What are you going to do with your life?
The first rule I would always recommend is you want to do something you’re interested in where your natural talents lie.
However, they have to be directed towards where there’s an economic need.
It does no good to want to be a musician, even if you’re the best at your instrument, because the ability to make money from that is strictly limited.
You’ve got to aim your strengths and your interests at something where there’s an economic need.
You need to do research to figure out what professions look good to you and also have a demand.
You want to choose a career path that will give you financial stability in the future.
If you do that, you can afford your hobby—playing in a band or whatever—all day long.
But don’t rely on that to make money.
What a lot of people do is they go into college and they don’t know what they want to do.
They spend four years there.
Maybe they learn something about political science or some general humanities program.
There is no demand for that, so they graduate with no jobs waiting.
I didn’t want to graduate, look down at my diploma with William Poulos proudly written across it, and know that it had no financial value.
You’ve got to look before you even start your program, your college education, at what is needed in the economy and then best fit your ability with whatever the need it.
This way, when you graduate you will be in demand.
There’s a corollary to that rule, and that is you want to always go where you’re wanted in life.
Even after you graduate and you start your first job, maybe it’s not the perfect job as you see it, but if they want you, it’s a good idea to give a serious consideration.
Then later in your career you may branch out to some area that you had never thought you’d be involved with, but if you’re wanted, it’s a good idea to give that serious consideration.
I went from working as an automotive executive for General Motors (I started at the bottom and worked my way up) to co-founding Profits Run and writing educational products on investing. I loved trading and learning about the markets. It fascinated me. It was my hobby that later in life—after pursuing a career path that would support my family and create stability—I was able to turn into something more.
In other words, don’t try and force the world to accommodate you because the world doesn’t care.
You’ve got to go where the opportunity is.
If you do this right, you will be prepared for the unseen opportunity.
When it comes, you’ll be all over it. If you’re not, it’ll go right by you and you’ll never even know you missed it.
You don’t necessarily need to go to college. You can go to trade school.
You can become a computer programmer.
You don’t have to go to a four-year college to be successful in life.
If you’re good with your hands, if you like dealing in construction, being a carpenter, being a pipe fitter, a mechanic, a millwright, electrician, there’s always going to be a demand for that, and they pay well.
Those jobs pay very, very well.
The key is go with your natural abilities where there’s an economic demand.
There’s an overall life maxim that I like a lot, and that is I think everyone should strive to help as many people as possible doing something they thoroughly enjoy.
If you do that, you’re going to have a good life.
You might say, “Well, I have this job. I’m an electrician. How am I helping as many people as possible?”
By virtue of being an electrician, you’re helping whatever company you’re working for employ hundreds if not thousands of people.
That’s helping people.
If you’re not doing that, if you’re in a job where you don’t like your job, you need to take steps to get out of that job.
If you don’t, it’s your fault, nobody else’s.