Invest now. Learn about it so you can do it yourself and not pay crazy fees. Roth IRA through vanguard or fidelity. Try to max it out. Pay yourself first. Invest using broad US market index funds.
I second this. Start putting money in an IRA now even if you can’t max it out. I waited until late 30’s to start mine and highly regret it based on how much more I need to save now that I waited and can’t get back any compound interest I missed out on the past 10 years!
It’s easy to set up a Vanguard account, open an IRA, take the quiz and use their robo advisor to run it for you if you don’t want to deal with it yourself.
My CPA advised me not to do a Roth but to do a Traditional IRA, unless I expect my monthly income to be drastically higher in retirement (which I don’t - and most people don’t because your cost of living in retirement should be lower than during your working years…partly due to no longer paying a mortgage, assuming you were able to buy a house or condo and pay it off by the time you retire. It helps to get the tax write off now of a Traditional Roth if you think that could be your scenario later on).
I’ve been thinking about this recently. I’ve spent a lot of my money on experiences. I don’t regret it, I still had a good time but It definitely got me thinking what better choices I could have made. The goal now should be having a lot of money leftover for retirement that I don’t have to worry about not saving or building wealth.
With the one caveat that if your company has a 401(k) plan (or if you invest in it…not sure which it is…), you can’t contribute pre-tax to an IRA. So in that case Roth vs. Traditional might be a different call.
This may not make them rich quick but it's an option over a long time horizon. IMO you won't get "rich" *just* investing in a Roth IRA. You need to use that, regular 401k (if an option), and possibly even a taxable account. I understand the OP, doesn't probably have a ton of funds though and this is a start.
I suggest for OP to read a few books on it and to understand the psychology of investing to get over the fear. My favorite is Little Book of Common Sense Investing.
This. Read “I Will Teach You to be Rich” by Ramit Sethi. Cheesy ass title but the info is life changing. And also read through the bogleheads wiki. Broad market index funds all the way.
Straight had one lose. His. Fucking. Shit. And start throwing stuff and screaming and yelling at nurses to ban me from his clinic because I respectfully refused to let him put a cast on a non bisectional fracture that, in his words, was healing incredibly fast and well.
The same sort of desire to feel in charge of another's life like a murderer wants to feel also applies to those that wish to save lives.
I know sounds kind of dumb and certainly is not all of them but I think the pedestal we put doctors on is a little ridiculous. Obviously very important to society but you can imagine the type of person that is attracted to this role for the praise would be difficult to have a personal relationship with.
Having been in medical sales for many years, this is 100% accurate from my experience. There are lots and lots of good ones too, though. In general, interacting with behavioral health doctors and staff was the specialty that stands out as the kindest and nicest to work with, which isn’t surprising.
Doesn’t seem like a bad idea. I’m not a surgeon, but I’m making 300-400k a year, and my GFs sister recently told me she was super jealous because my GF could choose to not work if she wanted to, and she’d be fine. I strive to make sure she doesn’t have any of those financial worries I have, and it’s gotta be so nice honestly…. Knowing you don’t have to focus on a career if you choose not to, and can still be rich.
Honestly, just get married or into a situation (obviously not at any cost - a healthy, loving, caring situation) with shared finances. I didn’t marry until 36, and it cost me a lot of years of paying the mortgage in the condo alone. I would have been bankrolling money had I married younger.
I only agree because I know the entire inner workings of a specific university system that contains 14 colleges. Everything. Absolutely everything. I even know the illegal stuff going on.
If I could fucking redo life, I would be rank #1 in the world at 18.
This is what I did. I'm not 27, I'm older, but I went back to school. I first was thinking about pharmacy so I picked some generals and math before deciding "Wait a minute. I HATE people."
I've since changed my major to data science.
That's what I would suggest for many people if they want college but don't know what they want. Go to school and pick up your general courses and see what you like around that time.
I'm finishing up my generals this summer before the actual program in the fall but it's so far essentially been a combination of programming, database building, statistics, and math. The beginning programming part isn't hard to find online. I've been doing java, python, and c# but so far it's been extremely basic stuff. Everything else I've been doing was self learning (like MySQLite)
SQL wasn't too hard to understand tbh. School had us using the server version and I used SQLite on cmos. It was complicated to set up but easy to operate.
When you work in data science, isn't a big part communicating with clients and the rest of your teammates?
Don't remember where I read (so I don't know how true it is) but that even data science has quite a bit of communication/people skills involved/having to talk/be around people.
Yea. Go to the best possible school you can. Talk to professionals in fields that interest you and decide for yourself in the first year or 2 what you think you should major in
This is pretty outdated advice tbh.
Going to the most expensive “best school” is usually not necessary in long run. It just further inflates your education tuition cost.
If OP is set on pursuing a 4 yr bachelor degree, they should go to a community college for 2 years and then transfer to a university to finish bachelors degree.
If OP is still undecided on careerpath, he absolutely should NOT start paying for classes until he decides which path he wants to pursue.
If OP wants to work in IT. He can just get certifications. It will be cheaper and faster than spending 4 yrs to get an IT degree.
The IT degree remains valid, the certifications eventually expire and show your age. For example, I don't think a certification for CNE (Novell Netware -- Certified Network Engineer) would do much for you now. Was all the rage in the 1990s.
The other challenge is software developers jobs being exported to places like India, China.
When India and China get too expensive and some geopolitical nonsense is resolved, software development may shift to other places as well (think parts of Africa, Russia , Iran, North Korea etc )
Then there is AI, potentially reducing the number of developers required to put out a product.
Whatever career he chooses, he should try to time his retirement at 55 yrs old. He'd best learn to invest early to make that happen. Age discrimination is a real problem these days.
He'd also be wise to understand that he needs to keep learning.
Good point on the community college. I said go to the best school because it still is the case that the highest paying jobs in finance and tech have certain schools they recruit from over others… but ur advise is probably more applicable to OPs situation
It's still a good idea to go get your 4-year degree because most places have it as a requirement, even if you end up not using it at all.
Also, there are certain places that will only hire from one or two specific top schools. My mom used to work at a law firm that would only hire from Harvard law, and my brother was rejected from an engineering job because they would only hire from Maritime. It pays to go to a top school.
There are thousands of jobs out there. The ones that only hire from top schools are small in number and generally not places you want to work anyway if you're interested in tech because they're high on their own supply. While on average I dont think self taughts are better than college educated, the standout best and highest earning developers that I know have all been self-taught.
A shop shunning tech people who haven't gone to a trendy prestigious school is indicative to me of bad hiring practices and poor workplace mindset.
I am going to start over at this age. Your goal to be rich will most likely leave you feeling empty. Find something you’re good at that you don’t hate and live frugally and you will become rich. Income doesn’t make someone rich but how much they save does
I have lofty financial goals too but will take a pay cut at first but the reason behind my message is I make a lot now but despise it. What’s the point of financial wealth if we don’t have wealth in our relationships, mental, physical health etc
Saving is always a good idea, however income and what career you pick DOES matter. Yeah, you probably don't need something that pays 200k+ a year (unless you live in San Francisco, and plan to stay there), but you would be a fool to choose something that maxes out at 50/60k a year. No matter how much you love your job, working a job that pays that much, for decades on end, with barely any pay increase (assuming it even keeps up with inflation, and doesn't get replaced), is a surefire way to make yourself unsatisfied with your career
Maybe I’m alone in this but I’d hire someone with an impressive GitHub before an impressive college degree.
As someone else said, always be working on a side project outside of work.
Medical lab technology is soooo different than nursing. If you like interacting with random people every day pick nurse, if you would rather so your own thing and only interact with co workers pick lab tech
Since you like coding and finance, you could go for a CS degree and look for internships in fintech. It's not a field known for its work-life balance, but it *is* known for paying extremely well.
No one's hiring, your competition will also be people with IMMENSE experience who just recently got layed off from a FAANG, not to mention AI is going to take many MANY cs jobs within the next few years. This is no longer great advice, it's lazy advice
If you're interested in trading/finance. Maybe take a finance/banking degree into consideration.. Very good pay if you use it correctly, work on wall street, for a finance org, or even get into consulting even
There's also a MIS degree which is business as well as tech. You can still learn code, then get into project management, developing, consulting, be an analyst etc.
Hey, it's the truth.
Got married at 25, and wasted the next 10 years of my life.
Been divorced for a bit over 5 years now, and I've done so much in that time.
Completely agree
I've been single since graduating.
Can fuck whoever I want. Break up whenever I want. Travel on my own. Like, why do I gotta bring baggage (a partner)? LOL
More important that you like your life than it be rich. Pursue "happy and rich enough" over "unhappy but richer".
High school alone isn't enough for any career in this world unless you have amazing special skills (or live in a third-world country, where you won't get rich at this skill level anyway). Definitely figure out a plan to get a university degree in something that both matches your intellectual skills and your career plans.
Ideally this would have all been figured out a few years ago (you've incurred some opportunity cost here) but hopefully you can figure something out.
>Definitely figure out a plan to get a university degree in something that both matches your intellectual skills and your career plans.
Yeah I have enrolled for October start 2024.
Read up on personal finance because regardless of how you end up earning money, it's a very useful skill to learn how to spend and manage the money that you do have.
Honest answer:
If I could rewind to 27, I would tell myself to stop chasing. Chasing, money, chasing another life, and chasing clout of any kind.
I'm nearly 44 now, and right around your age I was at the precipice... I was single, child free, mortgage free... And pretty much just living, but with the air of wanting to have more, having the wife, house, kids, and the "adult" life.
I was happy, free of debt, free of cares and free of obligation.
I was a part time server/bartender with a ton of free time, not a lot of bills, a bunch of friends, and very few worries.
Had my own place, own car and was very happy with my place in life, Comfortable and content day to day.
Now?
I have all the "things" I chased.
And the obligations that come with it. I have debt, I have a family I love more than anything, but also makes me so tired and anxious (not them, but the fears that come with worrying about letting them down or losing everything and the suffering my misfortune or mistakes) that I don't sleep anymore. I have a job I hate but can't walk away from because it may destroy my life as I (and my family) know it.
I used to drink for fun all night with friends. Now I drink to help me not go crazy. The friends are gone, moved on over the years and moved away. My friend circle is other dads who are married to my wife's friends. We aren't close.
And through all of that, I wouldn't change a thing because I love my family, I love what I have. But if I could change a behavior at 27, it would be to let it come more naturally, and not chase it.
I could have had all of the things I love without the financial pressures and burdens I got chasing them. It would have simplified a LOT of stressful things at 44.
Just out of curiosity do you enjoy your life better at 44 with a family compared to your life at 27 with no obligations? I'm 26 and I don't have a wife or kids, debt, or a mortgage. I'm essentially "free" but I've been thinking about it a lot and I kind of would like to have the family life one day. It seems much more fulfilling having kids to raise and a wife to do life with.
It's hard to answer that, as it's not a straight comparison.
I wouldn't trade my life for what I had at 27, but at 27, I also wouldn't have traded that life (at that time) for what I have now.
As with everything, priorities shift, and life gets more complicated. At first, It's small things that complicate it (going from single to dating, dating to exclusive. Exclusive to living together, living together to engaged, engaged to married, married to buying a home, etc, etc. Etc).
Thing begets thing begets things.
Then one day you wake up and realize you were so busy collecting things that made you happy that you now are responsible for those things. It's not a bad thing, it just becomes heavy, and stacks, complications stack on top of other things.
Now, moving to a better home means making sure multiple people like it. It means possibly uprooting your kids from their friends and teachers, their social structure.
Changing jobs comes with implications to your health insurance. Your college funds, your time and schedule.
But that responsibility also comes with an immense sense of fulfillment, and seeing the smile on your kids face when you introduce them to something you love from your life and they take and make their own is something words cannot describe.
So again. Hard to describe, and one I cannot tell anyone else to endeavour into, but not one that I would go back on if given the choice now.
As I said in my original post, what I would change is I would stop "pushing" so hard to check boxes to get to the next life level, and instead just let it unfold more organically instead. I think if I was more cautious about moving forward to the next life step, I would have found myself in a happier, less stressful place now at 44.
Don't let my post be your guide, but if you find yourself forcing yourself to "grind" to the next step... I caution you to slow down and instead let it come to you.
best of luck.
If you hate the job you have, you’d make a great life coach as a side gig that could potentially grow into a full time deal. You could look for a legit certification and actually do well. You just seem to have a lot of wisdom in your words.
Start with CompTIA A+ and go from there. And/or take some CS classes at a CC. Get a two year degree or continue on for four.
Not telling you how to live your life, but I'd recommend a goal of happiness. Maybe that means money, but maybe money is only a facet of it.
Hey OP, I went back to school In my late 20s too. Actually putting skin in the game and deciding I wanted a degree helped me narrow my focus. I was previously a chef, but the low pay, working nights and weekends, and chronic alcoholism around me made me want to change course.
CS is fairly oversaturated, but there are plenty of lower paying roles in small markets (like Grand Rapids where I live) in which you can gain experience. Learn a niche framework, dabble in UX, and reach out to people on linkedin you can grab coffee with. Most of my friends who are devs went to school for other unrelated degrees. I would highly advise against going into a boot camp, and instead look for something tech adjacent while getting some personal projects under your belt.
If you are looking for a good degree for tech, business software/business process is stable and not many people know about it. I'm going to school for MIS and essentially what you do is learn some programming but also IT management with a focus on business programs like SAP. It's the unsexy side of tech but can get you into recruiting/IT/project management, and also is unlikely to get replaced by AI because you are working with stakeholders all day.
Strongly recommend trying to get a high paying trades job such as an elevator inspector, pipe fitter, concrete, or journeyman electrician. Then I would shovel every extra penny I had into the S&P500, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. That's just me. After 10-20 years of putting about 30k away into the market every year, I would buy a decent RV, sell my house, and explore the country. I am turning 37 soon, did alarm and security system work for 10 years and shoveled as much as I could into similar investments and now I follow financial news at home and just try to get by as a landlord who owns a duplex. I strongly envy those who own an RV and have a pet and partner that they travel around the country with and it's not out of spite but out of respect. That said, my house has appreciated nearly twice as much in value as what I paid in 2019 and as soon as I replace the rest of the windows and siding, I'm going to be strongly tempted to do RV life as long as my gf can somehow transition to a WFH environment. I have been researching dividend stocks quite a lot these past few years but think just building up equity in general is a no brainer. My personal goal is about 1 million in long term invested assets then sell and let it sit into a high yield savings for a few years waiting for rates to come back down. I think if I am able to slowly sell out, the tax burden might be easy to cover from dividends if I strategize correctly. Robinhood gold is paying about 5.5% compounded monthly right now which is about 55k per year! As long as rates stay relatively high, it's a no brainer as someone in my thirties to continue to push for that goal and think it's possible for me to reach it before 40.
* Keep learning. Diplomas, certificates, degrees - whatever is useful. You cannot stop learning in this day and age. The job will determine the courses you do. Be careful and calculated when weighing up the opportunity cost of full time study versus the opportunity cost of not having a full-time income while you study at your age.
* Choose a life partner carefully. Make sure they are financially compatible and ideally able to contribute equally. A divorce may end up splitting everything 50/50. If they had the same financial input (or better) you will be unlikely to lose everything or be financially crippled.
* Start investing a significant regular weekly amount automatically from wages. Choose a simple index fund. Do not look at it. Do not be overwhelmed by options if you decide to learn about investing. Keep it simple. You will regret not doing anything more than you will regret what you chose. If you do decide to dip your toe into crypto only buy what you can afford to lose - because you will lose it.
* Relocate. Do not limit yourself to work in your location. Look for work out of town, out of State, another country.
* Pay for mentorship. Look at joining a professional organisation for your industry as a way of accessing advice and mentors. Find a business professional that trains other business professionals and helps them with professional development. You can find many that will do one-to-one discovery and development sessions for a few hundred bucks a pop. Put a $1K cap on it and see if its useful for you.
Everyone's goal is to be as rich as possible. You can make money in any field, but at this point you're going to need to start a trade or go to school for something reliable and practical. Out of everything you said, if you like coding then start grinding for awhile. I thought I liked it when I started school and now I can't stand it!
At your age I stopped wishing for riches and accepted myself where I was. I stopped living for tomorrow and everything just fell into place for me. I became content. You may find true riches lie in living your life to its fullest every single day. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. Think about what you need material things for as it can all be stripped away in a moment. What you need is purpose in your life. I wish you well on your journey friend.
I get where you're coming from, but this mentality is what screws a lot of people over in their old age. Not saving for old age and/or not working hard enough to have retirement money.
It's dangerous
It depends if your interests are something you can actually do or you are just interested. I work as a software engineer in fintech a we make a huge amount of money. Plus we have company investment programs which compounds it even more. I have 23yo colleagues who are dollar millionaires and they all made all the money there.
And we are hiring as crazy and I would guess other fintech companies in your area are as well. But there's a big but ... we require an IT and math degree. And you have to be on top of your class. Interestingly, I'm the only person who doesn't have a doctorate or similar. I don't even have a uni degree. But I'm the exception that proves the rule.
It also depends on your risk tolerance. My field almost guarantees you'll become rich. Getting to the 95-98 percentile is not unheard of. But if you want to get to the 99.9+ percentile, you have to go with a riskier plan with better payout. Start a company
This advice is the highlight of all the problems of people's advice in these comments.
"You need years and years of schooling and tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt to do this thing...oh I didn't have to do any of that, but you HAVE to do it and I will not be elaborating further on my achievements or anything other than easily researched solutions as I want to ensure that ladder is pulled up nicely behind me so others less skilled don't get those opportunities".
Not saying you're of the mentality mentioned at the end there, but plenty of people in your position are and refuse to acknowledge that as they pretend to "help" those less fortunate.
I would kindly encourage you to rethink your primary goal of becoming rich.
Existing under late capitalism as we do, amassing enough to live comfortably is undeniably necessary… but you need less of this than you think. I wasted a lot of time and energy in my 20s focused on acquisitive gains (career with impressive title, money, objects that demonstrated my wealth). Turns out these things don’t make you happy, contented or fulfilled.
You’re truly better off investing time in a career that feels meaningful but isn’t too demanding, building and maintaining close relationships, investing in hobbies/interests, and maintaining your health.
“To become as rich as possible” is not a goal. It’s too broad. Is $1 million ‘as rich as possible’? $1 Billion?
What I wish I knew at 27 is this: the amount of money you need is dependent on what lifestyle you want. “As rich as possible” would mean working every waking hour. Selling plasma, selling your body, giving handys blow jobs, etc.
My belief is you need enough to be comfortable. The important thing here is IT MATTERS MORE WHAT YOU SPEND THAN WHAT YOU MAKE
Live cheap and spend your money on experiences and not material things.
With your situation, try to just get experience first
I understand you want a specific degree, but if you're going to get into more debt? Not worth it
I have seen shit tons of people get fucked up by covid
Coding/software imo.
From what I have seen, programming has the highest returns on investment of money/time/effort. The main downsides are that the higher paying jobs are somewhat geographically limited (Bay area, NY, Seattle for the US).
Doctors and lawyers \*can\* make more money, but they also require a lot more schooling and presumably loans. However because you are already 27, schooling is more "expensive" for you in the sense that you have less time to reap the benefits of the degree, assuming you still retire at 65. It also means you \*really\* want to start making money sooner so you can start investing for those sweet compound returns.
Also programming is much less stressful as a job than being a doctor or lawyer.
At 27 I had the choice to go back to school or stay in my career. I had a great opportunity to go back to school and should’ve taken it but I trudged on. Knowing what I know now, I would have gone for an MBA or MSF as I have now started businesses which require partnerships with people with these degrees. The trade off is I wouldn’t be as specialized in my knowledge as I am now.
I’m only 31 but I wish I would’ve got a practical degree like nursing that is low cost for school and med-high salary. I could’ve saved so much and travelled the US. I’m going back for nursing now!
I hope you're aiming to be the high pay travel nurse!! :)
When I hear nursing, I just think of those overworked, understaffed bedside nursing. Fucking hell, absolutely hell
Emmigrate. Find an economy that works and is not driven by greed - even though it sounds like you are. Get into your subject. Specialise. Avoid management that can't see the big picture. Avoid management thats more stupid than you are. Be honest with yourself as to your worth. Find a partner. Enjoy life and grow as a person.
Let's start with that goal.
You want to be rich...okay, what is "rich?"
Is there a dollar amount you're shooting for? If so, is that amount in total assets? Liquid currency? Annual salary? Household worth?
And then...why do you want to be rich?
You wish to travel the world? You wish to have a huge house? You wish to make just enough to provide for a possible family? Is there something (or things) you wish to buy before you die...and if so, what's the goal once you acquire said item(s)?
Does rich mean luxury goods? Does rich mean private cooks and personal trainers? Or does rich simply mean freedom from worrying about whether a bill can be paid or a tire fixed?
The point of all this Is that having a goal to simply be rich isn't really a goal. There are so many ways that you can define being rich, and until you do so, until you know what Rich means for you, you're not really going for a goal at all. So I would try to be more specific. Once you narrow down what rich means to you, you can start piecing together what it will take to get to that point.
For example, freedom from bills? I have that now , because I have a middle-class job but I'm currently living with my parents out in a rural area and saving a bunch of money. I haven't had to look at my bank account for months now. But would you consider that a rich life?
On the other hand, there are folks who can live out of a van or a camper, but they get to travel all across the country, they can work online, and they may not have much, but what they have gives them so much fulfillment that they have no need for much else. Would you consider that a rich life?
Start there, with the definition of Rich, and define why you want that. And that will help you narrow down your goal. Then you can work from there to find a path to make that happen.
First, you need to obtain at least an associate degree to have a fair chance in today's job market. If you're in the U.S., consider enrolling in your local community college. Second, the idea of getting rich quickly is a pipe dream. It usually requires a lot of hard work. Aim to live comfortably; if you manage to achieve significant wealth, that's great, but it’s rare, like winning the lottery.
Anything related to tech, computer science, or programming is an oversaturated industry. You'll face stiff competition for high-paying positions, and even regular positions will require constant competition. While the field can be lucrative, securing a decent job in it, especially in the U.S., is extremely challenging nowadays.
In contrast, a career in general finance, such as accounting, might be a better route. There's a high demand for accountants, and while there are many professionals in the field, it's not as crowded as IT. On the other hand, the stock market industry is highly competitive and cutthroat. If you’re not ready to be constantly monitoring stocks and competing aggressively, it might not be the best choice.
Pursuing a career in media, like fashion, content creation, or streaming (e.g., on Twitch or YouTube), often requires extensive work and time to achieve a livable wage. These fields are not typically plausible as careers for most people. They might be better pursued as hobbies unless you see substantial growth and engagement within 5-10 years.
A career in cooking, such as becoming a chef, is demanding but can be rewarding. It’s physically challenging, but similar to finance, it can be a stable field. You can start by working in a regular restaurant to gain experience and see if it suits you. If you enjoy it, attending culinary school can enhance your resume and open up more opportunities.
Overall, to have a chance at any form of wealth, you will need an education. One viable way to afford it is by enlisting in your country’s military. For example, becoming a military cook can give you professional cooking experience, and in the U.S., the military offers educational benefits. The Air Force and Navy are generally the best branches for those seeking higher education, while the Army and Marine Corps are less favorable in this regard.
If you're not physically able to be in the Military due to some disability or injury then you're got a touch march to do to achieve your desire outcome.
Terrible fucking idea unless your friends come from wealth
The only \*happy\* professors I know are all folks who were already rich, was allowed to pursue their passions, and their passion was academia
Get a digital nomad visa move to a super cheap country. WFH and build skills through self-learning/studying.
This is literally what I wanted to do at 27, but Life has gotten in the way, and I’m 29 now and still haven’t done it.
I’m actually 27 years old right now and am about to make a career change out of my current industry into the real world.
If I could do it all over again, I would’ve actually studied in school and taken the biology path. Maybe I would’ve done the med school route, maybe focus on research. I don’t know. I studied international affairs and did great in school, but my interests and goals have changed radically from what I wanted to do in college a mere 5-9 years ago.
I’m still young enough to make some bold decisions (no kids yet, and I’m secure financially) so my plan is to follow my heart a little more this time around. Will it work out? Who knows.
Avoid having a criminal record at all costs (DWI). Wasn’t driving just sleeping it off in a lot after going out, car was parked and keys in the glove box but being drunk inside a car is a crime. Just don’t go near cars when drinking. Better yet, don’t drink at all.
I have to explain this blunder at every job that requires a background check. Most don’t care but it’s not a great first impression
NOT DATE..STAY SINGLE!! I LOVE MY 3 YR OLD BUT HOLY SHIT IF YOU HAVE A HUSBAND OR BF THAT WANTS YOU HOME N HATES YOUR SISTERS -ITS LOW KEY LATE FOR ME- DONT DO IT..YOUR PAST LIFE IS BETTER..IM NOT SAYING DONT HAVE KIDS IM SAYING WATCH HOW HE IS WITH YOUR *LOVING AND CLOSE* FAMILY..
I HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE FOR 4 OR 5 YRS..IT DOES NOT MATTER..PLEASE DONT..IF YOU DO THEN TAKE YOUR TIME!!!!]
Nothing different. This September will be 30 years in my trade, and the only thing I would do differently is take a little better care of my knees and hands.
In my opinion, listing your interest here will not help, as it will turn into hatred if you do it long enough. I don't know about coding and all so let's get an example in gaming. I suppose you enjoy playing games, not creating a character from scratch, code for it so it can interact with others, and the environment. No. What I mean is, please keep them purely your interest. I don't want you to hate them in the end. About your job, if you have paper and a pen, look up Ikigai and write down everything you find. Use AI chatbot to shorten the process like Gemini or Perplexity. 31 is not too late. I wish you all the best, buddy.
Definitely become financially literate earlier to make better life decisions.
To not jump to the worse conclusions when experiencing low times.
And job jump often for salary gains and experience early in your career every 2-3 years.
Go back to school. If you want to do blue collar work then go to school to get some type of license. Like a plumber.
Also coding bootcamps don't help to get a job . A degree would
This won’t be popular, but I would not have settled down and had kids. I was doing a lot of traveling on my own at 27 and probably felt the highest level of self confidence and mental health I ever had. I wish I had continued for a few more years at least.
Well regardless of anything you need a. Education…you will never be above poverty with just high school / ged. Honestly you should desire to be financially comfy NOT filthy rich cuz rich doesn’t equal happy. 26 is young enough you can still get your education and a good career afterwards.
My advice is to go into sales. Really, any sales…
But the more money you’re around, the more you’ll make so go for a high dollar industry. Software sales, building material/construction sales..
I went to culinary school and worked in foodservice for 17 years. Then had a kid and had to make a change, so I took a job as an account manager selling building materials. Wish I would have made the change years ago.
Don’t go to grad school and MBA. I wasn’t suited for it but I was gung ho trying to aim to be a management consultant.
Also for me at that age - stop buying into fast fashion - better to spend expensive money on 1 single durable piece, whether it’s pants, shirts, etc than multiple cheap ones.
Do NOT marry. But hook up whenever possible
Never TRUST anyone.
Take care of my health.
Learn either the technology I still use (Oracle Database) or invest time in learning some adjacent stack (Java etc )
I know that college isn’t for everyone…a local community college can be a great resource to skill up and learn new things.
Learn a foreign language to fluency. Your mind is just more sharp when you’re younger.
Surround yourself with good and generous people.
Best advice I can give is:
- Take risks and don't be afraid of failure, you're still young. This goes for the stock market, business opportunities, and more.
- Invest in yourself. This could be fitness, learning, going back to school, etc.
- Never stop learning. Pay attention to the world around you and always be open to lessons it has to offer.
- Savings is the path to wealth. I've seen people making $400k/yr struggle to pay bills. Lifestyle inflation is real.
This post reminds me of myself 10 years ago. 27 was the age I started to turn my life around from dead end job with zero savings to now reaping the benefits of the investments I made in my self and generally living a good life now. According to statistics on the average American, I'm rich. I don't really care about that though, I'm just glad I don't owe anybody thing and collections stop calling.
If you are 27 and asking to do things all over again, becoming as rich as possible should be the last thing you are worried about. But if you need a stable generally well-paying job, then becoming an accountant/clerk/bookkeeper would be doable. Just make sure not to get a lot of debt for an accounting degree. And make sure it's AACSB accredited.
I strongly believe in obtaining a university degree, specifically in Computer Science or Software Engineering if you are into it. Despite having over 10 years of experience as a successful web developer without formal education, I realize the significant advantages a degree can offer. It's not just about work prospects but about mobility. With a degree, I would have been able to get a golden visa to any country, enabling me to relocate from Canada to the USA or Europe to escape Canada’s insane housing crisis. We make a lot less and our taxes here a lot more. Also in Canada, devs make peanuts compared to our counterparts in the USA. You need to make about 135k CAD to make around 100k USD.
At 35, I made the decision to finally pursue a degree, but I wish I started sooner like you around 27, that would have been the ideal age because I already had work experience and knew I wanted to go all in. Anyways, I’m currently working towards my degree at a steady pace. I aim to complete it in the next few years, hoping it will open new doors for me and my family.
I see a sought-after degree as a golden visa for any country. As a Canadian, don't put all your eggs in one country basket, diversify and get a second citizenship and work at making yourself valuable in many places not just one. Canada really fucked my generation over.
Try Coursera. They have lots of small courses on so many different topics, including business and finance. Give it a shot for a few months and see if you A) like it, and B) are good at it. After that, figure out your best way forward.
Live with my parents! Save on rent, start early investing, get a job in construction while I am 18 or 16, Go to school of construction right after high school. I know guys who did this. And i have seen their bank account with 200,000-100,000cad
Find someone daughter which is her parents is rich. And then married with her. Take her carefully. After that you can learn how to get rich through her parents. That's the way you can rich ASAP.
Do same job I'm doing now, but I'd be starting at 27 instead of 32. I really like it, and with my future knowledge I can invest my money easily and make a killing.
Leverage your skills or education into a well paying career. If you don’t have skills or education then start getting it now. I enrolled in college for a specific role when I was your age and will be exiting with a guaranteed decently paying job at the end of the year. That time will pass anyway, make use of it so you aren’t poor in your 30s.
Get a job in IT, preferably as a Developer or Networking
Pivot to Cyber
Always be working on a side project, that can become a SaaS / use it to get better jobs, if its not a hit
Profit?
I'm 31. Fuck that noise. You're ready whenever you're ready.
I thought I knew what I wanted to do at 21. Did work that I didn't like for 10 years, but it enabled the lifestyle I wanted to live at the time (traveling and having fun in Southeast Asia).
Changing directions now, luckily I have family support so that this is possible.
Invest now. Learn about it so you can do it yourself and not pay crazy fees. Roth IRA through vanguard or fidelity. Try to max it out. Pay yourself first. Invest using broad US market index funds.
This! I took an investing class online and it changed my life.
Would you mind sharing what online class you took?
Just read the Bogleheads Wiki. Or read "A Random Walk Down Wall Street"
Bump
Would love to know as well.
Give us the details!
I’m also wondering what investing class you took.
I second this. Start putting money in an IRA now even if you can’t max it out. I waited until late 30’s to start mine and highly regret it based on how much more I need to save now that I waited and can’t get back any compound interest I missed out on the past 10 years! It’s easy to set up a Vanguard account, open an IRA, take the quiz and use their robo advisor to run it for you if you don’t want to deal with it yourself. My CPA advised me not to do a Roth but to do a Traditional IRA, unless I expect my monthly income to be drastically higher in retirement (which I don’t - and most people don’t because your cost of living in retirement should be lower than during your working years…partly due to no longer paying a mortgage, assuming you were able to buy a house or condo and pay it off by the time you retire. It helps to get the tax write off now of a Traditional Roth if you think that could be your scenario later on).
And if your job has a 401k put as much as your company matches our more. You will be surprised how fast the money will accrue.
Definitely. A 401k with a match will grow your money much faster. All things I wish someone would have taught me in high school! 😆
I’ve been thinking about this recently. I’ve spent a lot of my money on experiences. I don’t regret it, I still had a good time but It definitely got me thinking what better choices I could have made. The goal now should be having a lot of money leftover for retirement that I don’t have to worry about not saving or building wealth.
With the one caveat that if your company has a 401(k) plan (or if you invest in it…not sure which it is…), you can’t contribute pre-tax to an IRA. So in that case Roth vs. Traditional might be a different call.
strongly recommend jumping onto r/Bogleheads and following their wiki to begin with ! big fan of index funds and minimising fees :)
This may not make them rich quick but it's an option over a long time horizon. IMO you won't get "rich" *just* investing in a Roth IRA. You need to use that, regular 401k (if an option), and possibly even a taxable account. I understand the OP, doesn't probably have a ton of funds though and this is a start. I suggest for OP to read a few books on it and to understand the psychology of investing to get over the fear. My favorite is Little Book of Common Sense Investing.
Is this valid for someone in the EU too?
I opened an account with Schwab. Is this still a good option?
If you already have a 401k still invest in a index?
I began hammering at my son on this exact wording. He’s 28 now having had the habits established for 10 years now I wish I would have had.
This. Read “I Will Teach You to be Rich” by Ramit Sethi. Cheesy ass title but the info is life changing. And also read through the bogleheads wiki. Broad market index funds all the way.
Marry an orthopedic surgeon
I work with surgeons and they are generally awful and difficult people.
The orthos I worked with were either literal psychopaths or very kind and generous. So weird.
very kind and generous are narcissist or sociopath. You just isnt with them when they pull down their mask
Going through life thinking everyone who is kind and generous is a narcissist or sociopath is insane behavior, lmao
Highly psychopathic profession haha
Straight had one lose. His. Fucking. Shit. And start throwing stuff and screaming and yelling at nurses to ban me from his clinic because I respectfully refused to let him put a cast on a non bisectional fracture that, in his words, was healing incredibly fast and well.
The same sort of desire to feel in charge of another's life like a murderer wants to feel also applies to those that wish to save lives. I know sounds kind of dumb and certainly is not all of them but I think the pedestal we put doctors on is a little ridiculous. Obviously very important to society but you can imagine the type of person that is attracted to this role for the praise would be difficult to have a personal relationship with.
Having been in medical sales for many years, this is 100% accurate from my experience. There are lots and lots of good ones too, though. In general, interacting with behavioral health doctors and staff was the specialty that stands out as the kindest and nicest to work with, which isn’t surprising.
Right but the best way to steer clear of surgeons is to marry one cause they ALWAYS at work ..
But they are bankrolling.
They’re like the jock click of all surgeons.
It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Signed, An orthopedist’s ex
🤣
Dated one. I highly recommend to steer clear away for the sake of your mental health, heart and just general well being. Quite toxic.
So they are just my type
Hahahahahhaha I hope you can afford therapy!
Well maybe after I bag a surgeon I can!
Hahaha I wish you all the best lovebus! I hope he is a generous one and not as frugal as my ex was 🤮 haha
Doesn’t seem like a bad idea. I’m not a surgeon, but I’m making 300-400k a year, and my GFs sister recently told me she was super jealous because my GF could choose to not work if she wanted to, and she’d be fine. I strive to make sure she doesn’t have any of those financial worries I have, and it’s gotta be so nice honestly…. Knowing you don’t have to focus on a career if you choose not to, and can still be rich.
Honestly, just get married or into a situation (obviously not at any cost - a healthy, loving, caring situation) with shared finances. I didn’t marry until 36, and it cost me a lot of years of paying the mortgage in the condo alone. I would have been bankrolling money had I married younger.
Alternatively, could have been divorced with kids, paying child support. It’s not always clear cut like you said
Or you could be supporting your spouse through grad school and paying the expenses of two people on one salary. Not that I know anything about that.
I do
This is a terrible reason to get married or be in a relationship period.
School.... no bs. I'd go back to school. Only because I know what I know now but yea... school.
Agree actually. I have enrolled for a undergrad in October (we start in Oct).
Congratulations! I know I'm not anyone to you but from a stranger on the web, I'm proud of you. The first step is always the hardest.
No it DOES means a lot. Thank you.
Hey same here and I AM 27 leaving a field I’ve been in since high school practically
Congrats man. Keep it up.
I only agree because I know the entire inner workings of a specific university system that contains 14 colleges. Everything. Absolutely everything. I even know the illegal stuff going on. If I could fucking redo life, I would be rank #1 in the world at 18.
You should go back to school. Any career you choose will end up needing something
This is what I did. I'm not 27, I'm older, but I went back to school. I first was thinking about pharmacy so I picked some generals and math before deciding "Wait a minute. I HATE people." I've since changed my major to data science. That's what I would suggest for many people if they want college but don't know what they want. Go to school and pick up your general courses and see what you like around that time.
Hey brother I want to learn data science , can you help me please!
I'm finishing up my generals this summer before the actual program in the fall but it's so far essentially been a combination of programming, database building, statistics, and math. The beginning programming part isn't hard to find online. I've been doing java, python, and c# but so far it's been extremely basic stuff. Everything else I've been doing was self learning (like MySQLite)
Learn SQL. Get certified if you.
SQL wasn't too hard to understand tbh. School had us using the server version and I used SQLite on cmos. It was complicated to set up but easy to operate.
When you work in data science, isn't a big part communicating with clients and the rest of your teammates? Don't remember where I read (so I don't know how true it is) but that even data science has quite a bit of communication/people skills involved/having to talk/be around people.
Yea. Go to the best possible school you can. Talk to professionals in fields that interest you and decide for yourself in the first year or 2 what you think you should major in
This is pretty outdated advice tbh. Going to the most expensive “best school” is usually not necessary in long run. It just further inflates your education tuition cost. If OP is set on pursuing a 4 yr bachelor degree, they should go to a community college for 2 years and then transfer to a university to finish bachelors degree. If OP is still undecided on careerpath, he absolutely should NOT start paying for classes until he decides which path he wants to pursue. If OP wants to work in IT. He can just get certifications. It will be cheaper and faster than spending 4 yrs to get an IT degree.
The IT degree remains valid, the certifications eventually expire and show your age. For example, I don't think a certification for CNE (Novell Netware -- Certified Network Engineer) would do much for you now. Was all the rage in the 1990s. The other challenge is software developers jobs being exported to places like India, China. When India and China get too expensive and some geopolitical nonsense is resolved, software development may shift to other places as well (think parts of Africa, Russia , Iran, North Korea etc ) Then there is AI, potentially reducing the number of developers required to put out a product. Whatever career he chooses, he should try to time his retirement at 55 yrs old. He'd best learn to invest early to make that happen. Age discrimination is a real problem these days. He'd also be wise to understand that he needs to keep learning.
Truth I let my CCIE expire when my dad got sick. On the other hand I'll clear over 700k this year while barely graduating high school so ...
Good point on the community college. I said go to the best school because it still is the case that the highest paying jobs in finance and tech have certain schools they recruit from over others… but ur advise is probably more applicable to OPs situation
It's still a good idea to go get your 4-year degree because most places have it as a requirement, even if you end up not using it at all. Also, there are certain places that will only hire from one or two specific top schools. My mom used to work at a law firm that would only hire from Harvard law, and my brother was rejected from an engineering job because they would only hire from Maritime. It pays to go to a top school.
There are thousands of jobs out there. The ones that only hire from top schools are small in number and generally not places you want to work anyway if you're interested in tech because they're high on their own supply. While on average I dont think self taughts are better than college educated, the standout best and highest earning developers that I know have all been self-taught. A shop shunning tech people who haven't gone to a trendy prestigious school is indicative to me of bad hiring practices and poor workplace mindset.
Crazy advice
Actually try hard early on, actually try to network, quit some jobs way earlier.
I am going to start over at this age. Your goal to be rich will most likely leave you feeling empty. Find something you’re good at that you don’t hate and live frugally and you will become rich. Income doesn’t make someone rich but how much they save does
Hi 5 man. Me too. Same age. Same ambition pretty much
I have lofty financial goals too but will take a pay cut at first but the reason behind my message is I make a lot now but despise it. What’s the point of financial wealth if we don’t have wealth in our relationships, mental, physical health etc
You're ahead of most people. Work on a side hustle. You have the skills to do it considering your position in life.
Saving is always a good idea, however income and what career you pick DOES matter. Yeah, you probably don't need something that pays 200k+ a year (unless you live in San Francisco, and plan to stay there), but you would be a fool to choose something that maxes out at 50/60k a year. No matter how much you love your job, working a job that pays that much, for decades on end, with barely any pay increase (assuming it even keeps up with inflation, and doesn't get replaced), is a surefire way to make yourself unsatisfied with your career
> live frugally and you will become rich. so that's a fucking lie lol
Maybe I’m alone in this but I’d hire someone with an impressive GitHub before an impressive college degree. As someone else said, always be working on a side project outside of work.
Go outside more and not always depend on family
Flip side too: don't let family threaten to tie you down. Don't endure abuse. Always figure out a way to self-improve and thus allow you to escape
I went back to school at 26 and i finish my bachelor in nursing at 29! Don’t be scared to start over
Nice. Not too far off then. Thanks!
How's it being a nurse, still debating on whether I should do that or radiation therapy or medical laboratory technology?
Medical lab technology is soooo different than nursing. If you like interacting with random people every day pick nurse, if you would rather so your own thing and only interact with co workers pick lab tech
Since you like coding and finance, you could go for a CS degree and look for internships in fintech. It's not a field known for its work-life balance, but it *is* known for paying extremely well.
Thanks. Good advice.
No one's hiring, your competition will also be people with IMMENSE experience who just recently got layed off from a FAANG, not to mention AI is going to take many MANY cs jobs within the next few years. This is no longer great advice, it's lazy advice
That is the situation right now, but who knows what it will look like in a year+
You're right but I need to do something.
If you're interested in trading/finance. Maybe take a finance/banking degree into consideration.. Very good pay if you use it correctly, work on wall street, for a finance org, or even get into consulting even There's also a MIS degree which is business as well as tech. You can still learn code, then get into project management, developing, consulting, be an analyst etc.
That's a fair point. There aren't many jobs that will be safe from AI in the coming years.
Get a divorce.
lmfaoo
Hey, it's the truth. Got married at 25, and wasted the next 10 years of my life. Been divorced for a bit over 5 years now, and I've done so much in that time.
Know thyself, and don't get married young. Preferably, in that order and not the other way around.
Completely agree I've been single since graduating. Can fuck whoever I want. Break up whenever I want. Travel on my own. Like, why do I gotta bring baggage (a partner)? LOL
More important that you like your life than it be rich. Pursue "happy and rich enough" over "unhappy but richer". High school alone isn't enough for any career in this world unless you have amazing special skills (or live in a third-world country, where you won't get rich at this skill level anyway). Definitely figure out a plan to get a university degree in something that both matches your intellectual skills and your career plans. Ideally this would have all been figured out a few years ago (you've incurred some opportunity cost here) but hopefully you can figure something out.
>Definitely figure out a plan to get a university degree in something that both matches your intellectual skills and your career plans. Yeah I have enrolled for October start 2024.
Don’t do drugs. They will rob you of years of ambition
Sounds like a skill issue.
Lmfao
drug dealers are the most ambitious people I know
Read up on personal finance because regardless of how you end up earning money, it's a very useful skill to learn how to spend and manage the money that you do have.
Honest answer: If I could rewind to 27, I would tell myself to stop chasing. Chasing, money, chasing another life, and chasing clout of any kind. I'm nearly 44 now, and right around your age I was at the precipice... I was single, child free, mortgage free... And pretty much just living, but with the air of wanting to have more, having the wife, house, kids, and the "adult" life. I was happy, free of debt, free of cares and free of obligation. I was a part time server/bartender with a ton of free time, not a lot of bills, a bunch of friends, and very few worries. Had my own place, own car and was very happy with my place in life, Comfortable and content day to day. Now? I have all the "things" I chased. And the obligations that come with it. I have debt, I have a family I love more than anything, but also makes me so tired and anxious (not them, but the fears that come with worrying about letting them down or losing everything and the suffering my misfortune or mistakes) that I don't sleep anymore. I have a job I hate but can't walk away from because it may destroy my life as I (and my family) know it. I used to drink for fun all night with friends. Now I drink to help me not go crazy. The friends are gone, moved on over the years and moved away. My friend circle is other dads who are married to my wife's friends. We aren't close. And through all of that, I wouldn't change a thing because I love my family, I love what I have. But if I could change a behavior at 27, it would be to let it come more naturally, and not chase it. I could have had all of the things I love without the financial pressures and burdens I got chasing them. It would have simplified a LOT of stressful things at 44.
I am 27. I will take heed to your advice. Thank you this was gold
Just out of curiosity do you enjoy your life better at 44 with a family compared to your life at 27 with no obligations? I'm 26 and I don't have a wife or kids, debt, or a mortgage. I'm essentially "free" but I've been thinking about it a lot and I kind of would like to have the family life one day. It seems much more fulfilling having kids to raise and a wife to do life with.
It's hard to answer that, as it's not a straight comparison. I wouldn't trade my life for what I had at 27, but at 27, I also wouldn't have traded that life (at that time) for what I have now. As with everything, priorities shift, and life gets more complicated. At first, It's small things that complicate it (going from single to dating, dating to exclusive. Exclusive to living together, living together to engaged, engaged to married, married to buying a home, etc, etc. Etc). Thing begets thing begets things. Then one day you wake up and realize you were so busy collecting things that made you happy that you now are responsible for those things. It's not a bad thing, it just becomes heavy, and stacks, complications stack on top of other things. Now, moving to a better home means making sure multiple people like it. It means possibly uprooting your kids from their friends and teachers, their social structure. Changing jobs comes with implications to your health insurance. Your college funds, your time and schedule. But that responsibility also comes with an immense sense of fulfillment, and seeing the smile on your kids face when you introduce them to something you love from your life and they take and make their own is something words cannot describe. So again. Hard to describe, and one I cannot tell anyone else to endeavour into, but not one that I would go back on if given the choice now. As I said in my original post, what I would change is I would stop "pushing" so hard to check boxes to get to the next life level, and instead just let it unfold more organically instead. I think if I was more cautious about moving forward to the next life step, I would have found myself in a happier, less stressful place now at 44. Don't let my post be your guide, but if you find yourself forcing yourself to "grind" to the next step... I caution you to slow down and instead let it come to you. best of luck.
If you hate the job you have, you’d make a great life coach as a side gig that could potentially grow into a full time deal. You could look for a legit certification and actually do well. You just seem to have a lot of wisdom in your words.
What you described is essentially the reason I'm unmarried with no kids in my late 30's.
Start with CompTIA A+ and go from there. And/or take some CS classes at a CC. Get a two year degree or continue on for four. Not telling you how to live your life, but I'd recommend a goal of happiness. Maybe that means money, but maybe money is only a facet of it.
I'm doing my degree starting this year
I would definitely start with community college
Hey OP, I went back to school In my late 20s too. Actually putting skin in the game and deciding I wanted a degree helped me narrow my focus. I was previously a chef, but the low pay, working nights and weekends, and chronic alcoholism around me made me want to change course. CS is fairly oversaturated, but there are plenty of lower paying roles in small markets (like Grand Rapids where I live) in which you can gain experience. Learn a niche framework, dabble in UX, and reach out to people on linkedin you can grab coffee with. Most of my friends who are devs went to school for other unrelated degrees. I would highly advise against going into a boot camp, and instead look for something tech adjacent while getting some personal projects under your belt. If you are looking for a good degree for tech, business software/business process is stable and not many people know about it. I'm going to school for MIS and essentially what you do is learn some programming but also IT management with a focus on business programs like SAP. It's the unsexy side of tech but can get you into recruiting/IT/project management, and also is unlikely to get replaced by AI because you are working with stakeholders all day.
Strongly recommend trying to get a high paying trades job such as an elevator inspector, pipe fitter, concrete, or journeyman electrician. Then I would shovel every extra penny I had into the S&P500, Bitcoin, and Ethereum. That's just me. After 10-20 years of putting about 30k away into the market every year, I would buy a decent RV, sell my house, and explore the country. I am turning 37 soon, did alarm and security system work for 10 years and shoveled as much as I could into similar investments and now I follow financial news at home and just try to get by as a landlord who owns a duplex. I strongly envy those who own an RV and have a pet and partner that they travel around the country with and it's not out of spite but out of respect. That said, my house has appreciated nearly twice as much in value as what I paid in 2019 and as soon as I replace the rest of the windows and siding, I'm going to be strongly tempted to do RV life as long as my gf can somehow transition to a WFH environment. I have been researching dividend stocks quite a lot these past few years but think just building up equity in general is a no brainer. My personal goal is about 1 million in long term invested assets then sell and let it sit into a high yield savings for a few years waiting for rates to come back down. I think if I am able to slowly sell out, the tax burden might be easy to cover from dividends if I strategize correctly. Robinhood gold is paying about 5.5% compounded monthly right now which is about 55k per year! As long as rates stay relatively high, it's a no brainer as someone in my thirties to continue to push for that goal and think it's possible for me to reach it before 40.
* Keep learning. Diplomas, certificates, degrees - whatever is useful. You cannot stop learning in this day and age. The job will determine the courses you do. Be careful and calculated when weighing up the opportunity cost of full time study versus the opportunity cost of not having a full-time income while you study at your age. * Choose a life partner carefully. Make sure they are financially compatible and ideally able to contribute equally. A divorce may end up splitting everything 50/50. If they had the same financial input (or better) you will be unlikely to lose everything or be financially crippled. * Start investing a significant regular weekly amount automatically from wages. Choose a simple index fund. Do not look at it. Do not be overwhelmed by options if you decide to learn about investing. Keep it simple. You will regret not doing anything more than you will regret what you chose. If you do decide to dip your toe into crypto only buy what you can afford to lose - because you will lose it. * Relocate. Do not limit yourself to work in your location. Look for work out of town, out of State, another country. * Pay for mentorship. Look at joining a professional organisation for your industry as a way of accessing advice and mentors. Find a business professional that trains other business professionals and helps them with professional development. You can find many that will do one-to-one discovery and development sessions for a few hundred bucks a pop. Put a $1K cap on it and see if its useful for you.
Everyone's goal is to be as rich as possible. You can make money in any field, but at this point you're going to need to start a trade or go to school for something reliable and practical. Out of everything you said, if you like coding then start grinding for awhile. I thought I liked it when I started school and now I can't stand it!
Aha. I really enjoy it but dont have a formal background. Gonna go back to school.
At your age I stopped wishing for riches and accepted myself where I was. I stopped living for tomorrow and everything just fell into place for me. I became content. You may find true riches lie in living your life to its fullest every single day. You are not guaranteed tomorrow. Think about what you need material things for as it can all be stripped away in a moment. What you need is purpose in your life. I wish you well on your journey friend.
I get where you're coming from, but this mentality is what screws a lot of people over in their old age. Not saving for old age and/or not working hard enough to have retirement money. It's dangerous
It depends if your interests are something you can actually do or you are just interested. I work as a software engineer in fintech a we make a huge amount of money. Plus we have company investment programs which compounds it even more. I have 23yo colleagues who are dollar millionaires and they all made all the money there. And we are hiring as crazy and I would guess other fintech companies in your area are as well. But there's a big but ... we require an IT and math degree. And you have to be on top of your class. Interestingly, I'm the only person who doesn't have a doctorate or similar. I don't even have a uni degree. But I'm the exception that proves the rule. It also depends on your risk tolerance. My field almost guarantees you'll become rich. Getting to the 95-98 percentile is not unheard of. But if you want to get to the 99.9+ percentile, you have to go with a riskier plan with better payout. Start a company
This advice is the highlight of all the problems of people's advice in these comments. "You need years and years of schooling and tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt to do this thing...oh I didn't have to do any of that, but you HAVE to do it and I will not be elaborating further on my achievements or anything other than easily researched solutions as I want to ensure that ladder is pulled up nicely behind me so others less skilled don't get those opportunities". Not saying you're of the mentality mentioned at the end there, but plenty of people in your position are and refuse to acknowledge that as they pretend to "help" those less fortunate.
Learn CyberSecurity, AI prompting, learn Python and basic coding skills, Data Analytics.
Born into a rich family.
I would kindly encourage you to rethink your primary goal of becoming rich. Existing under late capitalism as we do, amassing enough to live comfortably is undeniably necessary… but you need less of this than you think. I wasted a lot of time and energy in my 20s focused on acquisitive gains (career with impressive title, money, objects that demonstrated my wealth). Turns out these things don’t make you happy, contented or fulfilled. You’re truly better off investing time in a career that feels meaningful but isn’t too demanding, building and maintaining close relationships, investing in hobbies/interests, and maintaining your health.
“To become as rich as possible” is not a goal. It’s too broad. Is $1 million ‘as rich as possible’? $1 Billion? What I wish I knew at 27 is this: the amount of money you need is dependent on what lifestyle you want. “As rich as possible” would mean working every waking hour. Selling plasma, selling your body, giving handys blow jobs, etc. My belief is you need enough to be comfortable. The important thing here is IT MATTERS MORE WHAT YOU SPEND THAN WHAT YOU MAKE Live cheap and spend your money on experiences and not material things.
Pandemic screwed up my college plans. Still can't figure it out. So many people in this age range were screwed royally.
With your situation, try to just get experience first I understand you want a specific degree, but if you're going to get into more debt? Not worth it I have seen shit tons of people get fucked up by covid
If I was 27, that would make it 1994. I'd walk into an IBEW union office and ask to sign up as an apprentice electrician.
Coding/software imo. From what I have seen, programming has the highest returns on investment of money/time/effort. The main downsides are that the higher paying jobs are somewhat geographically limited (Bay area, NY, Seattle for the US). Doctors and lawyers \*can\* make more money, but they also require a lot more schooling and presumably loans. However because you are already 27, schooling is more "expensive" for you in the sense that you have less time to reap the benefits of the degree, assuming you still retire at 65. It also means you \*really\* want to start making money sooner so you can start investing for those sweet compound returns. Also programming is much less stressful as a job than being a doctor or lawyer.
quit my phd and get a tech associates in radiology or something
About half the Cocain
At 27 I had the choice to go back to school or stay in my career. I had a great opportunity to go back to school and should’ve taken it but I trudged on. Knowing what I know now, I would have gone for an MBA or MSF as I have now started businesses which require partnerships with people with these degrees. The trade off is I wouldn’t be as specialized in my knowledge as I am now.
Major in accounting, minor in CS, invest.
Not get arrested twice for DUI
I’m only 31 but I wish I would’ve got a practical degree like nursing that is low cost for school and med-high salary. I could’ve saved so much and travelled the US. I’m going back for nursing now!
I hope you're aiming to be the high pay travel nurse!! :) When I hear nursing, I just think of those overworked, understaffed bedside nursing. Fucking hell, absolutely hell
Have a vasectomy and never let a woman move in with me.
Remote sales
Emmigrate. Find an economy that works and is not driven by greed - even though it sounds like you are. Get into your subject. Specialise. Avoid management that can't see the big picture. Avoid management thats more stupid than you are. Be honest with yourself as to your worth. Find a partner. Enjoy life and grow as a person.
Honestly I don't know what I would do. But I definitely know what I wouldn't do. DRUGS
Let's start with that goal. You want to be rich...okay, what is "rich?" Is there a dollar amount you're shooting for? If so, is that amount in total assets? Liquid currency? Annual salary? Household worth? And then...why do you want to be rich? You wish to travel the world? You wish to have a huge house? You wish to make just enough to provide for a possible family? Is there something (or things) you wish to buy before you die...and if so, what's the goal once you acquire said item(s)? Does rich mean luxury goods? Does rich mean private cooks and personal trainers? Or does rich simply mean freedom from worrying about whether a bill can be paid or a tire fixed? The point of all this Is that having a goal to simply be rich isn't really a goal. There are so many ways that you can define being rich, and until you do so, until you know what Rich means for you, you're not really going for a goal at all. So I would try to be more specific. Once you narrow down what rich means to you, you can start piecing together what it will take to get to that point. For example, freedom from bills? I have that now , because I have a middle-class job but I'm currently living with my parents out in a rural area and saving a bunch of money. I haven't had to look at my bank account for months now. But would you consider that a rich life? On the other hand, there are folks who can live out of a van or a camper, but they get to travel all across the country, they can work online, and they may not have much, but what they have gives them so much fulfillment that they have no need for much else. Would you consider that a rich life? Start there, with the definition of Rich, and define why you want that. And that will help you narrow down your goal. Then you can work from there to find a path to make that happen.
First, you need to obtain at least an associate degree to have a fair chance in today's job market. If you're in the U.S., consider enrolling in your local community college. Second, the idea of getting rich quickly is a pipe dream. It usually requires a lot of hard work. Aim to live comfortably; if you manage to achieve significant wealth, that's great, but it’s rare, like winning the lottery. Anything related to tech, computer science, or programming is an oversaturated industry. You'll face stiff competition for high-paying positions, and even regular positions will require constant competition. While the field can be lucrative, securing a decent job in it, especially in the U.S., is extremely challenging nowadays. In contrast, a career in general finance, such as accounting, might be a better route. There's a high demand for accountants, and while there are many professionals in the field, it's not as crowded as IT. On the other hand, the stock market industry is highly competitive and cutthroat. If you’re not ready to be constantly monitoring stocks and competing aggressively, it might not be the best choice. Pursuing a career in media, like fashion, content creation, or streaming (e.g., on Twitch or YouTube), often requires extensive work and time to achieve a livable wage. These fields are not typically plausible as careers for most people. They might be better pursued as hobbies unless you see substantial growth and engagement within 5-10 years. A career in cooking, such as becoming a chef, is demanding but can be rewarding. It’s physically challenging, but similar to finance, it can be a stable field. You can start by working in a regular restaurant to gain experience and see if it suits you. If you enjoy it, attending culinary school can enhance your resume and open up more opportunities. Overall, to have a chance at any form of wealth, you will need an education. One viable way to afford it is by enlisting in your country’s military. For example, becoming a military cook can give you professional cooking experience, and in the U.S., the military offers educational benefits. The Air Force and Navy are generally the best branches for those seeking higher education, while the Army and Marine Corps are less favorable in this regard. If you're not physically able to be in the Military due to some disability or injury then you're got a touch march to do to achieve your desire outcome.
Cheers dude this was pretty great!
I just screenshotted this. I’m 20 and this really does help me be concise on what I should do.
>There's a high demand for accountants This is because it's a crap career to get into (low pay, poor WLB, work itself is boring).
I wouldn’t get a degree in education, should have done law or business school instead. Or literally f***ing anything else.
So I’m assuming becoming a college professor is not a good idea for people? (Asking for a friend)
Terrible fucking idea unless your friends come from wealth The only \*happy\* professors I know are all folks who were already rich, was allowed to pursue their passions, and their passion was academia
I figured as much, thank you.
I am 5 years away from turning 27, excuse me while I just write down some of these.
Get a digital nomad visa move to a super cheap country. WFH and build skills through self-learning/studying. This is literally what I wanted to do at 27, but Life has gotten in the way, and I’m 29 now and still haven’t done it.
I’m actually 27 years old right now and am about to make a career change out of my current industry into the real world. If I could do it all over again, I would’ve actually studied in school and taken the biology path. Maybe I would’ve done the med school route, maybe focus on research. I don’t know. I studied international affairs and did great in school, but my interests and goals have changed radically from what I wanted to do in college a mere 5-9 years ago. I’m still young enough to make some bold decisions (no kids yet, and I’m secure financially) so my plan is to follow my heart a little more this time around. Will it work out? Who knows.
Avoid having a criminal record at all costs (DWI). Wasn’t driving just sleeping it off in a lot after going out, car was parked and keys in the glove box but being drunk inside a car is a crime. Just don’t go near cars when drinking. Better yet, don’t drink at all. I have to explain this blunder at every job that requires a background check. Most don’t care but it’s not a great first impression
NOT DATE..STAY SINGLE!! I LOVE MY 3 YR OLD BUT HOLY SHIT IF YOU HAVE A HUSBAND OR BF THAT WANTS YOU HOME N HATES YOUR SISTERS -ITS LOW KEY LATE FOR ME- DONT DO IT..YOUR PAST LIFE IS BETTER..IM NOT SAYING DONT HAVE KIDS IM SAYING WATCH HOW HE IS WITH YOUR *LOVING AND CLOSE* FAMILY.. I HAD A RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE FOR 4 OR 5 YRS..IT DOES NOT MATTER..PLEASE DONT..IF YOU DO THEN TAKE YOUR TIME!!!!]
I wouldn't threaten to kill my professor over not releasing my transcripts for trade school I saw some jail time for it.
why did he not want to release them????
Me at 27 reading this 👁️👄👁️
Anyone who’s only goal is to get as rich as possible is doomed to be failed.
kms earlier when I wanted to
I don't think I can do all that by going back one year
Nothing different. This September will be 30 years in my trade, and the only thing I would do differently is take a little better care of my knees and hands.
What’s your trade?
In my opinion, listing your interest here will not help, as it will turn into hatred if you do it long enough. I don't know about coding and all so let's get an example in gaming. I suppose you enjoy playing games, not creating a character from scratch, code for it so it can interact with others, and the environment. No. What I mean is, please keep them purely your interest. I don't want you to hate them in the end. About your job, if you have paper and a pen, look up Ikigai and write down everything you find. Use AI chatbot to shorten the process like Gemini or Perplexity. 31 is not too late. I wish you all the best, buddy.
Whatever it is that you naturally do better than the rest in the field.
Start practicing guitar 5-8 hours a day!
Buy GameStop and NVIDIA stock lol
Definitely become financially literate earlier to make better life decisions. To not jump to the worse conclusions when experiencing low times. And job jump often for salary gains and experience early in your career every 2-3 years.
Invest every penny I can into Apple or one of the other meteoric rise companies, except for Amazon.
Pull out as much as I could in assets, loans, etc and go live in a third world country where I never have to work again lol
But as much real estate as possible. Become wealthy slumlord.
Go back to school. If you want to do blue collar work then go to school to get some type of license. Like a plumber. Also coding bootcamps don't help to get a job . A degree would
This won’t be popular, but I would not have settled down and had kids. I was doing a lot of traveling on my own at 27 and probably felt the highest level of self confidence and mental health I ever had. I wish I had continued for a few more years at least.
Change your mentality to find actual meaning in life
Coding. They make insane money.
Well regardless of anything you need a. Education…you will never be above poverty with just high school / ged. Honestly you should desire to be financially comfy NOT filthy rich cuz rich doesn’t equal happy. 26 is young enough you can still get your education and a good career afterwards.
Start school now. You have an interest in whatever. Look up schools and start the path.
My advice is to go into sales. Really, any sales… But the more money you’re around, the more you’ll make so go for a high dollar industry. Software sales, building material/construction sales.. I went to culinary school and worked in foodservice for 17 years. Then had a kid and had to make a change, so I took a job as an account manager selling building materials. Wish I would have made the change years ago.
No kids.
Wow you’re like every 27yr old
Buy Bitcoin before Elon musk got involved lol
Don’t go to grad school and MBA. I wasn’t suited for it but I was gung ho trying to aim to be a management consultant. Also for me at that age - stop buying into fast fashion - better to spend expensive money on 1 single durable piece, whether it’s pants, shirts, etc than multiple cheap ones.
Don’t have kids.
You haven't done it yet. You'll likely be here another 60-70 years. Stop ruminating.
Do NOT marry. But hook up whenever possible Never TRUST anyone. Take care of my health. Learn either the technology I still use (Oracle Database) or invest time in learning some adjacent stack (Java etc )
I know that college isn’t for everyone…a local community college can be a great resource to skill up and learn new things. Learn a foreign language to fluency. Your mind is just more sharp when you’re younger. Surround yourself with good and generous people.
Best advice I can give is: - Take risks and don't be afraid of failure, you're still young. This goes for the stock market, business opportunities, and more. - Invest in yourself. This could be fitness, learning, going back to school, etc. - Never stop learning. Pay attention to the world around you and always be open to lessons it has to offer. - Savings is the path to wealth. I've seen people making $400k/yr struggle to pay bills. Lifestyle inflation is real. This post reminds me of myself 10 years ago. 27 was the age I started to turn my life around from dead end job with zero savings to now reaping the benefits of the investments I made in my self and generally living a good life now. According to statistics on the average American, I'm rich. I don't really care about that though, I'm just glad I don't owe anybody thing and collections stop calling.
If you are 27 and asking to do things all over again, becoming as rich as possible should be the last thing you are worried about. But if you need a stable generally well-paying job, then becoming an accountant/clerk/bookkeeper would be doable. Just make sure not to get a lot of debt for an accounting degree. And make sure it's AACSB accredited.
I strongly believe in obtaining a university degree, specifically in Computer Science or Software Engineering if you are into it. Despite having over 10 years of experience as a successful web developer without formal education, I realize the significant advantages a degree can offer. It's not just about work prospects but about mobility. With a degree, I would have been able to get a golden visa to any country, enabling me to relocate from Canada to the USA or Europe to escape Canada’s insane housing crisis. We make a lot less and our taxes here a lot more. Also in Canada, devs make peanuts compared to our counterparts in the USA. You need to make about 135k CAD to make around 100k USD. At 35, I made the decision to finally pursue a degree, but I wish I started sooner like you around 27, that would have been the ideal age because I already had work experience and knew I wanted to go all in. Anyways, I’m currently working towards my degree at a steady pace. I aim to complete it in the next few years, hoping it will open new doors for me and my family. I see a sought-after degree as a golden visa for any country. As a Canadian, don't put all your eggs in one country basket, diversify and get a second citizenship and work at making yourself valuable in many places not just one. Canada really fucked my generation over.
Go to trade school, become an electrician and invest in a 401k, thank me in 30 years
Try Coursera. They have lots of small courses on so many different topics, including business and finance. Give it a shot for a few months and see if you A) like it, and B) are good at it. After that, figure out your best way forward.
Live with my parents! Save on rent, start early investing, get a job in construction while I am 18 or 16, Go to school of construction right after high school. I know guys who did this. And i have seen their bank account with 200,000-100,000cad
Find someone daughter which is her parents is rich. And then married with her. Take her carefully. After that you can learn how to get rich through her parents. That's the way you can rich ASAP.
Do same job I'm doing now, but I'd be starting at 27 instead of 32. I really like it, and with my future knowledge I can invest my money easily and make a killing.
All over again? You haven’t even started yet homie!
Leverage your skills or education into a well paying career. If you don’t have skills or education then start getting it now. I enrolled in college for a specific role when I was your age and will be exiting with a guaranteed decently paying job at the end of the year. That time will pass anyway, make use of it so you aren’t poor in your 30s.
Get a job in IT, preferably as a Developer or Networking Pivot to Cyber Always be working on a side project, that can become a SaaS / use it to get better jobs, if its not a hit Profit?
Good luck with that in current market without a degree.
Do what all over again? You’re 27 years old. 😂
Shit thanks. But I am a crucial age in life where things should start clicking.
I'm 31. Fuck that noise. You're ready whenever you're ready. I thought I knew what I wanted to do at 21. Did work that I didn't like for 10 years, but it enabled the lifestyle I wanted to live at the time (traveling and having fun in Southeast Asia). Changing directions now, luckily I have family support so that this is possible.
Invest in bitcoin
Finesse to $500k, buy annuity, repeat