Anyone here share the same goal? I'm not gonna wake up early to run to a job the rest of my life. I've been doing just that almost my whole life so far but with school. I want to build something where I can have the freedom to do what I want when I want. Are you happy with the 9-5? Do you have any aspirations or not?
Well - there are some realistic restrictions.
Any job you decide to do on your own as an entrepreneur will require you to do things when it is convenient for the customer - but you can also more easily set aside times where you will decline to service customers.
The best recommendation I can give you is to learn some trades. Getting a welding certificate can go a long way. Computer programming skills can help you in the developing world of independently developed applications and games. Imagine this - you're doing something for your own hobby/business and you need a tool that works a certain way on your smart phone. You're probably not the only person who needs something like that, and probably not the only one who has searched through the application store to find absolutely nothing even when you would have been willing to spend a few dollars for the tool.
I don't have a certificate or formal education in PLCs - but I come from a background of electronics and have experience with micro-controllers (we built and programmed robots in my class) and some programming. So I was able to pick up ladder logic programming pretty quick and program some PLCs for controlling timing within a water treatment system. Given the right PLC and add-on cards, I could have fully automated that water treatment system including most of the logs nursing staff are required to take.
Such a thing would cost $40K or more and I could have done it with about $2,000 worth of hardware and probably around 80 hours of programming/troubleshooting/debug time. Charge $20K.
There are a lot of opportunities like that around. There is a dearth of independent tradesmen both able and willing to apply custom solutions for people/businesses looking for them.
Of course - the world of being independent comes without the guarantee of a paycheck. Work isn't always consistent and you are responsible for trying to find that work. If you are a certified flooring installer - you need to make sure people know you exist when they are looking to have a floor done/redone.
I would recommend playing your finances smart. Apply yourself in a trade to an employer of some variety. I loved working in a factory because I got to feel a sense of completion. Of course - I would pull parts all the way up through the line when someone back in the grinding room quit or got fired - I'd go back there, fill the quota for the week - then torque the weldments into alignment - sandblast them, and get them hung for powder coating before turning around to get them assembled the following day. Anyway - try to work in a trade that allows you to pay on something like a house - a piece of property you own where your cost of living will eventually go away.
I recommend something cheap for the area. Around here - you can find okay housing for around $50K. It's not going to be stellar unless you happen across a -hell- of a deal, but it will be something you can keep running and not have to eternally pay rent on. You can also afford to pay above what the monthly installment is - so you can pay down your principle loan much faster (which means less interest and ultimately less money out of your pocket.
Then you reach a point where you only have to pay on utilities and taxes (because we rent our housing from the government in many places - thieving bastards always insisting we owe them money - they should be paid in lead) - plus upkeep. Pay a lawn company to mow your yard unless you just -really- want to pay for a lawnmower and be responsible for taking the time to do it. Someone out there has already bought a lawnmower and string trimmer and is more than happy to swing by and save you a couple hours of hassle after work.
Instead, use that time to further your trade schooling (take a class at a community college, or something) - some independent learning, or spending some time with friends so that you don't feel like you're 'stuck in a rut.'
At some point - you can begin making the movement to turn a hobby into a job. Rather than welding for yourself - you can weld for others. E-bay stores and other such things have made it much easier to access a wider customer base for custom-made or small-run items (things you only make a few of).
Attend some arts and crafts shows - go find the blacksmiths and jewelers - they know people connected to a lot of different trades and businesses (not that the painters don't - but that market is over-saturated).
