Ask HN: How can one make good money without a career?

[shire]

Serious question. I'm only 23 but I don't think school is for me just being honest.

I do want to work my butt of though I'm not some lazy bump who feeds of government money.

I thought about doing Oil field work like in North dakota is that a good route? maybe get my CDL and work out in the fields. I don't mind tough labor. But I've also been hearing oil rigs are shutting down not sure if that's true.

[akulbe]

School isn't for everyone. If only more people realized that, and stopped confusing education with schooling, the world would be better off!!

I'd check out both stuff that Mike Rowe has written/talked about. Also, James Altucher. You have LOTS of options.

I am a college graduate. I think it was/is largely a waste of time and money. I regret the nearly $50K of debt I incurred to get that degree. If I had it to do over, I'd have done it VERY differently.

[sova]

Options seem to boil down to two: + seasonal gigs like firefighting in northwest woodlands + setting up some sort of passive revenue stream

plant some seeds and start asking your friends what their dream day-to-day-preoccupations would be. "do what you love and the money will come" is a cool thing to keep in mind. basically you just gotta find some sort of need in our global society and do your best to address it. money is an extra on our system of giving help to each other. it might take time to feel out your passion and your niche but it's worth the inquiry, and the best way to start is to help others do the same. if everyone hooked up someone with a task they could do, how wonderful that chain reaction could be. that said, be creative, read a bunch of diverse books and resources and try and feel out where your creativity thrives. spend some time thinking about someone you know who needs a job or money or a gig or whatever and give them some heartfelt advice. everyone you help is like a bridge you build. sorry for the rant, hope it helps.

[meric]

The price of oil has halved in the past few months that's why the rigs are in trouble.

You can still learn skills like programming without schooling.

I do suggest looking into getting educated in basic finance and basic accounting to teach yourself principles of investment, so the good money you make won't be eroded over the years by inflation. (Which basically means, the price of things go up every year, by more than how much interest the bank gives you on your money, so over time your money can buy less and less things.)

One semester of one finance subject and one semester of one accounting subject would probably do.

Net Present Value, Portfolio theory, diversification, and enough accounting to read financial statements from companies listed on the share market.

But don't buy shares for the next few years - I think there will be a crash coming soon enough.

[aquark → meric]

There is always a crash coming ...

Are you sure the next crash that knocks N% off the market won't come after the market has risen a further N+x% while your money is on the sidelines?

Are you sure you can time the bottom of the crash well enough to know when to jump back in?

If the answers to those questions are 'yes' then great, otherwise a steady investment strategy for the long haul can just ignore the short term fluctations.

[meric → aquark]

Yes, I entered the stock market in Dec 2008, and now contemplating when to exit.

[srameshc]

Good question to ask when you are just 23. School will make it easy for you as you grow old. Self discipline is the key. Keep your expenses as low as possible and work hard, save money and finish school. There will be many a time you will be thankful that you finished school.

[aepearson]

If the issue is that you just don't want a "career" - that's easy to solve.

Just get whatever job you can get, try it for a bit, then quit and move onto the next.

Who cares if oil rigs are shutting down, go get a job there and work until you are bored and move on.

[rmena123]

School maybe not for you, but you better start learning somethings.

[youredeadtome]

Real estate maybe? Flipping houses or renting. Might be tough to get into in terms of initial capital required.

[MichaelCrawford]

I have a friend from high school who is a petroleum engineer; he travels all over the world.

I once worked with a guy who worked in Saudi oil. He said it was real easy to get that work and that it paid well.