My uncle told me I'd regret dropping out but he was dead wrong

He sat me down at my grandma's kitchen table in Portland and said I'd never make a living without that piece of paper. Twelve years later I own a tree service with 4 crews and my youngest climber just bought his first house. Anyone else have someone give them that old school advice that turned out to be total garbage?

2 comments

2 Comments

wren97817d ago

I used to be all in on the "you need a degree" mindset, actually. I told my nephew the same thing your uncle told you back when he wanted to start a handyman gig. But then I watched him build a crew of eight guys doing kitchen remodels and he's pulling in more than I ever did with my bachelor's in business. That whole thing about how dropping out means you'll fail just doesn't hold up for trades or businesses you actually grow yourself. Your tree service is proof the ground's moved under us whether people want to admit it or not.

hill.barbara17d ago

Eight guys doing kitchen remodels? That's wild. Your nephew went from a handyman gig to running a real crew, and I'm sitting here with my bachelor's in business wondering where I went wrong. How many of those guys have degrees themselves, or are they just learning on the job? Sounds like he's laughing all the way to the bank while the rest of us were told to play it safe. Makes you think twice about all those student loans, doesn't it?