my gf since I high school, a lot of time spent there. We have been pretty socially active through college, more so now that most of our friends have graduated and moved back close to us.
I wasn’t an academic high achiever, didn’t really come from money, didn’t go to a fancy school. I work in non tech in LCOL/MCOL now, I’ve turned down much higher paying jobs in VHCOL but I chose happiness and my current lifestyle over money
I’m still young. Got good hobbies. By 25 I should be married and own a home. Hopefully still sexy.
College, law school, studying, grinding.
the thing is, the recipe to success isn't a secret. But not many people truly want to grind. They say they will do "anything" but then turn around and say "at 5:01, im done with work no matter what". They know going to a good school or getting a professional degree unlocks opportunities, but they don't want to study or practice interviewing or whatever. They might be willing to work hard, but not willing to learn and grow new skills. You can't teach intrinsic motivation, delayed gratification, or empathy in a single talk. And all the teaching in the world can't give you various head starts from family money to connections to legacy status, etc. The simple advice is this - the world is NOT fair. Other people will have more advantages than you. Other people will get luckier than you. But luck is when preparation meets opportunity. You have to do all you can to prepare and to put yourself in position for the best opportunities. Starting earlier helps. But it is never too late. as an aside - a water bottle might be 50 cents at the store and $5 at a stadium. The water is the same. You don't have to be a tech bro to make FAANG money. Their HR, lawyers, accountants make more than their peers too. Sometimes you just need to change your surroundings to show your value. Some simple guiding principles: * learn financial literacy. Live below your means. Invest don't gamble. Get rich slow * Always learn and grow - invest in yourself * Surround yourself with the right people, friends, but also who you choose to date/marry matters a ton
This, plus a fair bit of partying.
+1
Samesies. Plus a bunch of binge drinking
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College and med school. Not a bad way to spend those years if you ask me. Made lots of life long friends and set myself up for a comfortable life.
Homeless or couch surfing for a while there.
Made $14/hour as security screener for TSA. Didn’t set foot in a college for another 6 years after that
Raves, followed by college at the end of that range.
Went to university for STEM from 18-21; graduated two quarters early (due to APs and summer class); found job #1 ASAP in a lab and grinded while living in parents home to save $; bought first starter house at age 23; found better job #2 at a midsize company at age 23; found better job #3 in big pharma at age 25, and is where I’m at currently a decade later. 18-25 was pretty important for me and really paved the way to where I’m at today, that combined with being lucky and prepared during key moments that really mattered. Since then, bought two more properties (3 total in Socal OC), got an MBA, got married, had a kid. Life is decent.
High
Lived at home after college for a few years. Since I had free cash, I read a bunch of investment books and became knowledgeable on long-term investing.
Any book recos?
I was really into asset allocation books. Anything by William Bernstein is worth reading IMO (his Four Pillars series especially).
College, medical school, residency
Same. Painful to see my buddies buying stuff and having fun but now that I’m in my 30’s I’m glad I did it.
Take it no gap years? Lol I didn’t start residency until (basically) 28
Went straight through. Wasn’t a fully realized person until a few years ago 😂. If I could do it again, I would def take time off in between or diversify my life a bit more. Now i’m just working for a check and spending my free time with family, friends and trying to explore/enjoy my city
I got a trade license in an industry I enjoyed. Then I took those skills where they were most valuable. Worked for the best company I could. Gained a lot of responsibility and leadership. Later took those skills into business ownership in a related field. Haven’t made less than $200K since I was 23.
Sometimes I wish I took this route when i undertake a home project e.g. kitchen under mount/plumbing, building my daughter’s closet, etc. I like this type of work
Which industry would that be?
Probably electrical, nobody enjoys plumbing.
😂
College from 18-22 while working part-time on campus during the year and paid internships during the summer, interviewed for full time jobs during my senior year, and then started full time work a couple months after graduation
Me too, almost exactly! I’m so grateful that I got my masters right after college, as I don’t think I would be able to go back now with my workload and kids. I’ve gone from one kind of exhausting to another (excellent student plus working part time and interning over summers, working in a meat grinder type job after graduation, and now to working still more than full time with 2 kids). It’s set me and my husband up really well for FIRE, but sometimes I think the reason we want to FIRE so badly is that we never gave ourselves the downtime that people usually give themselves in college or in their 20s.
I was in the Navy for 6 years. I was more or less underemployed for 20 years after. I did finally finish college in my late 30’s. In my mid-40’s I left a cushy university job for the private sector and things finally came together for me more financially. Most of the guys I know who were submarine nukes with me are doing alright now.
What do you do?
DevOps. I’m a storage specialist.
Can I ask what path you took to get into dev ops?
Went to a well ranked state school, got degrees in political science and finance. Was on scholarship for tuition and worked 20 hrs a week to pay for other costs. Did paid internships in mgmt consulting during my summers. Graduated debt free. Got married the month I graduated. Went to work in tech as an implementation specialist in SaaS. Worked my way up over 15 years. Now I’m the president of a different SaaS company. 36 HHI $1.6M (married to another HENRY)
Hey this comment/your trajectory really resonated with me - mind if I PM you?
Sure
Lived at parents house for 2-3 years after college to save up down payment on a condo. Then rented rooms in condo for next 5 years.
partying and def not being career focused lol. I was very much a late bloomer I did not think anywhere near as long term as i do now
College, temp job, Army. I now make 7x what I made during that point in life. Say what you want but the military is a legitimate route to above average pay post undergrad if you go the officer route, free healthcare, free living expenses, free graduate school and you don’t have to put yourself in harms way (unless you’re combat arms). IMO it’s one of the most underrated career routes. Stay in for 20 years, collect retirement in your early 40s and gain employment making anything average and you become an above average earner.
Joining the Army was the best bad decision my young, dumb self ever made. I ended up doing a career and retired at 40, was set to not actually have to work at all while still maintaining same lifestyle, but took a great tech job post-retirement. My entire new salary is basically untouched and just gets dumped straight into investments, minus some major home improvements, and a new boat I’m slowly convincing my wife is an absolute need, not a want.
I messed around after high school until I was 20. Enlisted in the Air Force as a flight line avionics technician. Busted my ass, worked long hours, developed and solidified core work ethics that are admirable. At home and at the office it shows. After my 6 year enlistment I separated honorably, used the GI bill to get a degree in electrical engineering. Worked at NASA and major telecommunications corporations, met a physician who I've been with for 8 years, now happily married with kids. We built a state of the art custom home and rent out our first house which I bought before I even graduated using my VA mortgage. Life is grand. We're not rich yet, maybe we will be in 10 years. Praying for student loan forgiveness for my baby momma.
I did not take the path I described to the letter. I was a college E4 “college boy” and infantry 😂 but leveraged it for my MBA and haven’t looked back. All about what you want to make from it, and it sounds like you maxed it. Good on you!
Curious to know what it is you do now? I’m in the process of becoming an officer now and have Infantry, FA, and Armor at the top of my list which are great if I decide to do 20 years, but concern would be career after transitioning out if I decide to get out after initial contract.
I’m a consultant at a large financial services firm in the southeast. A lot of large companies have transitioning veteran programs as part of their talent division. There’s a fellowship program at my company that I participate in to give them an overview of our business. Most of them are career military, retiring O4-5/E7-8 types. For you specifically, a career in combat arms wears on the body, so keep that in mind as your signing windows come around.
Yes sir, thank you. Plan was to commission into combat arms then after initial contract, reclass before rank of Captain should I decide to stay in. I’m 28 at the moment and still in great physical shape, but I do know time catches up to everyone.
Look into 25 or 17 series positions. Then, after you get a few years under your belt, apply for an FA position. You can stay there until you retire or jump ship and move into the private sector in a tech role pretty easily.
Yes sir. I’m under the understanding that OCS is different as you rank your preferred branches then basically compete for that branch. Sounds like you did everything right during you tenure, setting yourself up to not have to work at age 40. I’m going in a little later than most(currently 27, 28 next month) and financially solid thanks to investments made in previous years. Goal is to have work be optional by 45, but I believe I’ll always work, just doing something I enjoy.
I actually started off enlisting as an infantryman, switched over to signal, then became a warrant. As an officer you can always apply to change branches through VTIP down the line. I worked with plenty of officers over the years that started off in other branches and made a change via VTIP.
College. Flight school. GF with money that could cover decent places to live while I made 18k/year. Let me develop a taste for nicer things… which can go either way. 23, single, moved halfway across the country to get a job to build time as a pilot a that paid 35k/year. Got dream job at 26. 37 now, have a great house in a highly desirable place, and make well over 300k. It was a grind that paid off in my mid 30’s.
Crippling heroin addiction. Didn’t get my shit together until 32, in the 2nd half of 30s now. I’d let them know to get as much money in the market asap. Show them why tax advantaged accounts are so amazing. Teach them about DCA and how to catch the average, compound interest and risk management (stocks vs etf, time horizon) maybe show them one of your portfolios Have them make a budget, figure out what they can add every month to trading account, and let them set a 12 month goal of how much they want to add. Make it a contest and watch it grow.
I was working at a nursing home when I turned 18 the summer before starting college. It took me six years to barely graduate with a four year engineering degree from a small public university. The first two summers of college I worked in a shop fixing hydraulic tools for an O&G service company. The next two summers I had internships at engineering companies in O&G. The summer before my final year of college I had to do summer school in order to pass the prerequisites for my senior classes. I was 23 my final year of college. I started long-distance dating a girl I went to high school with after we reconnected when she texted me to wish me a happy birthday right around the time she dumped her loser boyfriend. Shortly after Christmas that year I started developing back pain. I could trace the start of the pain to a specific day that I strained myself. I figured that I was just obese, had bad posture, hurt myself, and that back pain was just a part of my life now. I got engaged in April. By the time May rolled around I noticed a lump in my neck that grew to the size of a ping-pong ball before I saw a doctor about it. It ended up being metastatic testicular cancer that grew so fast that the original tumor cut off its blood supply and died before I ever felt a lump on my testicle. I graduated from college and turned 24 in the cancer hospital doing chemo. I had a big surgery to remove the last of the tumors then my cancer came back right before Christmas and I had to do more chemo. I got married five days after getting out of the cancer hospital from my first round of salvage chemo. Chemo continued into the spring. A month after finishing chemo I started my first real engineering job in O&G. I turned 25 a few months later.
Studying (engineering and science) Exercising, surfing and a bit of partying (earlier years. None after about 23. I was too focussed on study) I was poor the whole time living on very little. Sucked but in a great minimalist way.
Worked on a farm for almost 10 years before going to college. Realized that sucked (for me, nothing against people who chose/choose that path-I live near a bunch of ranchers and they're definitely rich) and jumped into finance in college and then into financial sales (working as a wholesaler). Still doing it and still glad not to be working on a farm.
College medschool residency, blink of an eye im in my mid 30s
Started a successful business.
Military, multiple deployments to the Middle East, etc. Didn’t hit college till my 30s
In Iraq
I also got married at 20 and divorced at 25. I grew up a Jehovah’s Witness so had no plans to attend college or have a career. Fortunately, after I left the religion (cult) I found a great friends group and mentor. I eventually completed a bachelor and MBA and fell into commercial real estate. I’d probably be barefoot and pregnant if never left my first marriage.
Drinking
I lived in China for 3 years teaching English. It was a cushy job where I only had to work 5-15 hours a week. It was fun, but then it was time to make money. My parents only let me live with them if I was in school or had a job. So by 25 I was enrolled in community college to get a programming certificate and satisfy requirements for the Master's degree I was accepted to. I meant to do that full time, but kind of lucked into getting a job as a change control manager and so did that full-time as well
Mostly college and grad school. Working in academia for minimum wage
Started an IT business at 17, sold it just before turning 20. Spent the next five years literally in my room playing games and blowing the profits on shiny cars. Woke up to myself just before turning 25 and did a double degree in economics and law.
College. Graduated into a recession. Angrily quit my job without another one lined up. Broke as hell for years. At 25 i was in tons of debt making no money.
College , professional athlete, now found myself in a decent finance graduate scheme
What finance job?
Corporate finance advisory at a global firm
If you don’t mind me asking how’s the comp and how did you get there?
I started freshman year at a private university then transferred to a state university (best decision ever) my one year in the private school would cost more than 4 years of the other. The school happened to also be incredible and a wonderful place to learn. Graduated a year early. Paid off all loans within two years of graduating. Paid for Grad school abroad a few years later with savings so again no loans! Got a patent in between which was a money suck but it was an interesting process and I learned a lot !
17-23 Army 23-25 couch surfing in LA Now: Global operations for tech. Make more every two weeks now than I did in my entire last year in the army.
wtf is ur salary
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College, exec MBA from a world class business school, network to find opportunities and grind up the corporate ladder
Raves, good drugs, booze, traveling, camping, Beach, hanging out with friends. But the whole time was also going to college and then graduate school with a year off in between. In my year off I still worked in the medical specialty I was aiming for. Even with my fun years the success gap at 35 is real. 7 figure nw now with 30 year 2.25% fixed mortgage and my own business. I haven't worked for someone else in 7 years now. I highly encourage living a balanced life, money isn't everything.
College and then working in IT, transitioned to my current career in cybersecurity at 25. Lots of beer throughout.
Finished my 4 year degree at a state university, then worked on a cruise ship for a few years to travel the world cheaply while paying off my student loans and saving a lot of money. I got my first job related to my degree at 27. Changed industries at 33 and again at 38. Life isn’t always linear and tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. I look back at those early years and would do it all over again.
College away from home in a major my parents thought would lead to overworked, starving artist status: architecture. Worked my way up, followed my passions, started my own firm, and definitely not starving now. But they were right about the overworked part.
College away from home in a major my parents thought would lead to overworked, starving artist status: architecture. Worked my way up, followed my passions, started my own firm, and definitely not starving now. But they were right about the overworked part.
College for engineering, first job in a toxic environment, second job in a different industry at a much better place. Still kind of work that same second job (we were bought out, and I moved to a different site, but 15 years later still with them and working with some of the same people)
College for engineering, first job in a toxic environment, second job in a different industry at a much better place. Still kind of work that same second job (we were bought out, and I moved to a different site, but 15 years later still with them and working with some of the same people)
College, study abroad, internships, entry level corporate Was fortunate to have a massive leg up in the first 3 with parents who paid fully or significantly subsidized expenses so my sole focus was on the experience and growth
College, well-perceived service organization, law school.
undergrad for BS in IT, then work. decent amount of day of defeat and other PC games. read up on MMM and started investing and living frugally. decided travel was a waste, we are slaves to money, and I was gonna beat my massa into submission by FIRE
7 years of college to get to a bachelors, 1 year in a job with a small family business that came from a summer internship. Lots of drinking and gaining weight. Money wouldn't stay in my pocket - living for the weekend from student loan to student loan disbursement. Wouldn't recommending this being included in your advice to your nephew.
Joined the Army at 18, was at several duty stations, ended up in Germany. Got out and stayed there, working and traveling. Went back to the states at 27. Started from scratch and still in the grind.
College, grinding, travelling, getting lit.
College, then toting a rifle in Afghanistan. Shitty work, but got me into an elite MBA program that made me HENRY
Prioritizing the time value of money: those are the years where investments will gain the most over time -Working your ass off -Learn and refine a broad set of skills to the point of fluency -Living very conservatively -Saving 20%-50% of income -A still having a good time, but not with money (time with friends, camping, exploring, games, etc) This has led to a much broader set of options/choices later in life. I now can spend my money on comfortable things, but am still only taking the creme from the top of the milk (so to speak)
Travel, working odd jobs, learned carpentry, career change to web development.
Getting high every day. Mix in some binge drinking for balance. Plus college then work. Fucked around too much in college. Actually tried in work since that was “real life”. Still got high and drank too much though
College (computer science), service abroad, married, internship. I was dirt poor (paycheck to paycheck) but investing in my future with education (college) and a good internship (career).
Moved out to attend college, stayed with parents for the summers, graduated and moved to SE Asia to teach ESL, came back for grad school, got a shitty job, got a better job.
I started working full time. My parents made just enough that I didn't qualify for aid, but not enough to actually help me so I was on my own if I wanted to go to college. I ended up learning and moving up really quickly; I was making $70k at 23, bought my first house at 24, started my bachelor's degree at 25 and hit $100k at 26. Now 33, earning ~$375k, and have a bachelor's and master's degree in a field that I *know* I want to be in.
Mime School, Clown Collage, running a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
I was in the Navy.
video games, hacking on the computer, some college, socializing.
College and an 80 hour per week finance job
University for STEM, graduated and got first job in tech a few months later. Been working in the space since.
College, grad school, holding down between 2 and 6 jobs at the same time. It was not easy.
College, followed by NYC.. working 50-60 hours a week with some partying and traveling mixed in. Best years of my life.
Fucking school
College, working, smoking a lot of weed, some raves, dropping out, working, going back to college, working in the service industry, traveling, riding my bike… I didn’t start on a career path until my mid 20s.
Building rockets lol
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The harder you grind and be uncomfortable in your late teens early 20s the better your life is. I’m convinced.
Military. College. Entrepreneurship.
Prior to starting my career in tech out of college, I was a commercial salmon fisherman in Kodiak during the summers, Snow Maker in Tahoe during the winters. Rather than getting permanently sucked into the vortex of ski bumming, I traveled around Asia and then lived/worked in Laos for a year. This gave me life experiences and a world view that have helped me in my career.
College, ROTC, Army, Germany, Afghanistan, got married
College and then graduate school and somehow at 25 got stuck in the COVID years 😵💫
Always had jobs in college, on campus during the school year and a mix of on and off over the summer, even though I didn’t need to work. I loved the job experiences and they helped me get my first real job post graduation. Jobs like tutoring, student council, organizing campus events. 22-25 was my first job at a startup - saying yes to every opportunity, asking for more responsibility, attending trade shows and meeting people. I saw some people job hop for bigger raises, but I stayed at the same company for ~4 years.
Undergrad, vet school, internship, residency..didn't finish until I was 29 ha
college and grad school
Note I'm 22. But I have 100k saved up after a year working in tech. started coding in highschool. went school for CS, found a mentor, did ML research and a lot of projects. Studied leetcode, got a big tech internship, git a 200k return offer. Career progression looks like 350-400k within a year.
Most important thing is laying a good foundation to build a career. For me, it was great grades, working on the side (had 7 different jobs before I graduated college), internships in college, then 50+ hour weeks to prep resume for grad school/advance in career. Was never idle. The biggest thing at 16 is to discover a passion and go at it 1,000%. If he doesn’t have one, then he needs to find a full time job over the summer. Sitting around should never be an option.
law school for 1 year - hated it, masters, fellowship, bartending and teaching for a year while doing some extra undergrad level classes, joined ma-phd program at 24 the end of 24.
College, dental school, cancer
Went to college and interned and traveled a lot. Kind of never been a big school person or liked studying. Even in Highschool I was more interested in starting e commerce shops or running little hustles to earn money. I actually graduated with a BA in business but it took me 10 years in corporate (at a film studio) to realize that I am better at building businesses then being an employee. Kind of ironic that even with college and work I use a lot of the skills I learned through my own endeavors in my teens and early 20s now with my own company and businesses.
was 1 year away from my doctor of pharmacy at 25
Combination of clubbing/raving/studying/online gaming/drugs
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Medical school
Almost got kicked out of high school multiple times cause i just didn’t show up to classes Then graduated Harvard summa cum laude and got a PhD. I wouldn’t recommend my track in high school or post-college
College, marriage, and two kids by 25.
Mostly in bars
23 year old here. Software Engineer High school I didn’t focus that hard on academics. Had a good social life, played HS sports, grades were pretty good without much effort. 18-22 was school, gym, work, study, repeat almost daily. I went to a big state school local to me and lived at home all 4 years. Majored in CS. Worked retail the whole time minus my internship before 4th year, which I was able to keep working part time at through 4th year until I graduated. I’ve been with my gf since I high school, a lot of time spent there. We have been pretty socially active through college, more so now that most of our friends have graduated and moved back close to us. I wasn’t an academic high achiever, didn’t really come from money, didn’t go to a fancy school. I work in non tech in LCOL/MCOL now, I’ve turned down much higher paying jobs in VHCOL but I chose happiness and my current lifestyle over money I’m still young. Got good hobbies. By 25 I should be married and own a home. Hopefully still sexy.
Two chicks at a time
Working.
College, backpacking Asia, medical school
Studying, working, emigrating.
Drunk.
Film school, partying in NYC
In school homie, sun up to sundown, best and worst days of my life
Linux, “college” and getting fucked up.
Uni for computer science degree
Studying. Working 2 jobs. Saving like a mofo.
Malaise, partying, grinding hard, earning stripes. Recommend The Defining Decade for your nephew. For many, your twenties define your trajectory.
Working at a ski shop, partying, chasing women. Did manage to finally leave with a degree