[DrWho]

Compare the people on the list to the number of people alive. It is a very small percentage.
While it is always great to reach for the stars, and aspire to great things, if you don't have a firm grasp on reality and likely outcomes, then you are setting yourself up for a shitstorm.
Everyone wants to write the great american novel, and jaunt about the world, but that doesn't really work that way.
A friend of mine, who is a year older than me, is one of the most prominent young photographers in the world, and focuses on war photography. How did he get there? Started taking some shots of bad neighborhoods in Panama when he was on vacation with his parents, continues with local and regional Chicago papers, and after college, spent a couple years doing freelance projects around the world, which was more than 50% financed by his dad. Some of this struck paydirt, and he was able to move forward and now gets plum assignments and is managed by an important agency.
The point of this story is that so called dream jobs like this, are very hard to come by. If my friend hadn't had a wealthy dad, he would have had to work his ass off during or right after college for a couple years in some cubicle job, in order to afford the trips that helped him make a name for himself.
To use a more familiar example, consider the case of Roosh. He probably makes somewhere on the order of 3000-5000/month selling his books, and is able to fuck around in random countries while padding his bank account. Now, that might seem like chump change compared to what some of you seem to consider necessary, but if you dont frequent fancy clubs or wear designer clothes, it is good. Also, if you compare it to the salaries (net, after taxes...not sure if Roosh pays tax) of newspaper reporters and other writers, it is pretty good. Most people who write fiction, fail miserably. A friend of mine who writes good short stories and majored in creative writing, makes most of his money via HVAC repair, and slugs away, waiting for his break. Roosh, through, chance, circumstance, years of work, and a bit of luck, has created a strong and self sustaining business that relies on readers coming to his page and forum, which gets tons of eyeball time, and is a great way to promote and sell his books. In particular, the forum is really impressive.
As an aside, I would be curious to know how Roosh learned to build and run a website like this, if he took a course, or had a mentor, or just did some online learning.

(07-10-2011 12:55 PM)MiXX Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 09:20 PM)jariel Wrote:  

(07-09-2011 08:17 PM)rozayINTL Wrote:  

not going to college is about the dumbest fucking thing you can do.

If you say so.

http://www.collegedropoutshalloffame.com/

Wow - that is an impressive list. People whom we hold at the top of society: Shakespeare, Charles Lindbergh, Andrew Carnegie to modern times: Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs, Johnny Depp, Will Smith, James Cameron, Robert De Niro and even Jennifer Aniston - all without college degrees.

[blurb]

Perhaps many college classes are a waste of time that are designed to force students to take them to make money (Why does a math major need to take so many useless humanities courses?), but there are at least 3 excellent classes that will benefit you throughout your life.

1. Writing class. No, not the creative writing class, I'm talking about freshman composition, learning how to develop and write an essay. Learning how to write is an important and applicable skill in virtually ALL fields of work and will just open up more opportunities for you. Wanna start a blog and make some cash on the side? Well, you need good writing skills, skills that will have magnified in value when you take a writing class.

2. Public speaking. So many guys are shy and are afraid of rejection. Public speaking helps you gain the confidence to approach a large unknown audience and present yourself in a likable, truthworthy way.

3. Foreign Language. Many guys here want to travel and see the world and meet people. How about learning to speak Spanish so the next time you travel to Latin America you'll have an easier time with the ladies and will be less likely to get scammed?

Of course, most people can try to learn another language on their own, and you don't need a public speaking class to overcome approach anxiety when talking with women (just approach a lot until you become numb to rejection), but these classes definetely do help and will add value to your life.