The real smart one

I love telling this story.

Back in high school, I was in my senior year and had no idea what to do with myself. I knew I should have been applying to college but I did none of that until my last semester. Reluctantly, I put out one application to My State University. I didn't even know if I would get accepted or not until I got my letter a few weeks after graduation. I got accepted and started on a 4 year degree for a BBA in Accounting.

After completing the degree, I was 22 and had to start looking for work. After weeks of job searching, I couldn't find any work as an accountant because the job listings just weren't there. I wasn't able to find any work in general because I had no experience. I began starting to apply for jobs at Kroger and Subway just to get any sort of income. Luckily, through a connection with my dad, I got started working as an analyst making less than $30,000 per year.

My first job lasted 15 months and I was unemployed again. I went though two and a half months of job searching and got a 7 month contract earning $17 per hour. After 7 months I was unemployed again.

After 7 months of being unemployed and 16 job interviews, I finally got a job as an accountant. I started out making less than $40,000 per year. After 5 years working as a staff accountant, I am still working towards making $50,000 per year.

Back in 2008, one of my best friends was still at the high school I went to. He was two years under me so he was in his senior year in 2008. He was in his senior year and then he did something that shocked us all. He dropped out of high school in his last semester.

We had no idea why he did this. We were also slightly concerned about him. What would his future look like?

For about 4 or 5 years, he worked as a pizza delivery guy making anywhere from $8 to $10 per hour. After he got sick of doing that, he decided to work for an automotive dealership and I think he started out making about $40,000 a year.

After 2 to 4 years working at the dealership, he developed his skills as a mechanic and now he makes around $60,000 per year.

I love telling this story because I get a chance to brag about one of my best friends. Dude dropped out of high school and is making over $60,000 per year while completely bypassing the 4 years of college.

He has told me that if he could have done things over again, he would have dropped out of high school sooner and started working towards being a mechanic as soon as possible. That's what I should have done. 

Future Event Timeline 060918

Newly updated to include insolvency dates for Medicare and Social Security

7-4-18 Fully automated McDonald’s set to open in Phoenix, Arizona

12-31-18 Kroger to bring “Scan, Bag, and Go” platform to 400 stores (Walmart to 200 stores)

1-1-19 ICON aims to sell 3D printed houses in 2019

12-31-19 Latest date Google aims to have AI app “Lookout” to assist blind people

12-31-19 Elon Musk plans testing of Big Falcon Rocket “BFR”

12-31-19 Delphi Automotive est. to make level 4 self driving car system available to auto makers

12-31-19 Elon Musk brings automated semi trucks into production

12-31-20 James Cameron, Larry Page, and Eric Schmidt aim to create a fuel depot in space

12-31-20 Estimated completion date of Mexican American Border Wall

12-31-20 Lockheed Martin to deliver two test laser weapon systems to US Navy

12-31-21 Delphi Automotive estimated to bring level 4 self driving cars to market

12-31-21 BMW, Magna, and Fiat aim to bring self driving technology platform to market

12-31-21 Volvo and Autoliv aims to bring a self driving system to market

1-1-22 Ford cuts production of most car models in North America ($25.5 billion budget cuts)

12-31-22 Elon Musk plans to use BFR to send cargo to Mars

12-31-23 GM to Produce 20 new electric cars

12-31-24 Mars One plans cargo missions to Mars

12-31-24 SpaceX (Elon Musk) plans to start sending people to Mars

12-31-25 Mars One plans to land four astronauts on Mars

12-31-25 Possibility of fully automated cargo airplanes to start

12-31-26 Medicare to become insolvent

12-31-28 Mars Base Camp (Lockheed Martin) proposal to send astronauts into Mars orbit

12-31-30 Russia (head of Russia Space Agency) plans to put cosmonauts on Moon

12-31-32 Russia Space Agency plans to have automatic robotic base on Moon

1-1-33 Social Security only able to pay out 75% of promised benefits

12-31-34 Social Security to become insolvent

12-31-35 Peoples over age 65 projected to outnumber peoples under age 18 in United States

12-31-45 White race projected to become minority in United States

12-31-58 United States population projected to exceed 400 million

12-31-60 United States population projected to hit 404 million

It's okay to be a jerk

It has surprised me how big of an obstacle standing in the way of a particular goal is the wrong kind of people.

You know the kind of people. The kind of people the procrastinate, that say they will do it later, that want you to do everything. The kind of people that do nothing but impede.

The best way to deal with these people.

Either avoid them entirely or find a way to apply pressure to them.

Give them no second chances. Just tell them what will happen and watch them hurt if they don't comply.

Best lesson I learned in life is that if you assume the worst of people, you will be correct 90% of the time.

People don't show up, they try to short change you, they try to screw you over. The only way they get the point is if pressure is applied to them.

And when you be tough, be direct, and try to get a job done you look like a jerk. Well sometimes its necessary to be a jerk.

Now, I want to tell you about the worst kind of person that should be avoided at all costs. This person will drain your life force because he or she is a blood sucking energy vampire.

This is the kind of person that looks like they want your help. When you give them the solution, they either don't want to do it or drag his/her feet on it. And when you offer to fix the problem for him or her, he or she will actively resist you from fixing the problem.

To paint a better picture of this, imagine a homeless bum walks up to you begging you for food. At your gracious generosity, you take him to a steak house and put a fine porterhouse right in front of him.

He looks at you and then looks at the streak. He then demands you to cut up the steak and feed him yourself because he can't be bothered to lift a finger.

At that point, I would just sit there and watch him starve to death.

And it hit me. For whatever reason, some people just want to hurt and suffer and complain.