/biz/ - Business & Finance

>>1556480
That's a better attitude. Though I suggest holding off against self-publishing; market is saturated because of the Internet. Everyone thinks they can write now, but to be bluntly honest, most can't.

I'll keep the anecdote of my own situation short:
I was one of the smarter kids in my entire high school; wrote a 40-page thesis and defended it before a panel of teachers as part of an honors program, got into a top school, etc. I thought I was hot shit.
Then I arrived at my university, and quickly came to realize that almost everyone else was as impressive as I was, if not more so. They worked or volunteered during their summers, they just knew more, they studied more, they did more sports, they seemed more sure of what they were doing, etc. All I had was a general idea of what I wanted, so I was knocked off my feet (so to speak) and kinda stumbled around trying to figure out what EXACTLY I wanted to do.
Tempted into finance; courtesy of the predatory nature of Wall Street recruiters who want smart/ambitious young kids and promise them wealth, intellectually stimulating work, etc., but after a sophomore year internship, I quickly realized it was a bit too Darwinian for me, and that I didn't really like it.
Realized my own interests were more political and security oriented (with a touch of interest in technology and international development). Pursued that, got a think tank internship junior year (with help from a fraternity alumnus), enjoyed it, and went down that path. Now I'm at a separate think tank, working abroad (great resume builder, particularly since it's a non-Western country), editing a journal put out by the institution, learning a foreign language (again, resume builder) and on my free time doing research. Maybe put a book out in a year or so, depending if I can a certain important someone to write a foreword for me.

(cont).

>>1549356
This.

>>1549391
>What in the fuck is this even supposed to mean though? Meet rich people and get them to invest in your ventures?
Yes, but in more ways than one. It's about leveraging your connections to get what you want, and deliver stuff in return.

If you want to go into banking, for example, you use your network to a) help you get the job, since Wall Street is a boys network, and b) help you secure clients, preferably whales.

Other business ventures, they might help finance you, or even do something as simple as help you advertise/gain access to an event where you can meet other people.

Example: I used my connections to help secure a job at a think tank, and I then I doubled down on that by helping get my boss/think tank president a speaking slot at one of those prestigious public-private partnership summits, on par with international/world leaders. How? A fraternity brother I got along well with at a networking event happens to be a programming senior adviser at the very same summit. A lengthy WhatsApp conversation and a few emails later, and boom.

Now the boss is basically subsidizing my book research for months, down to costs involved in printing numerous white papers. And if I finish, he can use his own contacts (in particular, a well-known NYT best-selling academic who could write a foreward to my book) to boost it.

It's all about favors, son. Trade em, owe them, grant them.