financial freedom

[FuzzX]

Option A likely scenario: Very well traveled internationally, fluent in at least 2 foreign languages, dating like a rock star but not married (if you are wise), but forced to work and live a fairly frugal life as your savings are minimal (under US$10K)

Option B likely scenario: Travel experiences limited to what you saw on business and maybe very short vacations, no foreign languages, not married (if you are wise) and little or no dating now that you are an old man (over 30), perhaps quite stressed out from your workaholic lifestyle, but you have socked away some real money US$50K-250K or more.



In theory B is 'the best' option... however in reality, many people don't make it to retirement age or even into their 30s. One of my cousins saved her whole life... bought a home and 2 cars all paid for... climbed the corporate ladder, had money set away for retirement, planning to travel in her 40's. She woke up with a headache one day and died of brain cancer 4 months later. She was 35.

Then there are the 90% of middle class who make it to thirty and are already married or in debt up to their eyeballs. I think the 1% who you are talking about are extremely rare. Also if you have worked your whole life, you are LESS likely... infact from the people I speak to on a regular basis... you are almost not likely at all to want to leave your 'comfort' zone. If you don't learn to do it when you're young, there is no way you're going to want to do it when you're older. I consider myself lucky to have taken TESOL instead of becoming a cop because I can guarntee you I would NEVER have bothered living abroad or considered dating foreign girls had I not tried it... I'd probably be married to some western police b1tch right now and had my balls cut off and fed to me.


I tell plenty of people about going abroad, living large and leveraging their money, most older people reply with the same answers: "Why would I want to leave Canada?" "I'm happy here thanks" "I love my country" "I have enough money to live WELL here, why would I want to live in an ugly place like that!?" "I'm not going to travel just to pickup women!" "Isn't it really dangerous there?" "I've got a life here, I just can't getup and leave my stuff!" "If I quit my job, what will happen to my pension! No I only have 14 years left and then I'll travel!"... it goes on and on and on and on... and you know what, people will just find excuses why they can't travel when they get to retirement like my uncle who just died of throat cancer... he died with a million bucks in the bank... alot of good that did him considering he had just retired not 5 years prior.


I think living frugally has taught me a TON of money skills. NOW I am able to Save 90% of what I make AND I live completely DEBT-FREE, if you were working in corporate america, likely you have made several big stupid purchases like my cousin who bought himself a house with the white picket fence and a nice car (on credit) only to lose it when he hit 30 after his girlfriend left. Now he spends most of his time in therapy trying to deal with the massive stress from the debt he'll likely have to spend years paying down. He also hates his job... not a wonderful life.

Then there's the sex... I had 0 success with women until I was 25 (In Brazil). I have NEVER been able to meet a woman at home yet I've had 4 women abroad, 3 that were girlfriends. 1 of them was a very rewarding 2.5 years. I wouldn't trade any of those experiences for a million dollars. So in reality OPTION A is the best way to go.

Do the travelling while you're young.

BTW You can get a factory/forklift job without having a highschool diploma but make sure you stay and get it done before you try and travel... you're gonna have a really hard time trying to get into ESL without one. Use this time to work and practice SAVING YOUR MONEY. Make a budget, don't buy stuff you don't NEED, try and live in america on 10 dollars a week or less (past rent).

[Winston]

Wow what an interesting discussion. I prefer Option A too. Or maybe the middle ground between A and B, such as working for three years, or every year working 6 months and then taking off to go overseas for 6 months.

Or you can make money in an easy job with short hours that pay a lot. Such jobs do exist. I've had them before.

[ladislav]

I figure if you could set and achieve an ambitious goal of making $100 a day online from anywhere by any legal means possible, that would solve most retirement problems. This is what I'm trying to do. I respect frugality but boy does it feel great to have some "comfortable" money coming in!
My father was also saving and planning but postponing. Always with a wistful smile- next year, next year, not yet, not yet. Then bang, he had a stroke and was gone in 9 days. Some retirement!

[globetrotter]

Hamdizzel,

We can debate the value of a College Diploma but HS is not debatable.

You have to get that. Must. Make it priority No. 1.

Then work on the TESOL. You have to graduate HS or you are a loser anywhere on this planet.

Once you do that then work any job and live at home and save. Your parents and society will cut you slack when you are young. You can do things at ages 17-30 that you cannot later on. Live at home, save every penny, get a cheap ESL cert, get a job and go.

Things you can do now in life:
-ESL
-Bartender
-Lifeguard
-Fireman
-Policeman
-Military enlistment
-Club DJ
-Doorman/Bouncer
-Rock Band

AFA the degree is concerned Fuzz is in your situation +6 years. He wants to get rid of the visa runs so he is getting that piece of paper. That is a good focused goal and reason to get a UNI education. Momopi's career track is also focused. Your degree name should be in your job title. If it is not then you are wasting your time and money and going into debt needlessly.

That is for the future.

You need to get the GED HS Diploma first. Do that NOW!

[hamdizzel]

your not a loser just because you don't have a high school diploma or GED
were did you that notation? sure i'll get the ged buts some it tough stuff
harder then any imagine but im not going to sit and mop without a high school
degree or GED there are things that can be done without nether of them
besides my true goal is to live in the wilderness anyhow im sick of society.

[Pacsun]

Hamdizzel,

You can get job training and your HS diploma at Job Corps. You live in Washington right? You are eligible to get your HS diploma. You are 19? If you are under 20 you can still get a diploma. Don't get a GED. You only take a classes on a computer (tests) and you will get your diploma in 6 months or less and you can get job training in a vocation of your choice.

http://www.jobcorps.gov/centerlocations ... atename=wa

Go to that website and apply. Find out more about Job Corps. I went to Job Corps in 2004 and it changed my life. There are opportunities, you just have to find them.

[globetrotter]

your not a loser just because you don't have a high school diploma or GED
were did you that notation?

Very young man,

You can argue with me or you can take my advice. All educated Europeans, Asians, Russians and Indians have a HS diploma. The ones that don't are laborers and lower lower class. If you meet someone and tell them you have not even graduated HS they will think you are an uneducated rube. There are 17 year old HS girls from Russia who know more than most USA College Grads. Once you open your mouth and talk with her she will know you are uneducated.

They would be right.

I am telling you how the world is.

I am 50.
You are 19.

One thing that the Feminists have done is f***ed up the intergenerational transfer of knowledge from older men to younger men.
Your reflexive reply is to discard my decades of knowledge, experience and wisdom.
That is not wise but it IS what Feminists have trained you to do.

Get your Diploma. You will be behind everyone else, on the planet, as long as you don't finish HS.
Don't argue with me or rationalise, just do it.

Where is your Father?

[FuzzX]

your not a loser just because you don't have a high school diploma or GED
were did you that notation? sure i'll get the ged buts some it tough stuff
harder then any imagine but im not going to sit and mop without a high school
degree or GED there are things that can be done without nether of them
besides my true goal is to live in the wilderness anyhow im sick of society.


Ham take some courses in ENGLISH... you really really need to improve your writing skills. Without those you are basically f***ed no matter where you go in the world. For some easy credits take courses in DRAMA!!! Plus Drama classes will give you an absolutely essential skillset to use in the ESL world.

Only a handfull of people around the world were lucky enough to get by without education but they were extremely extremely lucky... like 1 in a million people. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were LUCKY and they spent 99.99999% of their time sitting on the computer banging off code in an age where the only guys who had a computer wore pocket protectors and carried around filing cabinets full of punch cards. It was not an easy road for either of them! They were losers in highschool and spent all of their time learning about computers. Unless you have an extreme amount of technical expertise or are insanely attractive and talented, it will be an up hill battle all the way through life.

That job corps route sounds really attractive, I would look into that if I were you. I can't tell you how many times I've been scoffed at, belittled, picked on, talked down to and rejected for not having a degree in my field. I was luckily enough to meet a few great english teachers in Mexico and Brazil who showed me how to make $$$ without higher ed but this is because I'm an extreme extrovert and make friends very quickly. Unless you know how to hit the ground running, you are just gonna hit the ground.

I never graduated highschool either to be honest.

I went through HS for 6 YEARS (expelled once, failed 2 grades) and still couldn't graduate... I had to finish my diploma in night school classes... teachers hated my guts. Don't feel bad about not being able to get your diploma in the brick and mortar but DO finish it up, no one will ever be able to take it away from you. My bestfriend was bullied all the way through and had to quit in Grade 11 and finish it at home... I think he graduated a year before everyone else. You can do it faster at home or in nightschool without the pressure and bullshit associated with american highschools today. Take lots of English and Art credits if you hate the sciences or vice versa. In Canada you can also take a Coop for a large chunk of highschool credit.. I'm not sure if it works the same over there.

You can't teach ESL to the president of a fortune 500 company without at least a highschool diploma. Usually the people I work with are Master's degree grads and know more about English Grammar than I'll ever know yet they make half my salary. You need to have a very special skill in order to hang with these types.

Another one of my friends who is actually just a year or two older than you, left school with your exact attitude! He quickly found out that the only place that would give him a job was Tim Hortons (Dunkin Donuts) or the factory. Within 6 months he finished his highschool diploma and is now pursuing a welding course. I think those guys make $30/Hour right out of school... He is considering going backpacking in Puerto Vallarta after he finishes his first year at work and he'll have the money to do it too.

Think about it this way: if you spend the next year in the library getting your courses finished and sitting on this site talking to these guys, you'll have the necessary contacts AND education to get by ANYWHERE in the world. AND in just 2 years you would be able to put enough money together to retire comfortably for the next 20 years in India... lolz. or vacation for 2 years in Mexico. Take as many courses in GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, ENGLISH, DRAMA and LAW as you can and it will prepare you to deal with living in the outside world. Alegbra might be handy but in reality, I've never used a single thing that I took in the Advanced Mathematics courses in highschool. BTW use the edit button on the top there to put together some coherent sentences... I must edit my posts 20 times before I leave them here.

Eagles don't fly with Turkeys.

[hamdizzel]

i signed up for jobcorps.. i should be in as soon as they have an opening
which is not far off yes i know i need a high school degree or GED
im not denying that but i have wait till 2011 to take the ged math test again

[ajushi]

man screw it all... im just gonna leave with no money i have a TESOL english certificate
everyday being in this country is draining my strength my soul my hope, everything,
gosh i hate living here! its always about being number 1 and being better then the next guy im sick of it!
why can't people be at peace with eachother here? who cares who has the best car the best house the best
job!

AMEN BROTHER, well stated

And AMEN Globetrotter, you nailed it.

AMEN TO WHOLESOME LVING AND PEACE AND QUIET

and especially to the goals and aspirations of the original poster. A quiet place in the contry side free from the insanity of big city life.... Just add that a family and a community and a healthy social life and that is a VERY BIG AMEN.