I work to fund my fishing and hunting addiction. I'm not looking to get rich. I own everything I have and my bills are paid. I don't have much, but its all mine, and I have everything I need to live a happy life and do the things I want to do. I can't complain. I did things kind of backwards. I started as a tradesman at 17 (carpenter), learned quick and ran my own company for 10 years, then went back to school at 30. Now I work a decent job with good benefits and retirement plan that involves my school training and my carpentry background in the outdoors. I love it. Life is good.
As a kid, nothing was handed to me. I had a paper route and delivered flyers when I was 8 or ten and have always worked for anything I wanted since. I've never had a problem finding a job, but I have a pretty diverse portfolio. Experience pays, not necessarily education. And, of course, its not what you know, but who you know a lot of the time.
S.