Can someone lend some advice please?

[NONO5.0]

Please just hear me out

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I've been hanging out around here for quite awhile now, even when it was the old message forum. Here's the thing, I've just turned 30 years old and am no where near closer to owning a Viper than I was 2 years ago when I first started the quest. I'm wondering how do you guys do it? I mean, I've tried everything I can think of and I'm at the end of my rope here. I've looked at the stock market, welp the crash took care of that and also pretty much wiped me out. I'm a Network administrator and make about 36k a year and due for a increase to 45k next month. (that'll help a little) I know this isn't alot of money but living in Mobile, Al its actually pretty good for the location and cost of living. What I'm looking for is some advice on what I might be doing wrong. I mean, some of you guys have Ferrari's, Lamborgihini's VERY nice houses etc, etc. and I'm wondering how did you make it happen for you or any advice you can give. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not whining or complaining about anything, I'm actually quite happy, but I'm just wondering how ya make money in this world. I've heard of people who have started out with nothing and now have everything. I'm not a dumb person by any means so thats what is really so frustrating. It apparently just hasn't clicked for me yet. I mean, I'm sure there are some of you who could go out in the world tomorrow with just $1,000 or $2,000 and make it into a fourtune but how do ya do it? I'm old enough to realize that "get rich overnight quick" schemes are just that...a scheme and don't work, but I know alot of you guys are smart enough and have the know-how to to something if you had to. Thats what I'm asking for, how would you do it if you had to? Sorry this was so long, and thanks for taking the time to read it all. Any advice or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated!

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[Fred(DrivingSchool)Kinder]

Wait a few months (let the layoff dust clear) and then send you application to S. F. Bay area companies. In the mean time, do what you love, and be the best you can be, focus on projects to completion.

 

[Ulysses]

Freds right, it takes time. It took me 8 YEARS to get where I am at. Countless dead end jobs, all the while honing my skills until I was pretty good at what I do. That's when I hit pay dirt and was finally able to get the car of my dreams. Some guys/gals get lucky and make it rich right away, but they are few and far between. Just concentrate on what you are doing, keeping your goals in sight. Keep in mind that you may have to move around to make things happen. That doesn't mean hop to a new job every year. That may have held true in San Jose a few years back, but employers are now looking at people who have loyalty and stay with a company for a few years. Someone that hops around a lot doesn't give them confidence in you staying with them. If they invest a lot in you they want to know that you will be around a while. Don't be afraid to take risks! Take classes to help improve your skills on your off time.

 

[Acatala7]

Brother,


I'm 29 and am in the same career field as you. If you specialize in an area (mine was messaging) you are worth quite a bit more. Starting near 80,000 and sometimes a bit over 100,000. Besides unless you work for Citrix in Florida where you can be an instant millionaire from stock options alone, you might want to consider moving to a better market. NY or S.F. or Boston even.

 

[jgfurr]

I understand your pain. I'm a network engineer in Indiana and make around the same as you. Since the cost of living here is pretty good, I make do with the money. I'm getting ready to purchase my Viper next week, and I've been planning for about 2 years. I just sold my 95 Firebird convertible and basically saved all my money this past year. This is allowing me to put down about 35% on a 94 Viper. Do you have another car you can cash in? Also, some specialty lending companies will finance an older Viper for 5 - 6 years so your payments would be lower. It pays to shop around for the loan (provided you've got a good credit rating).

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

I was making $5/hr when I was 30. Got my first Viper when I turned 39. Now, at 40 I have a second Viper for the track. I'm the Director of Software Development at www.eangler.com

Set your professional goals and make them happen.

Saying your prayers doesn't hurt either.

 

[SteveBCloud9]

Have someone else pay for it and take calculated risks. This is my motto. I think the median age and salary of a viper owner is 49 and $ 150,000 respectively (read it somewhere I think)so don't feel so bad. Some meet this criteria some don't. As far as other people paying for it... move out of the house you are in now and rent it out (If you own it). Start building equity. Look at the tax benefit. If you have no equity, banks won't look at you when it comes time to borrow money. I even have people pay for my Viper as I rent out my car through my exotic car rental company. The tax benefits in this business are great too. You have to think this way. The most important thing is that you have to have it in you and have the drive. You have to be unforgiving and absolutly relentless. Watch where you spend your money too. I know someone making 85-90k, lived at home until he was 32 and has "0" in his bank account. It's not what you make, it's what you spend.

 

[Robert1994]

A wise man once told me....
"count your pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves"
That's a hard concept to appreciate until you look back and
realize that's what you have done (if you worked hard enough).

 

[Supercharged Vipermad]

I'm 20, and i just bought a 2000 RT/10 hart top viper in metal blue... if you had told me a year ago that i would own one i'd have laughed and called you crazy!!


but........ one day a year ago or so i quite my job making $10.00(CDN) an hour and started my own business. at first it took some time, and start up capital of $30,000. but with low overhead and minimal costs, i now make $60,000 net a month.


all's i can say is start your own thing, working for someone else is just a dead end. hope this helped.

 

[Dante'00ACR]

Jay_Star,

Which metal blue are you refering to in 2000? Do you mean steel grey?

Just wonderin'

Dante

 

[Serious Eric]

Curse you for asking that question ... It's been nagging at me since I read your post yesterday. Produced an uncharacteristic amount of introspection on my part. I'll try not to bore ...

I got my degrees in civil engineering (soil mechanics and foundation engineering) but I got seduced to the dark side of high-tech about the time the first PC's came out in '82. Started hacking at home then finally took a huge cut in pay (low $30s) to take a software engineering job. Been in software/hardware for 16 yrs now and work for a microprocessor design company. I'm not a great investor, have done ok now and then but have never made a big 'score' and I'm not bitter about it. Stock options at various companies have sometimes panned out, mostly not. So what I'm trying to convey is that there hasn't been any quantum leap where I went from have-not to have in a short period of time. It's just been a long steady process of hard work and sticking to certain principles and values that have yielded whatever success I can claim to have. I have pretty much everything I want/need, but I didn't plan for the $$ ... it's really pretty much a side-effect.

Others will probably disagree, but here's my 'wisdom'

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- Don't plan your life!! I think the military strategist Clausewitz said "No battle plan survives the first contact with the enemy." He understood that battle (and I claim life) is too complex and unpredictable to plan for. Your plans and therefore your expectations will most likely be unmet and that's a formula for frustration bitterness and depression. Instead, make a set of rules and principles for yourself that you believe will make you successful no matter what life hands you. In my case that's been to focus on being the absolute best engineer wherever I was working. I've been determined to always be far more skilled and harder working than was required of me by my job. Also, keep learning and never let yourself coast. These principles will get you rewarded (though never what you deserve) in good times and will protect you from the hatchet in bad. Accept the fact that you will never be rewarded at the level you deserve or when you know you deserve it ... but it will come, and know that the losers and the mediocre usually don't get $hit.

- Stick to your principles. Technical excellence was my goal and whenever a company decided that they either didn't want to reward that or wanted to push me into management ... sayonara. I have never had nor ever will have any company loyalty and you shouldn't either. They don't care about you, only your productivity and profitability ... learn it, believe it, live it. Be willing to change jobs (not job hopping). It gives you breadth and provides intellectual stimulation.

In summary, don't make $$ your goal. Rather, work your a$$ off, be the absolute best around at something, stick to your principles of excellence and enjoy the long strange trip that it's gonna be. If you do this, the $$ will take care of themselves and you may actually end up happy.

Best of luck.