my parents want me to get a "real" job

Their opinion is also true, Parents just want to have their child finish education for this will treasure forever.You can continue IM but first finish your studies , You can do both, with your free time you can do your stuff.

Hope it help you...

Yes.

Get a job, for five reasons:

1. It teaches you to be humble;
2. It pleases your parents;
3. It allows you to appreciate the achievements you make, when you finally break big;
4. Unless you are making big now, you need to eat until you do; and
5. That education may help you find bigger opportunities down the road.


Yes, get a job and finish your studies... And do this part-time until you are an adult and can make a reasonable decision on your own.

Their opinion is reasonable. Just remember that all they are doing is protecting you the best way they know how. And that's by recommending what THEY know or what THEY did in the past. I'm sure you've seen the success stories on WF though.. It's possible my friend but it takes a lot of work and dedication. The more you work, the more you learn, the faster the results.

So my advice to you would be... Take what they are saying as fuel to drive you to get a successful site or start a service up to hold you over until you reach the point you desire. Or get a part time job to keep them happy and work on I.M. on the side. If they still say quit I.M., I call bullsh*t and you should follow your dreams and do what makes you happy.

When you die, you have only you're regrets and you're experiences to deal with. Live your life the way you want to live it =]. They'll always be your parents though, so respect them!

Hope I answered your question. Take care.

-Jared

As you can see, I'm completely new here. However, your post is something that a lot of people have probably heard themselves. I've been lucky and had my family's backing since I came up with the wild idea to make a go at a full time online income. Don't let your parent's views get you down. Use it as motivation to work harder toward your goal. It may take a while to reach a point you want to be at, but one day you can look at them and basically say "I told you I could do it." Parents worry so it's natural for them to be apprehensive about your current plans. They just want to see you get a good education and earn a good living for yourself. Cut them a little slack but still pursue your own dreams.

I'm with Jared.

Your parents probably don't object to your making money online and living your dream. They're just scared, and skeptic. Don't ditch your dream, but try to take steps that can fit in to your life instead of forcing your life to fit the dream just yet.

Only your Mother knows you 9 months longer than anyone else in the world...!!! ♥♥... so Love your Mom more then anyone else in world.....♥♥

So in my opinion you should go with your parents and make them happy.
As the Bill says ,

It pleases your parents;
Unless you are making big now, you need to eat until you do;

So make them feel proud with doing Job.

Going out to work for someone else is MOSTLY rubbish - I've spent most of my life TRYING to avoid in it, but I've worked some important and well paid jobs, and in that time I've got built up some amazing experience doing so, so I wouldn't rule out 'working' for a living. I don't think your going to make a salary quick enough for your parents to be convinced, so you need to keep them sweet, you going to need their help. Taking a job now doesn't mean you've abandoned your career path but I promise you you'll feel a whole lot better about everything with a regular income...It will have a more positive effect on your IM career.

Good luck to you...

My advice would be 'keep' working on your IM even if it is just part time. If you need to support yourself then look at getting a day job but think of it as a way of supporting yourself whilst you slowly build up your internet business.

Your parents have your best interest at heart even though they 'may' be wrong. If being your own boss and working online is your passion. Your dream... then you shouldn't give that dream up... especially if you have already earned some money online.

Use your parents lack of faith in 'IM' drive you to succeed... so one day you can go 'Hey mum.. dad... look at what I've achieved'.

Just because you get a day job.. it doesn't mean that you have to give up IM. It just means that you have a guaranteed income whilst you crank your online earnings up.

Andy

Do you want to know the reason why your parents, spouse or your relatives are not happy while you are focusing on starting an internet business?

The simple reason is that you are not earning enough profits online for them to believe that you can literally make a living online.

I had the same issue when I got started on the internet and this is something you should be doing on an urgent basis.

Find out a way where you can start making some money online instantly just to prove your parents or spouse that you can earn some profits on the internet.

The best way to get started is take a freelancing job. There are many freelancing websites like elance, freelancer, etc that will give you projects that you can earn money instantly by doing work of other internet marketers.

While you are earning some instant cash out of this freelancing work and as this will make your spouse or parents happy you will be stress free and now you can focus the rest of your time in building an online business.

Even though you get just 2 hours per day to build your internet business it will be great because it will allow you to focus in building your dream business that will earn you a fortune.

The most important thing you should keep in mind about a business whether it is an online or an offline business is that you don't earn all your profits instantly from the work you are doing today.

For example: Lets assume that you are writing 5 articles every day to promote your internet business.

Your articles will not generate all the profits in next 30 days. If you average article earns you an overall profit of $30 which actually happens for me, you might end up earning just $3 within the next 30 days. The balance $27 profits will come in future, probably next 12 to 24 months.

Therefore it is important that you keep the momentum going on to build your online business and together with that make sure that you keep your spouse or parents happy by getting some instant income in the process.

You can start writing articles for other internet marketers to earn instant cash and side by side write articles for your own website to earn huge profits in future. When your internet business replaces your job income you can confidently switch on to your internet business completely. This is my opinion.

Making it big in IM right out the gate is like a kid graduating high school at 15 - it happens but not often.

The best IMmers have experience with life and work, so I think your parents are right to encourage you to find a job and finish your studies.

Furthermore, there's nothing like a regular job to help motivate and finance your IM pursuits.

After working a regular job for a while, you'll have all kinds of new reasons to pursue IM

Ignore your parents and do what you love.

Just because theyre your parents doesnt mean theyre right.

Don't listen to these other opinions:

If I was your age and had a lot of debt or other issues such as kids or commitments I'd agree with your parents. Sounds like you don't so this is the time to kill it in IM. I would have at your age so stick with it and find your way.

Certainly.

They're clearly right to want you to finish your studies. That's a no-brainer.

About the rest, they're probably making perfectly reasonable requests on the basis of their understanding of the situation, albeit that their understanding of the situation may perhaps be a limited or blinkered one. In other words, they may well not be right about the rest, at all.

But finish your studies, for sure!

My parents wouldn't ever want me to "get a job" at all, but they'd rightly freak out if I don't finish my studies ...

There is nothing wrong with "finishing your studies". You don't say how old you are, but if you mean finish highschool, then that is important. If you are in college or university,take advantage and study programs that will help your future plans.

IM does follow real marketing principles. Evergreen skills like writing and communication are always required at all levels of marketing from CEO to Help Desk. Lots of learning available to develop marketing and communication skills in college, even if your major isn't marketing or communication.

There are lots of "real" jobs in marketing that would please your parents too.


How much would be enough for the amount of time spent?

Someone suggested doing freelance work. That is a good idea. Doing gigs for other marketers (writing, site building, backlinking) will not only generate a direct cash for work in your pocket, it will teach you a lot about what work you will need to do and outsource in your own business.

It also helps keep you accountable to tasks. It's easy to waste time surfing or gaming when you work for yourself. But not so much when you know a client will be Skyping you at 3 pm.

Maybe doing "work" and getting paid by someone for doing that "work" will look more like a "job" to your parents.


Of course their opinion is reasonable, as some have said. But that doesn't necessarily make it correct as others have said.

It is not a "job" your parents want, it is some security for you and a plan for the future that looks reliable to them. They may not view IM as reliable a job as you do.

It might help if you explained how you were going to build a business online, what the income model is and how you are going to grow the business into the future. That would go a long way to helping them understand.

If you can't articulate that then maybe you do need to finish your studies and get some experience at a "real job".

Right now they are probably hearing, "I don't want to get a real job, I want to make a million bucks online and live in my pyjamas".

What is your parents' definition of a real job?

Mahlon

As other warriors have mention, your parent is simply just worried about you. If I am you, I will finish my study and just go to find a job to make my parent happy first.

But what I will do is to set a dateline that I will quit the job and this will gives me the extra motivation to work harder on my online venture.

There is nothing wrong with having a job as there are some people who do enjoy their job. I have a friend who is making high 4 figure income online monthly but he continue to do his day job as he loves his job.

So I think you will have to really ask yourself what you really want?

Zack

Yes you can make a full-time living from the Internet in time, but as a father of a 28 year old son, your parents are right about finishing your education. There are many really good jobs in on-line marketing which pay around £60,000 pa plus! You do need good qualifications to get these jobs. What I would suggest is run your IM business part-time alongside your studies. At the end you are going to be fully educationally qualified and then can make your own choices - either take a highly paid job or turn your IM business into a full-time occupation.

All the very best for your future.

Get a part time job to support your living expenses that keeps your parents happy
because technically you still got a job + it allows you more time to work on IM.

win-win

Nigel

If you are not making a reasonable amount of money on the Internet, you should follow your parent's advice. Get an education. Get a job. Do IM on the side until you master it. A job and an education are important, particularly the education. That will benefit you for your entire life. If you give that up for a dream, a dream might be all that you are left with.

Let me ask you something...

What do your parents do?

Are they business owners or investors, or do they have regular jobs?

Just wait until you show them that first $1000 Plus payment you get...

That will make them take notice

Keep it up...work hard and you'll get there, sometimes friends and family can be hard work

First step:
Finish your study.

Second step:
Get a good job

Third:
Pursue your IM dreams

If by chance you can make it big by doing it part time you can retire young and retire rich .

From my experience,you can tell a difference between those who have working experience and those who doesn't. One day the time will come when you need to take your IM business to the next level... this is where your working experience will help a lot, about networking...organizing...public speaking...coaching etc.

Life is not easy...be a true warrior! Rest if you must but don't you quit ;-)

Smitz

You can get a "real" job that has something to do with IM : )

My parents sat me down and told me I will never make a living from the internet :-) I trained as a plasterer made a fortune invested that money into my online business.

My parents now boast to their friends about my online empire.....

Just do whatever makes them happy but working online can be done part time until you make real money then you can just start reducing your JOB hours...

Also if you start getting desperate for money it shows through on your online business

In the end, you should trust your own intuition. Parents mean well, and they don't want you to "waste your life".

Personally, I am finishing my studies before going for it full time. I am done in four months time, and then I will make the business work for me full time. I am in the process of "laying the ground work", so to speak

I'm a college student, and over the last year my parent's response to my explorations in earning money online went from mild amusement to amazement. I now earn more then both of them combined from my online endeavors, and they are extremely proud of me. However, despite my successes, I still am going to school full time and may even get a "real job" on the other side.

My advice to you would be to stay in school (non-negotiable), and if you need the money get a part-time job. But DO NOT give up on your dream - you can and will accomplish great things if you continue striving. I was in your shoes not so long ago. Remember that one day, you will be able to dispel everyone's doubts

Good luck - feel free to message me if there's anything else I can help with!

Definitely get a job. Nothing is stopping you from pursuing IM business ideas while working a 9-5. Nothing. In fact, it will only motivate you more (if you truly want to succeed online).

This is especially true if you've never had a "real" job before.

It's your life, so man up and tell them that despite the fact that you love them and you respect their opinion, you will non-the-less pursue your dreams regardless of whatever ANYONE else thinks.

If you want to make it big in ANY career (online or offline), you will have to stand up for yourself. This could be a good moment to start doing it.

I make my living online so it's probably weird for me to say it but I would be telling you the exact same thing if I was your parents. Parents just want what is best for you and they probably do not understand enough about online marketing to really know what you are talking about. The idea of making money online to most people usually brings up thoughts of scams and pyramid schemes. Obviously there is a lot more to it than that but here's the way I see it.

1. If you REALLY want to succeed online then you will work at it regardless of what else you have to do -- whether it be a full-time job, study or even both. You'll find most people who are making money online started out by juggling it in between what they were already doing. That's exactly how I started.

2. No one can argue with results. Work at it on the side and get some real results that you can show your parents. I would also maybe educate them a little on exactly what you are doing online. The more they know about it the more likely they are to understand that there are indeed a ton of legitimate opportunities online.

You may only be at your best when you are not stressed for money. Get a job may not be a bad choice, if you can't save yourself by doing IM at the moment.

Well THE problem is your parents insist "nobody can make money online." If they knew different do you think your parents would still be quite so hostile towards the internet?

In addition their hopes for you are probably linked to the studies you have been doing. They have formed quite solid opinions in their own minds, by the sounds of things, and now these are in doubt. They had a comfortable picture of how things were going to turn out for you but now it looks like it's going up in smoke for them. Of course this will make them anxious. They are now uncomfortable and understandably don't like it. Equally they are your parents and so you probably wouldn't want to think you've caused them discomfort.

You'll have to pursue all three options, a) finish studies, b) then begin looking for a job, (not any old job. One with useful/valuable skills that you could earn an income from working for yourself?) and c) develop your IM "career."

If your IM career works out...in time your parents will recognise your ability to survive without a "proper job" because by then your proper job will be IM.

I am reading The Fastlane Millionaire, and it tells you the study and get a job is the Slowlane and starting your own business is the Fastlane to success. So take your pick You and your parents will understand more why you are pursuing your dream/success after reading this book.

If you need money now, get a job. Work part-time on your business. You can always quit your job once you make a full-time income or make enough to start your business full-time.

Note, it's never about your parents. It's about your life and what kind of success you want. If you truly belief in your business, I say go for it and when you put your whole heart to it, you will succeed. Even if you get a "real" job, and your heart is in business, you will end up starting a business - it just takes an extra route

The short answer is: NO

I have a really strong rule which I now use for everything I do.

95% of people will give you their opinion however this is extremely
dangerous.

It is based on their experiences.

Here is the rule:
Only take advice from someone who is doing what you want to do.

DO NOT take business advice from someone who does not own a
business. It can destroy your life.

It's not their fault. They have your best interest in mind.

**Would you take diet advice from a fat person?**

Hope this helps.

if you ask your parents , "can I make money by being a motor racer?", they will answer : NO WAY, because you will crash,... bla bla bla ....

but once you become a real winner motor racer, top number 1!.... what will your parents say when you're lagging behind your competitors when you're racing in a competition?
"C'mon!! Faster , Faster! You can't lose, you gotta win!!!"


It's same with IM... when you want to make money from IM, and you haven't made a lot of money, they will answer "just find a real job"....
But when you're making $20,000 passively month by month, they'll say "Grow your IM business, make $100,000 and go get some vacations to Hawaii ..... "

LOL

Life costs money

Job gives money

Hobie is a Hobie

Dream is a Dream

Until Hobie or Dream = Money, Get a Job.

Everyone on here can tell you to ignore your parents but as you pointed out you made little money in the time your doing it. In the real world stuff costs money, bills, rent / mortgage and partners, if you really want to be happy you don't want to be up 2am in the morning stressing over finances and debt collectors and I'll honesty say I've been there it's not a nice place to be.

I've worked crappy night shifts, worked all night and all weekends to help support my family, before going to bed after a 12 hour shift id spend 2 hours focusing on my dream. That's what it takes to make it life there is no free hand outs.

If your serious about IM get your education sorted, get a job and get some money behind you.

Regardless if your parents have jobs, self employed or bums they are looking out for you and as a dad myself you go through hard times when you start as a parent you wish you never went through or id want my children to go through when they start a family.

Im saddened but not surprised at the responses in here suggesting that this kid should just "get a job."

Arent we all of the entrepreneurial mindset?

Is this warriorforum or sookyforum.

Go on, get a job, then sit in traffic each day, and subject yourself to the rat race.

Trust me, it sucks. Big time.

PM me with what you're currently doing, or have done, and I'll have a look at it, and maybe offer some advice/guidance.

Your parents are saying this because you are not making money.

If you would be bringing cash to the table every month, they would not say a thing.

Your parents thinking is outdated. These days, internet marketing represents more of an economic opportunity than 'getting a real job' after university does.

The reactions from the so-called 'Warriors' here is funny. More like 'Weekend Warriors' it seems

Get a job and do IM on the side/at night/on the weekends. That way you have a steady stream of income and if the IM really starts to take off, you can focus on that later.

IM takes a while to learn and get good at to the point where you're making more money than you would at a normal job.

And you please your parents...which is important.

I tend to lean toward what Ramone Johnny is saying. The single most valuable commodity in this world is time. Definitely don't waste it in a job or career which you have no interest in. Trust me, 10 years working at a job you don't like can go by quickly. Looking back I would have jumped in IM a lot earlier.

Business becomes a real job when it makes real money, by real money I mean it makes the national minimum wage for the hours and the effort you put in. Otherwise it's just not logical, you may as well de-risk yourself and get a job at MacDonald's working 9-5.

Full time employment in the UK at the national minimum wage you should be earning at least £1,000 a month before tax 40 hours a week. If you're working 40 hours a week at an online business (plus the additional risk), and you're not at least meeting the minimum wage you're totally wasting your time.

Your parents want you to get out there and go and get a foot in the door, regardless of where it is. MacDonald's or another company, it gets you out of the house too.

I know a lot of wealthy people who own all kinds of businesses, from garden centres, construction companies, pubs etc. Some of which have multiple million pound net worth's, surprisingly enough they all have families too. Regardless most of them still push their kids to go and get 'real' jobs, working in shops etc. It teaches you the real value of hard work.

The last point I'd like to make is, who do you expect to keep you while you build up your business? You'll still need a roof over your head, and food to eat, and while I suspect your parents love you very much I don't see why you should just sponge off them. They go out and earn the money so you can pursue your fantasy. I don't think that's fair, do you?

No offense kid,


but that's kind of a stupid question.

Our opinion's don't matter; neither does your parent's...what matters is what YOU think.
And people make money on the internet every day! Ignore your parents; they're living in the 80's.

You CAN make money on the internet, and have your whole career through it; the question is...do you WANT to?


Ben.

your greek are you
I am irish...is there much chance of a job

Most people don't understand Internet Marketing, so tend to dismiss it out of hand. My son's at University and because of the bad economic situation here in the UK (like Greece), there's severe competition in all job sectors. So, I've advised him to generate an income online and keep looking for his ideal job, because it may take some time to find it! Best Regards
Mike Lukjaniec

Prove them wrong by working hard in your studies and online business. Do what it takes to generate enough money to support yourself and have some leftover. It is the only way they can believe that one can make money online.

The hardest thing to understand at a young age is the possibility of your own parents being completely wrong. Remember, we grow up taking advice from our parents and trust them as a result of them looking after us so naturally we want to believe that they are right.

The fact that parents have got our best interests in mind does not mean that they are right, it just means that they're advice will be according to what type of decisions they would personally make, which may not be right for you.

And also, parents (sometimes, not always) tend only provide advice up to the point of what they have seen you acheive not what they haven't seen of you. When they see you acheiving it they will encourage you more, but untill then you have the right to continue with your passion. So it's not so much as to NOT listening to your parents but more to do with understandin that they might not quie get it .... yet !!!

I got hell from every "adult" that knew me when I walked away from a full scholarship to do IM. That was some 16 years ago, and almost all of those people still work for a living.

However, I was able to actually sort of retire at 30 and live a life most only dream of.

Here is the real answer. Are you really prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure your parents and others are not right. Are you really prepared to work harder than you ever have to prove them wrong.

If you just plan on having excuses as to why your plan did not work, then go get a job because when you are self employed, excuses are worthless.

You can only have success or excuses. Your excuses may be valid, but they still won't pay the bills. So are you really ready to have no excuses.

On average, your parents are giving you good advice. But good safe advice will keep you in the "safe" and "normal" area of society. Do you really want an average income and an average standard of living for the rest of your life.

The answer to this question is in YOU not us. Its up to you how much responsibility you want to take on. Do you want a job where you put in 40 hours and get a check on Friday or do you want the unlimited potential of working for yourself.

You should also consider that with unlimited upside potential comes unlimited risk of complete failure as well.

Good Luck mate

Given the evidence in front of their eyes, I'd say their opinion is perfectly reasonable.

Does that mean you should "quit wasting time on IM"? That's up to you.

Since you've already made one intelligent, mature decision (continuing your studies), why not keep at this part time? When you finish your studies, get that job if you can. Once you are making enough to support yourself, then it's time to decide if you want to ditch the day job.

As for your folks, tell them that at least working online behind a computer keeps you "off the streets and out of the pool halls"...

If you want to be an entrepreneur, you need to get used to this. People who aren't entrepreneurs don't think like we do, and because they're the majority, they try to convince us that there's something wrong with us.

Bottom line, if someone tells me I'm afraid to get a "real" job, I agree with them. I'm afraid of sacrificing my independence for the sake of a paycheck. I'd rather risk neck and nutsack creating opportunity, something people in the "real" world are afraid to do or don't know HOW to do.

Never submit to people who you will never be like or who don't understand your drive to create independence, they just don't get it.

At 22 you are an adult and you should support yourself. If you can do that without taking money from your parents then continue as you are. If your parents are supporting you then you need to man up and get a job. All the skills I use to make money using the internet I learned from working for other people. I also gained the maturity from working that I needed to be successful. Consider looking for a virtual position where you can telecommute but if that doesn't work get a part-time job and work the internet in your spare time.

Bonnie

It really depends whether your in the "LEARNING" stage or the "READY TO EXECUTE" stage.... And it depends on if you have some saving to finance your projects.

Without much knowledge of your situation I lean towards you getting a job, BUT, only to finance your online ventures. It certainly helped me to be able to have a steady income while I figured things out.

But if you KNOW HOW to make money right now and have some money saved up to support you AND your projects, I say go for it. Thank your parents for their love and concern and get to work online.

What your parents told you is what most parents will told their child. Heck I still remember my own parents scold me pretty hard after spending Thousand dollar of own private saving for doing IM. I still advise you to get a real part time job because what you experience from that, can also be apply in IM.

For example, communicate is the essential part of business whether it is offline or online. You need to build a relationship with your buyers or your list. So in the end , it is better to take IM slowly at first, but remember you must take action on every course you buy.Try to find the method to suit you the best to make money online.

That's all I have to say, Wish For Your Success

haha my parents are the same way

YES finish your education. YES get a job.

But get a job that benefits you with LEARNING and EXPERIENCE above and beyond a wage.

Learning to work on a team? check. Learning to take direction and follow a plan? check. Learning to think on your feet and solve problems? check. Learning to communicate effectively with people from all walks of life? check. Earning and saving capital that you use later to finance your business, or to live on while building your business? check.

If you're wasting your time working at a job, then you're doing it wrong, and that's on you.

People who have a traditional job like the security it provides so they don't understand others who want to live differently. Entrepreneurs think differently than everyone else and people who advise you to follow everyone else by going to school and getting a job will never understand why. They will call you afraid and lazy.

The truth is, if I had it to do over again, I would have not gone to college and would have started my own business immediately after high school. College degrees cost tens of thousands of dollars and do not guarantee success.

Maybe you should make a deal with them. Ask them to give you a year to work this industry and make a go at it. If you aren't making it by then, you'll get a job.

Good luck either way. In the end, it has to be your decision.

I would buy some of these WSO reports it seems like you can make 1000 of dollars in a couple of weeks easily enough. That was sarcastic by the way!

Get a job and do this part time while you start to make some cash.

Well, your parents won't agree and hesitant to agree with you because in the first place they have not experience yet making money online...tha's the common reaction. I suggest that you still have to continue looking for a job at the same time continue aquiring knowledge in IM...you can do it.

I think you should get a job, and invest your money in I.M. Learn slowly and grow with it. When you a way to make a buck , monetize it and then scale it up. Until you can make a consistent income, stick with a regular job.

I'm in no position of giving career advice but I can tell you what I did when I was 21... I got a job for exactly 7 days, raised the money I needed to start my business and that was it. Now... The climate has changed and so did prices... Today I would get a part time job, continue my studies and try to freelance something so I could raise the money for getting other business related assets I might need. The only advice I can give you after 7 years of IM is "treat internet marketing NOT as a hobby but as a business". It will help you grow faster and keep more focused.

Thanks,
Alex

Don't give up if this is your dream. If you really want to achieve things then you will.

The internet is changing lives and how people will work in the future in as dramatic a way as what happened during the industrial revolution. If you believe in this then this is definitely a growth area still.

It's funny because I am a parent of teenage children and I'm actually trying to encourage them to consider getting into IM and building an on-line business.

My parents encouraged me to follow a 'traditional career'. but then what was a traditional career to them probably only came into being a generation or two before them. Before the industrial revolution people either worked on the land or were part of then nobility or worked or fought for them. So what is the 'norm' to your parents will be very different again in 20 years time.

So stick with what you believe in..

Loved all the well wished comments and advice.

Only you can decide what you want to do, bro.

That said...

But don't give up on your dreams. If you don't start seeing results by the middle of the year, though, you may have to suck it up and finish your studies and see if you can get a job. In fact, I would continue my studies so I could meet some hot chicks at school. Ha ha, just kidding. But really, it can be advantageous long into the future to finish school, unless you're so wildly successful online that you don't care about whether you have a degree or not. I have a friend who makes $100K a year with no college degree, but it's at a job, and it's because he has a very valuable skill.

Anyway, I know it can be tough to get a job in Greece these days, seems very hard there! So I can't just tell you to get a job.

Only you can really decide, and I'm not going to judge your position. Perhaps it's normal in Greece to live with your parents until you're married, even if you're in your 30s or something? i know many cultures where that's normal. I knew a doctor in an Asian country when I lived over there who still lived at home rent-free. He was a freaking doctor but his parents wanted him to stay at home with them.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Be true to yourself but be aware of the situation and try to help your parents as much as you can, if you are living with them.

My parents, brother, friends all doubted me and told me i would never make money online and it was pretty sad to hear that but i always used to tell em give me couple more months and after couple months again used to ask for more time. And recently i have been doing god and they are pretty happy.

If you want you can take part time and any spare time you have work on im

Jobs are for poor people

Another suggestion for you..

Offer to do some freelance work for other people in IM. In this way you'll earn some extra money, continue to practice IM skills but also gain from experiencing what other marketers are trying to do. If you feel you have more to offer then you may also be able to get involved in a JV with that person and actually try to create your own products etc.

If you don't know where to begin with freelance work then there was a really good WSO released a couple of weeks ago from Avani Misra called 'Dollars on Demand'. It's still available on the Special Offers forum. It goes into so much information about finding and being successful with freelance work.

Until you are bringing in a reliable income yourself from your own sites etc then this would still mean you are working within IM and 'sharpening your saw'.

Welcome to the world of being an entrepreneur where ignoring your parents' advice is a must.

Not saying to do anything stupid. I don't know whether you're 15 or 30.

Build your business on the side while you work for paychecks... Not a bad way to go.

Do you LIVE with your parents?

If so (and if you're presumably getting free room and board while you live there), then it's completely reasonable for them to suggest that you get a job so as to contribute to the household financially and reduce the burden on them.

Never give up on your dreams, however there's no shame at all in taking a job in the short term so you can support yourself and reduce the burden on your parents. A job will also provide you with money to invest in your business ventures.

P.S. I'm not sure how it is in Greece, but in the US, sales jobs are always available.

Yeah get a job. If you hate working as much as i do... find a part time job to start off with, then work on your business when you get off of work.

I think anyone that is not making a full time living off of marketing on the web or elsewhere for that matter, should have a job. Weather it be full time or part, but to at least make up the difference.

Musicians and artists usually always had to work full time while pursuing there passion.

You know until you hit that magic point on the net, some months you look up and say man I'm there and then all of a sudden get knocked back down the next month.

Once I can earn 80,000 a year I will continue to work, Now I'm a Nurse and I'm a agency Nurse so in other words I work when I want. Right now money is not loose for me on the net. So I will work 13 hours Fri thru Sun off Mon then Tues thru Fri with more 13's.
Now if I make 1500 this week or next week I may take off for a week.

Anyways that is my thought.

No one has the right to tell you how to live your life, you earn the right to do what YOU WANT the moment you take your first breath. No matter what authority people think they have over you the reality is zero.


If you want to start up an IM business, go for it. Full steam ahead !

I work full time and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't wish 9-10 hours of my life away, For those who do not like working a regular job its a torture unlike any other, I learned very quickly that you make your own success, no one builds it for you. I discovered IM to get out of working for other people, my goal is to work for my self, from home. Many people have told me its a dream, but ignore these people as these are the people who will continue to 'accept life for what it is'.

Your Parents do not think its impossible to make money online, they just know that its not that simple. Very few people out of the millions that try make a living off the internet. Your parents want what is best for you.

I am not saying you shouldnt try to make money on the internet, because thats what we are all here for, but make sure you get a job, its something to support you and your family, and something to fall back on just incase you dont make it big in the online world.

Always respect what your parents say, but that dont make it right, live the life you want, a J.O.B will always mean Just Over Broke, observe the masses, then do the opposite, become a part of the successful 5%, not the unsuccessful 95%.

Live long and prosper

Hope this helps you

Kevin

I'd get a job where you can learn things about the internet and broaden your mind that way - you can still do IM for 1-2 hours a day at least. Once IM starts making enough you can turn that into your full time job.

It's not a race - even if it takes 3-5 years to make good bank and get some serious experience you're still a man in his 20's with plenty of years ahead.

Being Greek and older makes it easier to reply on target.

1. Finish your studies(at the same time try many different methods of IM and try to make a steady revenue, even $5 per month is fine)
2. Find a real job when you get done with ur studies, at the same time try as many "make money online" venues available as possible. Trial and error, fix and repeat...
3. Filter your "making money online" projects and keep only those that are positive in cash flow. Dont give up your job... Try to find out the model/algorithm that made you money and repeat it to other niche's.
4. Repeat 3. until you get revenue more than $1K per month

Step 4. is only for a few guys and those most of the times never come from Greece, on the other side its nice to be a minority because you can try new stuff that other people never heard about

Unless you have a GOLDMINE, turn your IM into a hobby, but focus on your education.

Like some people have said on this post, you will get what is needed to become Successful and stay Successful by...:

- Education
- Family (should come first, but not)
- Morals
- Ambition

Get a job of course, if you can.

Use a portion of that money to expedite and amplify your business, while simultaneously pleasing your parents.

Build a list, invest in a social media presence (or traffic), then promote products.

(Maybe even your own products?)



"Oh, how I wish I could go with you!"-Sarevok

Why not try to introduce IM to your parents so that they would understand why you prefer IM than getting a real job. Prove to them that you can make money in the internet.

Make up you mind that you will be an internet marketer. Period. Whether you get a job as you pursue your goal or not is immaterial.

If you get a job, the moment your IM income is consistently more than your month income from the job, resign.

If you do not get a job, make sure you work smart to bring your income to at least $1000 month in the shortest time possible. You may need to work 18 hours a day; drop friendships; get use to solitude to achieve this.

Hello there. I'm fairly new to the WF, but here's my 2 cents. Why don't you take classes in marketing and social media promotion. You can work PT doing IM and your schooling would just strengthen your marketing abilities. That way you are pleasing both your parents and yourself.

Mitsakis okay this is not on topic. I love your avatar. Is that snow?and your in a shirt?

I say follow your passion. If your passion is IM, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. In the end you have to be happy with yourself. If I had listened to the naysayers, I'd still be at my crummy job.

I was just like you. However, I went to college only to get my degree. I knew I wasn't going to do anything with my degree. I wanted to follow my passion. I jumped into owning websites. A lot of my websites failed. Then I found this awesome warriorforum, and it has helped me to figure out where to focus. Anyways I spent a lot of time, $, trial and error for at least a year before I was finally doing okay. Now, I make $x,xxx a month. and you can as well. Just whatever you do, stay focused.

You can still go to school. Some people mentioned marketing. And that would be great for you. Some other people mentioned getting a job for experience. Well with any online business, you will get a crash course in customer service.

Good luck. Keep us posted.
Jake

Well, my parents may have been skeptical at first, but now that they see how well I'm doing it's definitely a different story. In fact, my father often comments on how he never would have thought it possible to "make so much money from computers".

Reading your post just feels me with this competitive nature to prove folks like your parents wrong. Don't get me wrong, they clearly care and want you to do something with your life. However, times have changed and IM is a gateway to a load of opportunities and it will do more so in the future.

Everyone has to compromise and make big risks in life. If that means not gaining support by your folks for something you want to do, then so be it. Get your grades and pursue what you want to do! Not what others want you to do.

I would use those words from your folks as MOTIVATION to prove them wrong!

You are your own person. I Hope to see your success post on the WF someday!

Dan.

I would say to get a job so you have money to spend on your online business...and do IM part time.

@Mitsakis, this is my advice to you. Don't listen to ANYONE that tells you that you can't make money online. People that have never tried, simply DO NOT KNOW. Your parents just want what is best for you, but what they want you to do ISN'T necessarily the best thing for you personally, so follow your heart but also be a realist.

If you need money, then DO get a part time job to take the pressure off making money online. There is nothing worse than depending on money coming in and then checking your account/stats to see $0.00 at the end of the day. Building an IM business is going to require applied effort and persistence over time.

If you are passionate about working online to make your income or even a fully fledged career, then go for it. Part time job will take the pressure off in the interim. Once you are making good money you can show your parents and then they will agree with the REALITY because they can see UNDENIABLE PROOF that it's working. They will then most likely become your biggest supporters.

If I could go back in time I would have NEVER got a full time job. I would have worked part time and built an online business. Instead I spent several years doing a job I didn't enjoy, which is something I don't recommend if you don't need to do it.

When I quit my job to make money online, nobody really believed it was a viable thing to do. Everyone kept asking me when I was going to get a real job. What anyone else thinks doesn't matter at all, it's what you BELIEVE and what you do to make that a REALITY what counts.

Downside of not working full time is that there is less interaction with people on a day-to-day basis, so you have to make more effort being sociable when you go out and doing routine things. You don't tend to bump into internet marketers during the course of your regular life unless you consciously meet up with them. So far I have only ever "bumped" into one other internet marketer in real life doing regular things.

All the best,

Dean

Get a job to make them happy but keep doing IM until it is making more than the job.

If you want to prove a point to them, then take a know marketer who releases concrete info about how much he makes. And then show your parents that he makes more money on a monthly basis than they do in a year. But be ready to get slapped after that.

Remember they are just telling you to do that because they care.

Mitsakis,

Both you and your parents are right. It is unwise to quit work to pursue your online dream for two reasons: 1. You must eat and keep a roof over your head, now! The work you do will make you want to succeed in your online ventures even more. 2. When you have to steal time from your day, because you are busy to pursue your online dreams, you will work harder and smarter. You might find yourself writing down ideas as you are away from your computer. It has often been said, "If you want something done, ask a busy person."

So, you have to eat now. You will do better in your online pursuits if you are forced to steal your time from your busy day. Keep working and pursue your online dreams.

get a job and do the Im things at your free time untill you can earn what you need for your basic life.

...many varying opinions here...

Although I am as pro entrepreneurial as they get, there is no substitute for working for someone else for so many reasons that I will not list them all here.

Working for others, at least initially, helps you to build a strong entrepreneurial foundation. For example, you can learn from someone else's mistakes. There are, of course, many other reasons including shortening the learning curve for you as the owner of your own business.

Also remember, education, be it college, vocation, or on-the-job experience (at someone else's company) is indeed priceless.

If you follow most of the Gurus that tell you that now is the time, you should go all out, if you look at their background, they had money coming in from somewhere, either they did very well in offline businesses before they jumped online or went from a high paying job to online so had a nice nest egg to put food on the table while they figure out the online thing.

I'm not saying that is everyone, but from what I've observed it is true for most.

What I've learned is that when you're broke and have to worry about eating... you don't make the best business decisions because you're too focused on the short term so you resolve for looking for the fastest tactics that don't take any money to do (because you don't have any ha) to bring money in.

Instead of what you really should be focusing on - a solid Strategy. Tactic after tactic is no strategy.

Bottom line is that having to focus on bringing money RIGHT NOW to live, it clouds your judgement and as someone here mentioned, shows in your online business.

That being said, doing business online is more than possible to do part time. So my recommendation is to do just that and once you see the money coming in and you have enough money to survive several months, then take the leap.

Even before going to college I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur and work for myself but I went to college anyways. I figured that it would give me something to fall back on if the online thing didn't work and it would also please my family. I started working the online thing while in college and out of college I went to work for a big Bank and didn't like it. I stayed there a year all the while building my online business. When I started making more at my online business than my job and had enough money aside to live on for several months, I quit.

Everyone thought I was nuts at the time because it was a decent-paying career with in a prestigious place... but now, 10 years later, seeing that I made it and can work from anywhere and visit different places and live there as long as i want. Basically being free- they probably realize it was the right choice for me. But when they tell you to stay in school and get a job, they mean well and do it for your own protection. Why not do it, if nothing else, you will appreciate the freedom and money that much more when you make the leap.

I know I still think of the days of a job when I used to have a knot in my chest Sunday night and that only went a way Friday night that my job probably would have killed me of stress because every fiber of my being was telling me that I didn't want that path of life. Doing something that you don't like is the worst kind of stress... but if you have a plan to get out from the beginning it makes it somewhat more manageable.

One last thing...You can also get a job in a business that will teach you something you want to know in business. That way you get paid to learn the business.

Respect your parents opinion and agree to disagree.

Be sure to keep up your studies just as well as if you didn't know anything about Internet Marketing.

Look for a job anyway, even in a hard job market.

But always know that the Internet can take you to wherever you want to go. There are people in this very forum that have made well into 6 figures in only days of launching a WSO!

The best advice that I can give you is to try and connect with people that understand and support your vision because it is that support that will help you to break through your barriers.

A "real" job.

When I was a young man my mother was always fond of telling me that I needed to quit living in a fantasy world and start facing "reality".

My mom died an alcoholic at 60 with $30 in her purse. If that's "reality", it ain't for me.

Nothing wrong with a job, and I attended college myself. The fact is, you can do those things and still not have to sacrifice your dream of making it in IM. With all due respect to your parents, you don't have to sacrifice IM or any other dream you have because "reality" says that's how it is supposed to be.

You live life on your own terms. Otherwise, you ain't living. And, to quote a line from the Shawshank Redemption: "Get busy living, or get busy dying."

Now....go find a job and use the money you make to build your IM business.

It is true that parents are encouraging their kids to finish their studies and get a real job, it's only an exposure. Making a living with IM is really hard and tough right now. Getting a real job is where you can start small, save some money and invest it for some tools that can help boost your activities in the IM world.

You can continue with the IM, but focus first on finishing your studies and make them proud.

Hi,

There is nothing wrong with getting a job. Keep your goals and dreams alive, but there is always time to do other things until you reach them.

Keep a great attitude in everything that you do, and you will be successful!

Cheers,
Joshua

May I share my experience here? I'm 28. When I was 22 my parents and ... behold- I have a lot of relatives that have pretty strong opinions too - told me that I should finish my school and get a job and get a career.

6 years later - I do have a job: the 9 to 5 but still haven't graduated. If you ask me - the official version is: there's always something coming up. But the truth is - IM and my coaching business need me and I am there for my business every single second I am not working or sleeping.

There's a great quote I read today: Entrepreneurish is living a few years of your life like most people wont so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people want.
So - will I be doing both for the rest of my life: Obviously not. But, as Anonymous Affiliate said - when you are young you have the time and energy to take risks, to want to have it all and get it.

I think - if you really want to succeed, you need to put in the effort and pay the price. For me - the price is my social life. It's a hard price to pay BUT - I enjoy every single luxury I can afford. For you - the price may be to graduate and to get a job and start a career and juggle all that and the IM. What do you think?

Yor parents is right ! get a job brother

make real money and no refund

Dont get me wrong Internet is 24 hour money if you do it right !

Internet or making money online is business !
You must serious and treat them as a business !

My Suggestion:

Get the job and the same time building your own business online !

Be safe is better !

Kom

It is best to do both at the same time. Earn a paycheck at a real job and do this on the side until you succeed so great that you can quit your 'real' job.

I can relate to your situation.

From the age of 19 I wanted to run my own online business (im now 25). I have always worked for a boss in the mean time as it has fully funded my online endeavours. It has taken up to now for me to start seeing results. At first when i started talking about making money through the internet my parents (esp my father) immediately got on the defensive and told me that its just life to work for a boss.

That killed my confidence and belief but i kept coming back to it. Only through sheer passion have my parents come round to what i am trying to achieve but they now support me because im taking the mature route of keeping a steady job whilst following my dream. I am now starting to see some success.

They now offer their help and try to understand more about what i am doing. My father now boasts about some of my online achievements which feels great.

So with respect to your parents opinions, they are 100% correct according to what they believe is best for you. But any parent wants nothing more than to see their kids achieve their goals. If they genuinely see the love you have for IM and see you getting results whilst doing the responsible thing of finishing up your studies then what more could they ask for?

Anyway if you have made some money then you've broken the hardest set back in IM, the beginning

Good luck

Rich

Hola,

Don't listen to them my dude! Follow your heart! Let your passions take you where you want to go in life! My parents are the same way and yes, it is hard to convince them when you don't have a lot of coin rolling in, but keep at it and when money starts coming in then you can say, "Ha ha mom and dad, what was that you said about a real job?" Trust me. I was in the same boat. Don't listen to anybody that tells you that something isn't possible.

Why not do both ? Finish your studies, which will keep your parents happy and provide you with valuable experience and contacts. At the same time set up a simple marketing agenda (nothing to time consuming) that will keep your dream alive, and prepare the groundwork for a future in the online marketing world.
All the best.

I was in your shoes a few years ago. For me I chose to get a job and work on IM during my free time (which ended up being a lot less than before)

This worked out really great for me for a couple of reasons. First it made me work harder and smarter on IM because I had a lot less time. Second I had more money to invest in tools/link packages/wso's in general. Lastly I happened to create a really good niche site purely because of something I learned from my job. After a while when I was earning more online than I was at my job and I had saved up a bit of money I decided to quit my job and focus purely on school and IM.

Greece is very unstable when it comes to the financial situation. On internet you can reach people from all over the world. Take in that you will need to learn some new stuff next to your study. Got the same discussion friend, I ignored them time after time, believing in myself. Showed them my PayPal balance and they were convinced that I could pull it off.

For some people, parents, good and valid proof is all they need. The same in your case. And I don't have to tell you that their concern comes forth out of love, right? Then again, your parents want what is BEST FOR YOU. But what they think is BEST FOR YOU, could possibly stagnate your whole process and development as a human being, let alone entrepreneur.

Don't listen to me, and don't listen to all fellow Warriors. You already got the answer. Listen to your heart.

If I were you I would get a part time job to help invest in your Internet Marketing goals..