Something to consider for those thinking of dropping out of college to pursue AGI

I got my master’s degree, started working at a large company, and was paid decently. But I was bored. I wanted to make money, so I had a good idea. <br><br>I was learning to code, so I took a few weeks to make a web app that allowed users to scan credit card bills and break down the purchases by store. The idea was that people would buy into this if I charged them $3/month for this service. <br><br>I spent about 3 months on this. I got a feel for how much time and money it was going to take to develop this. This is not the first app I made, but it was the first one I was serious about. <br><br>I set aside $4000 to get a team of 10 freelancers to work on this. I figured this would cost me $4000 to get them working on it, which was ultimately a bad assumption. The work took 3 months longer than the 2 months I budgeted for, cost me $8000, and ultimately resulted in an app that I could not sell. <br><br>It was too expensive for most people to pay $3/month, but not expensive enough for me to make a profit. I got 2 subscriptions. This was a failure. <br><br>I then started looking for a new job. I realized that if I was going to make wages, I should be working for someone who knows what they’re doing instead of bleeding money on a failed project. I found a good one, and have been working on it for the last 2 years, making 3 times the money I thought I was supposed to make at my age. I have a great work/life balance, and I enjoy the work. I spent the last year studying for my Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam, and I’ll be applying for a promotion at the end of the year. <br><br>If I had not tried to create my own business, I wouldn’t have realized how difficult it really is to make money without a paycheck. I would not have realized that I had grown so far away from my parents that I was spoiled. I realized that I had been wrong about both of these points, and I will never be the same. <br><br>This was the most powerful realization I’ve ever had. <br><br>I want to be honest with you about how difficult it is to pursue AGI. If you have not tried to pursue it before, you will not really understand how hard it is. You will not make it if you think it is easy. It requires a team of people working on it, 24/7, pouring their heart and soul into it. Imagine the time you spent studying for your degree and triple it. Imagine taking a 3 credit hour course, but instead of meeting for an hour a day for 5 days a week, you meet for 3 hours a day for 5 days a week. You need to work part time on top of that to pay rent and food and health insurance. <br><br>I know you may have money to pursue this, but if you haven’t done it before, you’re in for a rude awakening. It is more difficult than you realize. If you have not tried to make money before, and you have an allowance, you will be shocked at how hard it is. <br><br>I was working on this in the 90 days leading up to my diagnosis of clinical depression. I felt like I had failed, because I obviously wasn’t getting anything done. I couldn’t see that I was working harder than I ever had. I couldn’t see my progress. I couldn’t see that it was a step in the right direction. <br><br>You will not make it if you do not have experience being depressed and feeling like you’re failing. You will not make it without a strong support system. You will not make it without a good money situation. <br><br>Pursuing AGI is a great goal, but it is not a good goal for everyone. I was depressed for a year after that, and I felt so bad for so long. <br><br>If you think you can do it, you don’t understand how difficult it is. You will not make it if you think it’s easy. <br><br>This is what I want to tell you. <br><br>The good news is, if you think it’s impossible… you are correct. <br><br>And I’m glad you understand. <br><br>That means you have the correct mindset to try.