Quote:
Originally Posted by experimentjon
Rookhawk, If you owned your home and car outright at 23, you were doing more than well enough to justify a Rolex. Reversing out the salary from those numbers, that's some excellent money for 23...and a hefty heap of assets too. What were you, a bond trader in the 80s?  |
A bit off topic but you asked. I hated school so I dropped out at 17 and moved out of state to start off on my own with $750 in my pocket, 2 suits and a reliable car. I founded my first IT consulting business before my 18th birthday and I rode the Novell and Microsoft waves before certification and networking were commoditized. At 21 I bought my first home, a complete craphole victorian home that needed major restoration. (I spent 7 years of nights and weekends restoring that home) I became an officer at Bank of Montreal at 22 and then I worked for UBS Warburg at age 23. I thought "I'd arrived" when I got my job at UBS so I splurged on a business trip to D.C. and bought my first Rolex from Lenkersdorfers Jewelers in the Tyson Corners mall from a guy named David. Back then you could buy a 16660 Seadweller with an MSRP of $3900 for $3300 out the door. I remember that I so badly wanted a tutone blue sub but the $6100 MSRP, $5300 out the door was so far beyond my means I thought it would never happen. 12 years later (only a few months ago), I traded in that first seadweller for a year 2000 tutone blue sub, the very model that I wanted so badly years ago but couldn't afford at the time. My wife treated me to the difference in price as a 35th birthday present.
So in conclusion: best thing I ever did was drop out of high school. It saved me from too much deluded thinking.
Second best thing I ever did: I never went to undergrad so I avoided tremendous, worthless debt and a it gave me 5 years head start over my business competition.
Third best thing I ever did: I got a top tier MBA at 30 and it made all the difference. (waiting until I could get accepted into a top business school instead of compromising)
I appreciate your enthusiasm for HBS but I'd rethink that one. Send me a PM and I'll explain why. You can do better.