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.....that's what I want.
Money, that's what is hot.
Money, that's what I want.
Money, it's what we ain't got,
'cept freedom, freedom, freedom is what we've really sought!
Kudos to you who get the quote. Shame on those who don't.
Actually, not shame. No. After thinking it over, shame doesn't cover it. Pity. Pity is a better description. I feel sorry for those of you who don't get it. Because you missed out on the most epic videogame of all time. It is the only game I could consider better than the fine game that brought me to this beloved website.
I know that the majority of you are now feeling a lot like this guy, right?
![[image loading]](http://darkcornernews.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/bush_confused.jpg)
Ok, now, back to the point of this blog.....
Having looked at my financial situation, and seeing what I can do to fix it, I realized that I'm pretty much fucked at the moment. I've been in university for 3 years, and I have another 2 to go. So this is a bit of a problem.
I've been living cheap. Really cheap. And I've been doing some temporary contractual work on occasion (as well as made some money in online poker which has now been frozen -_-). I haven't really had time for a social life with everything that's been going on, and when I do go out to a party, I now feel out of place. And I haven't gotten laid in almost a year.....
But I'm still in a crazy amount of debt. My mother cannot support me, and I've been barely scraping by as it. I will not be able to borrow enough money to pay for everything next semester, nor the semester after it, since I will have less access to funding (I don't have access to a good co-signer).....
Now, this royally sucks.
In my (little) spare time, I've been doing a lot of work for my student society (It's given me some great networking connections), and I've helped build our Starcraft club from the ground up. I've made a lot of friends here. And now I think I need to drop out and get a job to make enough money to go back. I'm like 99% sure I'm going to have to drop out.
I know that I couldn't get the grades to put me at the very top of the class, giving me access to tons of scholarship opportunities. So, rather than do that, I decided that networking and extracurricular activities would go further for me. And, for the most part, they have.
Of course, with how the system works here, I'll need to make A LOT of money to be able to go back. And I need to cover my current debts as well. So I'm going to have to drop out for a few years.....
So, essentially, I cannot afford to get a shitty job, if I intend on going back to university. And since I intend on going back, I intend on getting a decent job. With no credentials.
Which is impossible, just like it sounds. Especially in this economy.
I've been on my computer job hunting non-stop, or at interviews non-stop for about 16 hrs a day for weeks now. Even during exam period. My only breaks have been to check TL (and play in 1 mafia game). I haven't played any videogames for what seems like weeks (and probably is at this point). And when I did, I played terrible, because I couldn't concentrate on it.
I've been looking at every opportunity imaginable. I've had more than enough opportunities to pick up something part-time at minimum wage already, except I know that I can't take that right now. I need to devote my time to finding something better.
It's almost comical how many "get rich quick" schemes I've seen along the way. And the sad part is that they work, and trap people.....
In one of my previous jobs, I nearly had the opportunity to become a middle manager. I had to quit, unfortunately, but I've been trying to apply for any type of managerial positions I could find.
One problem - I'm not bilingual. Pretty much everything in the Ottawa area requires a person to know English and French. My French is laughable. As such, whenever I apply to any of the positions which want a bilingual candidate, I pretty much get laughed off. If I don't get anything soon, I am going to have to move somewhere to get a job elsewhere. Whenever I get notified on why my application/resume wasn't accepted, 90% of the time my lack of bilingualism is one of the reasons.
Which isn't a problem. Serves me right for not knowing both of the official languages of my country. It's a qualification that they want that I do not have. But it got me thinking - what if I get some kind of qualification for a fairly well paying job? What types of jobs are available for that?
One thing that I found was in demand right now was truck drivers. Apparently, there's not enough people with an AZ license to fill the need for drivers. Wages for drivers seem to be pretty good. I know that I enjoy driving. It'll cost a bit of money to get the certification for it, but there are ways to finance it.
So I've calculated it out - I'm positive I could get a job as a truck driver. I think I could save enough money after about 4 years to get back into Uni for the final 2 years of my program.
Of course, when I laid my plan out and told my mother, she freaked. She knows that I can't afford uni at the moment, but she's scared that if I don't go back in September, I may not go back at all. And I can't blame her. I don't like the idea (it won't be easy going back after taking 4 years off).
I'm 22. I took a year off of high school in the past (mental health reasons), and I took an extra year to get additional classes which would help me. This will mean that I graduate (if this works out as planned) when I'm 28. And my birthday is nearby, so I'll only be a year and a bit away from the big Three-Oh.....
6 years ago, I had no idea I would even go into Engineering..... It's amazing how time goes by..... Now I'm planning on being close to 30 when I finally get to start my career.
I'm still not committed to this, but then again, I need to make a decision soon. The next opportunity to start getting an AZ license starts on Monday next week, and I have to fill out the paperwork for it no later than Friday. My other option would be to go home, live at home, and work in a local factory for 4 years. Similar money in the end, and I did work continental in a factory for a few months last summer, so I know I could do it. But I think this is still the better course of action.
I know this is a long-ass blog. For any of you that made it through, if you have any thoughts, I'd like to hear them. This is mostly just me venting, and getting my thoughts clear. It's been a long month for me..... And it pretty much came out as some verbal diarrhea just now.
 
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As long as you have goals that you see yourself being able to reach in the long run, then go for it! They don't call it life for nothing because there will always be something or someone getting in your way of reaching what you want. Hope everything works its way out for you man.
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i was kinda in your situation feeling hopeless but my dad just new job so i can go live back at home now while getting my degree. all i can tell you is to keep on going and it'll hopfully work itself out like it did for me.
take off to save some more money or if at all possible talk to the university about any kind of loans or grants you may be able to get.
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Dude, sacrifices must be made for a better future. Stick with university education. I was in a similar situation like you. Spent so many years in school, was in a lot of debt and finally got out last year and got a job working on a reserve as a teacher. Right now, I am just working and paying off my debt as well as getting teaching experience. I can relate to you as being poor, even my colleagues call me cheap because I wouldn't spend money on anything. Other than food, I'm pouring all my salary into paying off student loan, paid off 22k already in half a year, 13k to go. But you know that, if I spend money now and the more I spend, the less I will have to pay for my student loans and the later I will realize my goals. It goes back to my first sentence. If you want a better future, make the sacrifices. In the end, you will be better off. Don't just settle for less like a truck driver. Don't worry about what others say to you, you do what you gotta do.
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Any chances of just using student loans? How much is your Uni every year? Any chance of going someplace cheaper?
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On May 10 2011 10:03 mifan wrote:
Dude, sacrifices must be made for a better future. Stick with university education. I was in a similar situation like you. Spent so many years in school, was in a lot of debt and finally got out last year and got a job working on a reserve as a teacher. Right now, I am just working and paying off my debt as well as getting teaching experience. I can relate to you as being poor, even my colleagues call me cheap because I wouldn't spend money on anything. Other than food, I'm pouring all my salary into paying off student loan, paid off 22k already in half a year, 13k to go. But you know that, if I spend money now and the more I spend, the less I will have to pay for my student loans and the later I will realize my goals. It goes back to my first sentence. If you want a better future, make the sacrifices. In the end, you will be better off. Don't just settle for less like a truck driver. Don't worry about what others say to you, you do what you gotta do.
I agree. I've been in university 6 years now, have at least 2 more years to go (and possibly more) and have a massive debt that will take me a few years to pay off. However, once I reach 30-35 years old I will be set with a career I like and a decent pay that will allow me to live more than comfortably.
I put myself in a bad situation because I spent 3 years in pharmacy and the bank loaned me 35k/year, so I wasn't too worried about money and spent loosely (not wasted though, just eating at the restaurant more often and things like that) and that didn't end well 3 years later when I quit pharmacy school. Even with all my stupidity, I wouldn't consider myself in a lost cause. I'm in interest hell but I'm not going to give up on university for that.
So what if people call you cheap if you don't spend much money? They simply don't understand your situation. I have plenty of coworkers at a part time job that work all year, take 1 vacation to either mexico or cuba each year and consider heaven then go back to a low paying job that honestly is very boring. They don't understand why I don't take such a vacation. Same with other activities... yeah I cut out a lot of social events because of my situation, but I keep what I truly love (video games and sports...maybe spend 2-300$ a year on those. Do you think I care if they call me cheap? People that decide to skip education for a quick buck usually end up worse off. There are exceptions, but if you stick with it, you will be rewarded eventually (if you put in some work).
You're only in a desperate situation if you give up hope. Someone showing motivation will always have another chance. Just put on a smile and do your best. Money is just that, money. It's important, but it's not everything.
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On May 10 2011 10:05 Joementum wrote:
Any chances of just using student loans? How much is your Uni every year? Any chance of going someplace cheaper?
I'm in a fairly specific program now.....
I initially went into Civil engineering because I figured it was really broad and would allow me to specialize later on. I've now taken courses that lead me into a structural/geotechnical path, as well as for a management path. The only Universities that I know of that offer this type of stream is Ottawa, Western, and California State University, Long Beach. CSULB is out of the question, and between Ottawa and Western, neither are going to be much different, in terms of costs.
Alternative would be to drop the management option, or switch into a different engineering program with a management option. Both are viable, but switching will likely cause me to need to take 3 years (since I don't have certain 2nd year courses I'd need for other engineering programs). Especially since my hometown is Guelph, and there isn't a Civil program to my knowledge.
I don't see too many options..... And if I go home to switch, it would mean I'd have spent 6 years of Uni to get a 4 year degree..... And it's not the degree I'm interested in either. I really think that I'd rather spend a few years doing other shit than try to get an education about something I'm not passionate about.
My main plan is to get a good job here in Ottawa, and go as a part time student instead. It would take longer, but at least I wouldn't have to leave for 4 years. But that is becoming far more unlikely by the day..... And I've gotta make a decision soon.....
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sounds exactly where i am at  the only way to get out of it is really to improve yourself as much as you can and make the most out of whatever comes up - but definitely an option is to talk to your financial office counselors or academic counselors to try to come up with an efficient plan even if it is to stay away from school for awhile
cheers
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On May 10 2011 10:26 Impervious wrote:Show nested quote +On May 10 2011 10:05 Joementum wrote:
Any chances of just using student loans? How much is your Uni every year? Any chance of going someplace cheaper? I'm in a fairly specific program now..... I initially went into Civil engineering because I figured it was really broad and would allow me to specialize later on. I've now taken courses that lead me into a structural/geotechnical path, as well as for a management path. The only Universities that I know of that offer this type of stream is Ottawa, Western, and California State University, Long Beach. CSULB is out of the question, and between Ottawa and Western, neither are going to be much different, in terms of costs. Alternative would be to drop the management option, or switch into a different engineering program with a management option. Both are viable, but switching will likely cause me to need to take 3 years (since I don't have certain 2nd year courses I'd need for other engineering programs). Especially since my hometown is Guelph, and there isn't a Civil program to my knowledge. I don't see too many options..... And if I go home to switch, it would mean I'd have spent 6 years of Uni to get a 4 year degree..... And it's not the degree I'm interested in either. I really think that I'd rather spend a few years doing other shit than try to get an education about something I'm not passionate about. My main plan is to get a good job here in Ottawa, and go as a part time student instead. It would take longer, but at least I wouldn't have to leave for 4 years. But that is becoming far more unlikely by the day..... And I've gotta make a decision soon.....
Just try to explore your options now and ask your school counselor for guidances in terms of your career path. Also, don't switch too much because like in SC, if you always switching your race, in the end you'll be good at none. Stick with what you like and do everything possible to pursue it. When you make your decision, think thoroughly and look for the long term outcome. Never just focus on the smaller benefits in front of you, look at the bigger picture at all times.
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go back home and live with your mom while working full time for 2 years. Transfer to a cheaper college close to home if possible to finish your degree.
if you take too much time off like 4 years doing things like truck driving, you may not want to return to school. times are tough for alot of people. however, as long as you have family that you can support and get support from. things will be alright.
maybe you will not recieve the degree in the time you expected. however, you will earn it and look back at your accomplishment in the face of adversity.
find a job at bestbuy. one of the best places i worked that trained me how to take bullshit from customers and management. plus the pay was not bad. saved up 5k and entered college.
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I've already got appointments booked with some councillors for later this week. And have talked to them on a few occasions about my situation in the last couple of weeks.
I have been thinking about the long term outcome. My goal is to get this degree. If I found a good full-time job in Ottawa, I could go part-time to University and get my degree in probably 4 years. If I can't, then another job, save money, then go back full-time would take 6 years. There seems to be no way I can pull it off any quicker than those two.....
As for student loans - it's not enough. I can get government loans (OSAP and whatnot), but they aren't enough, and I do not have anyone to co-sign for a better private loan - I've run out of that already.....
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On May 10 2011 10:40 Impervious wrote:
I've already got appointments booked with some councillors for later this week. And have talked to them on a few occasions about my situation in the last couple of weeks.
I have been thinking about the long term outcome. My goal is to get this degree. If I found a good full-time job in Ottawa, I could go part-time to University and get my degree in probably 4 years. If I can't, then another job, save money, then go back full-time would take 6 years. There seems to be no way I can pull it off any quicker than those two.....
As for student loans - it's not enough. I can get government loans (OSAP and whatnot), but they aren't enough, and I do not have anyone to co-sign for a better private loan - I've run out of that already.....
Just get whatever you can from OSAP, then work part time here and there or even borrow money from your relatives or family members. One thing you have to understand that if you take too much time off school then go back after several years, it's gonna be very hard to learn stuff.
IMO, the part time student is probably your best choice right now given the fact you have very limited financial assistance. Part time school will be easier, less workload and you get a chance to work and make money as well as pay bills. At the end of the day, I can't really make the decision for you, I am not you and only you know what is good for you. We can only offer advices, however you gotta think through and think again. The mistake I have always made in the past is making decisions hastily and then later regret it. Now I just let the hype or urge die down then I see that I made the right choice. But I can tell time is running out for you, and you've got a tough decision to make. But be positive, there will always be a way.
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I think your problem is all you're thinking about is debt. It doesn't sound like you have ever seriously considered making a large sum of money on a continuous bases. Too bad making money is not a concept taught in school, even to economics students. When you see yourself as poor, you see yourself as being a truck driver, and you see yourself as not being able to continue studying at University what you're really doing is being a fool. You are looking at your current physical reality to measure your potential as a human being. Humans have six intellectual faculties: The imagination, reason, will, intuition, memory, and perception. Through the development of these mental faculties in accordance to establishing financial independence you will develop the desire to earn money and the belief in yourself that you can make the money. The period of time it takes to earn a certain quantity of money depends on too many variables to predict. As an example, emotions, time spent, and how deep your current subconscious programming is are three unpredictable variables.
I hope you seriously reconsider your self image, to seeing yourself as financially independent rather than as in debt. If you can develop a prosperity consciousness instead of a poverty consciousness I seriously believe you can earn as much money as you want. Its well knows that money will not solve all of your problems, nor will it make you happy. Money makes you comfortable and it provides you with additional options in life. The ideas may seem uneasy, and potentially scary, at first. However, I assure you through continuous study and application of applicable material you can get yourself out of this whole and on the road to financial abundance.
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I've got 2 interviews I'm looking forward to later this week for positions in town, which would allow me to continue my studies part time.
OSAP and working some contractual work wasn't enough for me (I've got about 1k sitting stuck due to the poker situation at the moment, but that's not going to help too much right now, my problem is bigger than that). My student line of credit from my bank haven't been able to cover the difference either, mainly because I'm not qualified for much (having bad co-signers is a big problem for that).
I can't borrow from my mother (she's a single parent raising 3 other kids, I'm the only one in university right now, the rest are a lot younger), my father died when I was 14, and my grandparents can't help either (neither side of my family has money available to help). As for other relatives - my one aunt is caring for a disabled child, which eats away at her income a lot, and my uncle is currently living with my grandparents because he's fucked his life up.
I've gotta make a decision soon. It seems like Friday is it for me. And I've gotta do this one alone. It almost feels like it's not even a decision.
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Like I said, part time student/work would be the best option. That way you pay less for school and you get a chance to make money. Don't worry about how many years it's gonna take you to get the degree. As long as you stay in school and work hard. You will graduate before you know it. When you do manage to make some extra money, go full time student and finish school sooner. Life is hard for people that are not that well off in terms of family, so it is a lot of responsibility and tough. But on the brighter side, you are way up there in terms of your achievements and discipline once you done school compared to people who come from well off families and who drink and party all the time.
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On May 10 2011 10:58 tryummm wrote:
I think your problem is all you're thinking about is debt. It doesn't sound like you have ever seriously considered making a large sum of money on a continuous bases. Too bad making money is not a concept taught in school, even to economics students. When you see yourself as poor, you see yourself as being a truck driver, and you see yourself as not being able to continue studying at University what you're really doing is being a fool. You are looking at your current physical reality to measure your potential as a human being. Humans have six intellectual faculties: The imagination, reason, will, intuition, memory, and perception. Through the development of these mental faculties in accordance to establishing financial independence you will develop the desire to earn money and the belief in yourself that you can make the money. The period of time it takes to earn a certain quantity of money depends on too many variables to predict. As an example, emotions, time spent, and how deep your current subconscious programming is are three unpredictable variables.
I hope you seriously reconsider your self image, to seeing yourself as financially independent rather than as in debt. If you can develop a prosperity consciousness instead of a poverty consciousness I seriously believe you can earn as much money as you want. Its well knows that money will not solve all of your problems, nor will it make you happy. Money makes you comfortable and it provides you with additional options in life. The ideas may seem uneasy, and potentially scary, at first. However, I assure you through continuous study and application of applicable material you can get yourself out of this whole and on the road to financial abundance.
I don't know what to say other than you're probably right. I am probably acting foolish. But, right now, I don't see another way of handling my situation. I need to do something drastic, since, on my personal balance sheet, I see:
Income < Expenses
And I have to fix that problem, since I no longer have any cash reserves to make up for this imbalance.
I have a goal. That goal is obstructed. I know what is obstructing it, and I am working on finding a way of fixing the problem. If there is a better way of handling my situation, I'd like to know.
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Whoa, this was an engrossing read. Amazing yet sad story. Best of luck to you.
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Your situation seems so shiiitty dude. Here I am thinking how bad I have it cuz I'm 10k in debt. But I don't even get interest put on my loans until after I graduate.
I know this post doesn't help you at all but it does remind me that I take my financial aid package for granted sometimes.
As a fellow engineer, I also feel you on the part about getting bad grades..it seems like no matter how hard I work I just can't make those A's :/
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Canada13406 Posts
Hey man, I would say you should look at whether working part time and going to school full time will be more worth it. The price of full time tuition at our university is cheaper over 2 years than part time over 4 years.
If you can manage to get by with part time work you should really do so.
If you need a part time job PM me I can see if Best Buy needs anybody and I can try and get you an interview if thats the route you want to try and take.
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On May 10 2011 11:52 Impervious wrote:Show nested quote +On May 10 2011 10:58 tryummm wrote:
I think your problem is all you're thinking about is debt. It doesn't sound like you have ever seriously considered making a large sum of money on a continuous bases. Too bad making money is not a concept taught in school, even to economics students. When you see yourself as poor, you see yourself as being a truck driver, and you see yourself as not being able to continue studying at University what you're really doing is being a fool. You are looking at your current physical reality to measure your potential as a human being. Humans have six intellectual faculties: The imagination, reason, will, intuition, memory, and perception. Through the development of these mental faculties in accordance to establishing financial independence you will develop the desire to earn money and the belief in yourself that you can make the money. The period of time it takes to earn a certain quantity of money depends on too many variables to predict. As an example, emotions, time spent, and how deep your current subconscious programming is are three unpredictable variables.
I hope you seriously reconsider your self image, to seeing yourself as financially independent rather than as in debt. If you can develop a prosperity consciousness instead of a poverty consciousness I seriously believe you can earn as much money as you want. Its well knows that money will not solve all of your problems, nor will it make you happy. Money makes you comfortable and it provides you with additional options in life. The ideas may seem uneasy, and potentially scary, at first. However, I assure you through continuous study and application of applicable material you can get yourself out of this whole and on the road to financial abundance. I don't know what to say other than you're probably right. I am probably acting foolish. But, right now, I don't see another way of handling my situation. I need to do something drastic, since, on my personal balance sheet, I see: Income < Expenses And I have to fix that problem, since I no longer have any cash reserves to make up for this imbalance. I have a goal. That goal is obstructed. I know what is obstructing it, and I am working on finding a way of fixing the problem. If there is a better way of handling my situation, I'd like to know.
Well I think the fact that you are presently thinking is absolutely great. Its also important to address your problems, and deal with them in a mature manner. Presently your biggest problem that is keeping you from making a lot of money is your subconscious programming related to acquiring money. You are looking at your balance sheet and that is basing your self image. Therefore you see yourself as a person in debt, or in other words, your thinking about nothing but debt. You are not really thinking about making money, even though you might tell yourself you're thinking of making money. People think in pictures, so if you were thinking about making money you would see yourself making plenty of money to live the way you want to live.
If you want to overcome the obstacles to attaining your goal, here is my advice:
I would recommend writing out all of your options. You need to have at least 3 options to have a choice. You can have more than 3 options in this exercise. List the outcomes of each option and the probability of attaining that outcome. You can now work to eliminate some of your options. Just continue to think about and evaluate the options until you get down to one option. You can even merge components of multiple options while making your decision. This should be a fun, creative process. Now that you have made your decision you should write everything that is positive in regards to the results you will acquire from the option you selected. This can be in terms of finances, education, goals, etc...If you can't think of any positives, write out all the negatives on a separate sheet of paper. For every negative there has to be a positive. You cannot have a negative without a positive, just like you can't have an up direction without a down direction. Then keep the list of positives and literally burn the list of negatives (Burning them is more symbolic than necessary). Every day upon waking up and going to bed read through the positives. You will begin to automatically develop positive thoughts to attaining the money and education that you desire. These thoughts will determine your feelings, and your feelings determine your actions.
Make sure that on each day you work on attaining your outcomes. Don't focus on the little things, put your focus on the big picture. You should not feel stressed. Stress is an attitude (Attitude can be defined as the accumulation of your thoughts, feelings and actions). When you feel stressed its because you are seeing your desired outcomes as small steps. As an example, one who doesn't exercise would view exercising as many steps. This causes negative thoughts towards exercise, which in turn cause negative emotions and those emotions cause the body to not exercise. Whereas people who exercise do so based on habit. They don't think about it...its just programmed in the subconscious mind for them to go exercise. When you have to continuously do something you dislike (ex: exercise), I would recommend merely developing a habit of doing it. That way you don't think about it, you just do it. When you don't think about it you don't get the negative emotions and negative results. You can develop habits by doing something over and over again. Back on point, when you work each day on attaining your desired outcomes, you develop the habit on attaining those outcomes. You won't have to think about doing it anymore. By practicing the development of your income on a daily basis, you will soon receive exponentially large awards.
Note: Working is not the best way to make money. In fact, its a probably the worst way to make money. The only way to work and make a lot of money is by working so many hours that you don't have any free time. That means you are trading your life for money. Attaining money is not a worthy ideal to trade your life for. Its almost as stupid as robbing a bank and rotting in prison the rest of your life. If you read biographies and study some of the wealthiest people in the world it will quickly become clear they developed passive sources of income, or multiple sources of income that didn't require their physical presence. They may have required their physical presence in the short run (Or to start up a money making project), but after the basic startup is finished they could leave the business, investment, etc..alone and get recurring income from it.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews27/a%20mission%20impossible%20season%201/title2%20mission%20impossible.jpg)
