You may have got your current corporate job right out of college, or been there for 2 months or 10 years. It doesn’t matter. You are at risk and could lose your job any day. Rather than go through things you can do after you lose your job, when it could be too late, I decided to write about things that you can do now to ensure that you are in a better place when you do lose your job.
1. Make contacts and keep in touch
I have seen this many times before where people (including myself) add to their Linkedin contacts they met along the way. But with most people, the list of contacts go stale. Not a lunch, not a message, nothing, as in zilch. I’m not saying get in touch with everyone, even though that’s not a bad idea if you have time., but what you should definitely do is get in touch with those you know somewhat intimately, maybe through a project, training class, mutual colleagues, etc. In other words, prioritize that contact list! Do schedule a lunch with them. You should be going out to lunch with someone from a prior job or project at least once a month.
So do you shoot the shit at lunch time and talk about how many bangs you notched last month? NO. You ask what they do, what are their challenges, what is the career progression like, and what frustrates them about their current position. There’s a myriad of other questions you can ask too. Also, ask if they would leave that position if the right opportunity came. Remember, this is a chance for you to help them as well. The information gathered through a $20 lunch could be gold and can mean the difference between a shitty career and an amazing one.
2. Keep your options open
What do I mean by this? While I don’t mean mack girls on the internet, I do mean “pipeline.” My meaning of pipelining in this context is different and maybe unusual to some. If you followed step one above, that means you should be lining up interviews. “But Cobra, I haven’t left my job yet.” Fear not. Just because you interview does not mean you need to jump off a ship that’s underway and get your dick chomped off by sharks without knowing how to swim.
You are just testing the waters or throwing a net to gather good information. You can simply search the internet for jobs or you can take a day off to get face to face with a potential employer you can easily build a rapport with (for later use if necessary). Recruiters are available in a lot of professions to do your approaches for you. However, use your head and do not let them push you into any job even if you have the slightest discomfort. You’re doing this to assess your own value. It’s a game. Do you find one girl and once you get her, you get married, settle down and have kids? If you’re a manosphere reader, you know this is not the case with most of us. So why would it be any different with your job where you spend at least a third of your day? Enough said.
3. Don’t respect your boss or company too much
I’ve seen this many times and will see it again. Shit, even I can’t help it. What I’m saying is WATCH IT. A decision against your favor can be even more swift than the Quintus Curtius ban hammer on ROK and the RVF banhammer combined. If for example an acquisition of your company happens overnight, your job could be at risk. It is happening to me right now. That relationship that you have invested in so dearly with all that over time and extra work can remain meaningless even long after you get the termination axe. There are roles that exist straight up to middle management and even some at the top levels (e.g. Internal Audit) where this rings true.
BUT, there exists another side of this spectrum where the axe is not so swift. Herein lies upper management. No matter what happens, these guys are generally safer than the lower end folk, with their bigger incentive bonuses, stock options or both. Also, the investments they made in relationships (higher net worth individuals they had access to) will provide them more value in the long run. If they do get the axe, it usually tends to be like a gentle virginal bang. They have earned that (supposedly). Remember, you are your own man. Figure out which end of the spectrum you’re on and act accordingly. If you don’t have access to upper management, do things to better yourself in other ways outside of work so you are the one getting the virginal bang.
4. Be social with your work mates
Maybe you know you aren’t going to have this job for long so you build this arrogance about you. “But Cobra I don’t have an arrogance, I just don’t give a fuck.” Okay, STOP. If you don’t give a fuck, it will show and this no fuck attitude will come to fuck you back doggystyle. This is not some club or the mall and you’re not running asshole game. So, do yourself a favor – be social with those around you. Ask about their life, lie about yours too. Build a goody-two-shoes reputation.
Is that beta? Maybe. But, is it going to provide you a higher chance to earn a longer stream of income? YES. In some jobs where skills are generally saturated, your ability to perform that job won’t mean shit. But, how people perceive your demeanor will. Beta is fine here. (Upper management jobs are different—you can be a bit of an asshole and get away with it.)
5. Figure out what you want
This is tough when everything around you screams this is where you’ll stay for a long time. Don’t let it fuck with your head. Develop your own thought process. Realize that the work place is not a microcosm of the world. Not at all. It is a world created for the man, by the man. This man dictates who takes the shit, who it rolls to and who deals with it.
Now associate what I just noted with a company’s organizational chart. It will now make sense as long as you remember that shit rolls downhill. The man who dictates will generally be so far removed from the shit. You have to decide if you want to be dictated to or be the one dictating. The latter is a difficult ladder to climb but more satisfying as many on the manosphere can attest. The former, however, can only be possible if you have been successfully doing #1 to #4. Set an outlook. Goals come from outlooks, because if your outlook is fucked, I can guarantee you that your goals will be totally fucked. This is coming from someone who had a shitty outlook for years along with consequently shitty goals.
Think about a time when you were on top of the world and felt like you could do anything. That mental image of yourself, is that what you see now? If that’s a yes, stop reading. If it’s a no, then ask yourself this: is your current job helping you get there? Be honest with yourself. If you’re in lower to middle management and don’t have access to upper management then the answer is no. Another way to think about this: did you ask if there are things that you can do right now that will provide better access to upper management? If the answer is some version of “Just do your job right now and we’ll let you know,” it’s time to think ahead for yourself.
Meditate about this every day for at least five minutes, because it will help you develop an action plan. Maybe that means looking at financing options. Maybe it means looking into what makes a small business successful. Maybe it means, you want to be a physician instead of a finance guy. Whatever it is, remember that this last step will not be taken overnight. It will likely be a combination of baby steps that will turn into stronger man steps if you keep to it.
Read More: 5 Things The Corporate World Taught Me
For the love of Thor,
If you are ever pushed to the limit where you believe that life is not worth living and you’re going to end it all, please remember that you are holding a get-out-of-jail-free-card.
6. Always have at least six months of personal expenses saved up. This ensures that you will be able to leave your company if they become too stressful for you or that you will have a decent cushion even if you get fired and get a severance.
#3 is especially important. Only fools are loyal to the company they work for. Think Michael Scott in “The Office” who was never rewarded for his loyalty.
Dude, you left out everything about money! First of all, you should be saving your money the entire time you work. So if you have been working 5 years+ at the same company, you need to have at least 50K saved up. Also, why not work on a 2nd job or some type of business on the side? I agree, networking is important, but if I have a million in the bank when I get laid off, I’m not going to have to get down on my hands and knees to suck the corporate shlong…
I concur — I’ve got approx. $750K+ in the bank and there’s no way in hell I’m ever going back to being a corporate drone …
That is awesome dude. Hopefully my business works out and don’t have to slowly chip away at my soul in the corporate feminist paradise.
Maybe that money should be in hard assets?
I can tell you if its just sitting there in a bank account dude is losing about 6% annually to inflation eating away his buying power. Most large pension funds do 50% cash and 50% equities.
Which leads me to believe dude is full of shit.
I’ve actually got about a third of that tied up in retirement accounts (most of which is invested in various stock/bond/REIT index funds) so actually about $500K currently in savings accounts — the bulk of that came from a real estate investment I sold last year after I lost my job — I know interest rates are super low but I’m kinda hesitant to put anything in the market as it seems to be pretty overinflated right now and I just like the security of a savings account until I figure out my next move … gonna have to figure out something soon I suppose … any suggestions would be appreciated!
I really hope you have that $500K split over at least a couple different accounts because if I recall correctly the FDIC only insures up to $200K per bank nowadays (used to be $100K until the recent financial meltdown).
The market is inflated. Expect a correction of 15% or so, then start slowly putting money into ETF’s. Best of the lot is SPY.
FDIC limit is actually 250K.
Might I suggest money markets for some of that if you need liquidity and the rest, at a minimum (bare minimum) in some kind of index fund or equivalent? You’re losing big money with it in a ‘bank’.
Buy 380 1oz gold coins. My personal favs are the Canadian Maple Leaf and the South African Krügerrand.
Those are going to make you a very happy man in the next few years. Once the price manipulation cartel falls, there is room for substantial upside.
A 15% correction is not going to do it. At the beginning of the Fed’s rate rising cycle in Q1 2015 the S&P will be between 1200-1300, around 30% lower.
A better S&P ETF is Vanguard’s VOO. The expense ratio is lower than SPY’s at 0.05%.
If you really have the kind of money get an FA. A good one. Ask how long they have been in business… And if they have a CFP designation.
Where do you get the forecast that the S&P will be 30% lower?
I abhor the idea of anything tied up in a situation where I do not have absolute control over the money, such as 401ks, pensions, and other such “custodial” arrangements for retirement. Once Uncle Sugar can’t find enough quarters in the sofa to finance the promises he’s made to the mouth breathing masses, he WILL find a way to get at a chunk of what you’ve saved in such plans.
Better yet, ask for their track record. If they can’t produce a factual, audited one, walk away.
The most important thing: is to SAVE your money.
Live a minimalist lifestyle. Live like a simpleton. The three greatest but often underrated things man in his life are: mind (faith), body (health) , wallet (money).
Money is your true friend in this life. You usually need it from birth to death.
So at the death of a job, money becomes even more important. So SAVE, SAVE, SAVE.
The second most important thing: your contacts.
The third most important thing: gain experience. Ideas create money. Be aware, learn on your job. Don’t idle away, one day you’ll be fired like every one else.
To a certain extent…SAVINGS and living WAY under your
means is vital….however that alone will not allow you to have your “fuck
you” money by the time your are 40-50 if all you getting is 2-3% return….barely enough to cover inflation and taxes
The other side is INVESTMENTS….If I knew in my 20’s what I
know now about investing I would be a multi-millionaire many times over.
So read/learn and find an investment strategy that works for you…and invest everything you can….
I often remind myself of the power of compounding in
relation to your investments:
If you invested 1 PENNY/PENCE on the 1st of the month….
and you were able to double your money everyday…how much would you have on the last day of the month?
Yes….that is how important compounding should be on your investment
strategy.
I had a frugal father who taught me early about good finance. It has paid off immensely. Invest, never sell during a crash instead buy buy buy, and then sell when everything is rosey and everybody else is buying. The herd mentality investor does it all wrong, they jump on board as the price rises, then sell out of a panic when the market comes down, just like good sheep (I’m looking at you the vast majority of “2008 crash sellers”).
And always remember that you make money whichever direction the market is going, if you know what you’re doing. Most people don’t realize that either and expect only to gain in the positive movements of the market.
What do you know about investing now, as a guy in my 20s it would sure be helpful.
I obviously can’t give you financial advise or be specific
of how my strategies work…However I can give you a few pointers and maybe that will help.
There are many investments strategies out there…. You have to find an investment strategy that works for YOU.
The country you live (tax structures, ease of investing
etc….) and your level of risk aversion are the main factors that will shape your investment strategy.
I rely 100% on my technical indicators (charts and graphs)
for my investment decisions…..I will invest/sell when my charts tells me to…emotions/gut feeling/noise (financial news channels…press etc…) play NO part what so
ever on my decisions….
I keep investment simplicity (mutual funds, etf…etc….) at
the forefront of my strategy.
A good place to start designing/testing and fine-tuning your
strategy (it took me 10 months to do so) is reading about Richard Dennis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Dennis)…this guy is an
investment legend…Using his trading system he turned $5000 into $100 million in 10 years.
I don’t use his system….but I used his system
to develop mine.
My opinion is that the people who make serious money in investments do it with other people’s money. Think fees and commission. If you are investing your own money into stocks it is very unlikely you will be wealthy. For the average person, unless you have an idea for a can’t miss business, put your “savings” in gold and spend your employment learning key knowledge that you can turn into a can’t miss business. You won’t get wealthy with a pension plan.
Be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy. Buffet got that much right – but ignore his recent ruminations on how he thinks taxes should be higher. He’s speaking for public consumption on that subject.
When it comes to money, it’s counter-intuitive, but don’t save more, EARN more.
Yes, of course saving money makes sense but it is a fools errand to think you’re going to save your way to wealth by making your own coffee versus buying a Starbucks while simultaneously making massively foolish financial moves like renting an overpriced apartment, leasing a Mercedes, etc.
If you are certain you are going to lose your job and you are a social media coordinator for a major company be sure to tweet out some porn.
The problem is that fake jobs like “social media coordinator” are held almost exclusively by women. Your target audience for that comment is probably not this website is what I’m saying, heh.
I can’t agree with Tony more, there is no feeling like knowing you can lose your job tomorrow and live comfortably for years to come without another dime of income. Spend what you absolutely must, save the rest while you still can.
Are you stuck sucking corporate dick because you need that next paycheque to survive? Do you risk eviction if you don’t find another job within six months?
Save, save, save and you won’t have this problem. What’s more important to you? Sucking down Starbucks while fondling your latest smartphone or having the freedom to tell your boss to choke on a dick?
I’ve been in the work force nearly 20 years. In that time, I’ve seen company loyalty to employees (who make their fortunes for them) vanish like a fart in the wind. Things will only get worse in the decades ahead as the government milks the taxpayer to fund trillions in unfunded liabilities and companies try to run on air. The bottom line is: You have to become mercenary; live a minimalistic lifestyle, and treat your company like a flaky Americhick – never ever count on them to be there for you, and use them for one thing: money. (In the case of the Americhicks, you use them for an obvious part of their anatomy.)
No matter what the pressure, do not plan on making a long-term commitment to your job, or even your career. The way things are, you are seen as an interchangeable cog. Everybody and their brother and their cousin has an overpriced college degree. Even if, nay, especially if, you are an asset to the company you are seen as nothing more than an expenditure on a spreadsheet to them. The days of having a stable career are long gone. Plan to be ready to move at a moment’s notice and to do lots of job changes, unless you are extremely lucky. (Most people won’t be.)
Everything I’ve said goes double if you are a white male. The diversity police are out to destroy white men. There are incentives for companies to get rid of white men whenever possible – not just financial ones (meeting quotas for affirmative discrimination, etc. but political ones, too.)
Have an exit plan. You should be saving at least 50% of your income. Yes, that means living without much of the worthless garbage you’ve been indoctrinated to buy since childhood. But it will give you a measure of freedom the average working slave will never enjoy. Freedom to travel the world, freedom to leave your job for an extended period if need be. Hell, you’ll even look at your boss differently once you’ve stuffed even just a few thousand dollars in the bank.
Personally I drive a 15-year old car, live in a modest apartment, and have absolutely no payments whatsoever. Most of my furniture is 10 years old, the only nice things I have are a nice desktop computer and a 39″ LCD TV that I got for less than $300. Well, that, and I dress myself nice. Fuck, what man needs any more than that? I wouldn’t trade the minimalistic lifestyle I have now for the materialistic lifestyle I had back before the crash (2008) any day.
Money = freedom = power. Always remember that. Each possession you accumulate only puts you further inside a prison of THINGS.
Good post. You have the balance just right.
The 2 things a man shouldn’t cheap out on are nice clothes and a decent computer.
However it’s amazing how much cheaper than the ticket price you can buy clothes. If you buy clothes that are on sale because of the end of season, you can buy at 75%+ off.
These quality clothes actually end up quite cheap.
Here in Australia, they even have ‘mid season sales’ which basically begin 4-6 weeks after a season has officially begin (so for example we have just had a winter mid season sale because it has been Autumn or Fall for about 6 weeks).
For that to happen, there needs to be enough idiotic guys who wait to buy clothes on season. They do not plan and buy the clothes they would need for Winter during the summer (when it’s cheap).
I thought that idiotic shit was the exclusive domain of women.
The nectar of herd mentality is quite sweet to those who haven’t learned to appreciate the bitterness of masculine frugality.
I am 24, and that is my mindset at the moment, thank you for reaffirming it.
save your money ALWAYS !!!. forget all the posers with the crap and debt. who cares.. freedom is several 100’s of thousands of dollars in the bank that compound. when the time comes, you can blow off work forever (providing you learn to do with less)
I live minimalistic too. I try to explain what you did but my male coworkers seem puzzled that I don’t enjoy buying useless shit or being ass-raped by bank mortgages.
Good advice. Only upper level positions are worth something in the long run. Though a high degree of ass-kissing and Beta-Game has to go into it, if you want to rise through the ranks. Only few have the basic abilities to rise that high anyway – social skills, managerial skils, intelligence, enough Alpha to be credible etc.
Most should save as much as possible in order to inoculate themselves more from the instability of it all.
Avoid any job where you need to wear a uniform- Unifoms are the mark of the slave; especially the corporate slave. When you work for a business where you don’t have a stake in the net outcome then you are a pawn and totally expendable-don’t think otherwise. When you work you are trading your goods for their goods. it’s that simple. Labour for a liquid asset- negotiate on your price-not with your employer but with yourself. How much cash do you need for lifestyle X? To re-iterate others minimalist and don’t think you need to holiday at resorts. Budget holidays to 3rd world countries are far more entertaining and a greater life experience. Don’t think there is a pot of gold at the top of the corporate ladder. This is a trap and the folly of man to think the sky gets bluer the higher you climb. Invariably you get bluer the higher you climb as your stress levels deplete you of your health, state of mind and passion. Most importantly and i learnt this after getting chronic fatigue from a job when one employer knifed another in the back climbing the ladder(metaphor) and he quit his words to me was : “stop looking for validation”. looking for approval and validation leads only to failure.The machivallian cunt got his own knifed to many people and set others up for failure has now fallen on his own sword. So build strong links with trustworthy people with similar interests as they will be an assett against corporate snakes. Set your own benchmark for success. Don’t give a fuck about any performance reviews. these are all psychological tactics to undermine your confidence and ability to rationalise. Be aware of your setting always, if someone asks for your opinion even if you have a strong opinion on the subject matter. Seem somewhat aloof. This things can be talked over coffee but never in the workplace as the snakes will always want information to use against you and it will come back to haunt you.Finally when you do a pan to hand job where you are paid only on an hourly basis then there is the imperative that you reinvest the a % either into:stocks, futures, land, art, education but don’t to be afraid to take risks because you will find this far more valuable than your day job and long term is your exit strategy.
A suit is an uniform, the only difference is that you have to buy it yourself.
6. Comedy advice: when the word comes down that you’ve been downsized or made redundant, flip a table while yelling “Fuck this shit, I’m out of here.”
That’s on my bucket list. Also to have an “F U fund” so I can leave and not worry about expenses for a good 6 months or so. I’ve got about 4 months saved right now.
That airline steward who popped a beer then opened the emergency hatch on the airplane and slid laughing down the inflatable slide was a *god*, heh. An FU fund is a true essential in this modern highly PC corporate world, you WILL need it if you still posses a set of testicles betwixt your legs.
Keep your resume current. Maintain a file of all your achievements, positive performance reviews, awards etc. They will be useful when applying for new positions and they may also come in handy if you are challenging your termination or fighting for unemployment.
(some of this may not make sense to those outside the US)
Good stuff here. Adding a few more for general consideration.
1. Have at least six months of expenses in the bank as cash assets. You are better off with a year, but six months is the absolute minimum.
2. Obtain a skill that can be used as “consulting”. The most useful and flexible one is IT skills. Every company in the world needs help with basic IT proficiency needs and they will pay hundreds of dollars an hour for someone who has those basic skills. Simply being able to plug cords in the right places and reformat a computer is worth $100-$150 an hour to most companies.
3. Think about living with another person, LTR or otherwise. That swank bachelor pad in the city might get you a few lays a year but it also costs you big bucks at the end of that year. Modern housing was meant to be occupied by two or more people and that is where the financial efficiency lies.
4. Forget climbing the corporate ladder. You will never be able to objectively get ahead. Sure you might make more money, but the cost of social expectations rise proportionately with your salary. Make upper middle management? Great. It comes with a nice raise. But, then your Toyota is no longer acceptable and your upgrade to a luxury car eats up your pay raise.
5. Not sure why people are knocking uniform work. Some of the best paying jobs I have ever worked had involve wearing a uniform. Between inflated union wages, overtime, and other perks the guy wearing a uniform working the train on your way into work probably pulls down a bigger wage then almost everyone on that train. For an industrious man, a uniformed job will pay out big bucks. You just have to be willing to put in the hours. I worked a uniformed job for two years and made more then pretty much everyone in management. It was an honest days work too and when I clocked out my boss wasn’t calling me at 3pm on a Saturday to ask me stupid questions (that is unless I was on the clock).
6. Always look to save a buck. Remember that every dollar you save is about $1.30 – $1.40 you must earn post-tax. It’s a lot easier to shop sales and clip coupons that save you $750 a year then it is to talk your boss into giving you a $1,000 raise every year.
about #2, if you know of anyone who is offering $100/hr for reimaging and deploying desktops and laptops, please give me their contact info. that’s essentially my job, and i’m getting 70k, about a third of that.
$100/hr or more is definitely possible in IT, but that would be for something like an extremely senior unix admin who doubles as a DBA, or maybe an irreplaceable programmer who has been with the company from day one is the only one who really knows the code.
I charge between $95-$115/hr for front line IT work and most of my clients are happy to pay my bill every month. As an outside contractor I am a much more manageable expense for my clients then having someone on staff who does front line IT. Also, frankly, my disposition is much more friendly then those who you usually find staffing IT departments. The mere fact that I am pleasant to deal with probably keeps at least half my clients coming back even though there might be a cheaper alternative.
Keep in mind just because I bill that amount does not mean I net that entire amount. Once I pay double SS tax along with state, federal, and local taxes I am probably bringing in about half the amount I bill. Plus for each hour I bill I probably actually do about 1.25 hours of work. In the end I am probably only netting around $40-$50 for each actual hour worked.
“Think about living with another person, LTR or otherwise. That swank bachelor pad in the city might get you a few lays a year but it also costs you big bucks at the end of that year.”
Then live in a small bachelor pad. To live with a LTR you will need a bigger place and even if it won’t cost twice as much, the furniture she’ll want will greatly reduce the savings you hoped.
Plus, getting the upper hand in the relationship is done by telling her to fuck off when things don’t go your way and then cutting contact for some time to make her wonder what you’re doing/thinking. You can’t do that if she lives with you.
A roommate is cheaper and allows more freedom but I still think living alone is worth it, even if in a very small appartment.
“Make upper middle management? Great. It comes with a nice raise. But, then your Toyota is no longer acceptable and your upgrade to a luxury car eats up your pay raise.”
I’m not knowledgable in that field so this is a genuine question. Can’t a cheap, old but clean sedan do the job in middle management? Do you think it will slow you down to have a less expensive car than others?
In life I have rotated through times living alone and living with at least one other person. First, if it is an LTR that you are banging you can totally live in the same amount of space that one person used to live in. I’ve had LTR’s move in the exact same place where I lived alone without doing more then reshuffling some stuff in the closets and getting rid of old clothes. The move halved my rent and utilities along with reducing my personal entertainment costs since we lived together and didn’t feel the need to always go out for fun. But, yes, I agree that living with someone is not for all personalities. But, if you can swing it then you will save thousands of dollars a year.
As for the car, I think it largely depends on the industry in which you work. You can always say “fuck the status whores” or “don’t give a shit” but in the end if the “in group” pegs you as a member of the “out group” because you do not own whatever badges of merit are demanded by the “in group” then it is going to hurt you. Personally, I think my mid range Toyota is just fine for every day getting around and looks perfectly respectable for a member of middle upper management at my company of a few hundred, but I made the upgrade to a BMW last promotion because if you did not have said badge of authority you were ranked as being lower rung. It’s just like wearing a fancier suit. Sometimes you have to pay to look the part in order to be accepted as actually being that part. I would not say that upgrading your car is “mandatory” but given the right facts and circumstances you may be hurting yourself by not playing along with the expectations of the “in group”.
“First, if it is an LTR that you are banging you can totally live in the same amount of space that one person used to live in.”
After some time they want a bigger place, but I guess you’re right, if you hold your frame you can go around it and save a lot. It’s not for me though.
“Sometimes you have to pay to look the part in order to be accepted as actually being that part. Given the right facts and circumstances you may be hurting yourself by not playing along with the expectations of the “in group”.”
I don’t like the status game but looking at it this way, it may end up being more costly to drive a beater than to keep up with other executives.
Thanks for your insights 😉
The number one way to hold your frame when cohabiting with an LTR is to put your terms into a lease and have them sign it. Then never let them become a free rider. If she can’t pay rent, then after one warning, make her move out. If you cast the frame right from step one it will never become an issue.
As for the car, I don’t like the status game either. There is just something too fake about it. But, if you want to be part of the in-group you have to play largely by their rules. That means if one of the common badges of identity among the in-group is a car, or fancy suit, or living in a particular side of town, you are going to be better off in the long run by conforming then playing the rebel. That doesn’t mean you have to play lap dog or compete for status like women do among each other, but you should identify common badges of identity and more or less go along with them.
100% If you are a financial advisor to high net worth clients they won’t take your seriously if your rock up in a Fiat Uno and a budget suit.
Agree on everything but the “get a better car” thing. Warren Buffet still drives an old station wagon (or did last I checked in the mid 2000’s). The only people to whom it means anything are the status whores, and frankly, who gives two shits what they think? If they’re not in your direct chain of command, fuck’em. If they are in your chain of command and “care” sell it to them as you being frugal with money and thoughtful with decisions. Make it a positive.
Living with a non-marriage LTR sounds like a bad idea for many reasons.
This article couldn’t have come at a better time. Obamacare is destroying hospital systems left and right throughout the country. I just met a woman who told me her system lost 800 medical staff. That being said, it is so important to network and keep contacts. You just never know when it will benefit you. I’ve got two interviews this Friday because my hospital will be most likely closing by the end of the year (reading the writing on the wall). I’ll be getting my MBA to go even further.
Great tips. I worked in and for the the Matrix for over 30 years – 15 to 36, until I retired off my investments.
I’d add the following tip: prepare yourself for the fact that you WILL be fired at some point in time. If you’re any kind of man, especially in today’s hyper PC and feminist environment, you will do or say something that will turn people against you, which will lead to you losing a job or two… or as many as four during my career — lucrative and successful I might at. It’s something the prudent man should expect and plan for.
Yet, after you go through the first firing and understand the reasons why (in my case, it was telling it how it was in a very bullshit political environment), then you look in the mirror and say to yourself, “I’m the man, not the problem. I already knew I’d have to go through a few employers to find one that would appreciate my skills, knowledge, experience and accomplishment. Too bad these idiots didn’t.” It’s actually the same attitude to have for successful game, come to think of it. I think we can all expect a girl to “fire” us at some point.
The first firing stings because it’s uncharted territory. And our culture that places so much status and importance in a man’s career discounts a man who loses a job, discounting his value, and image. It’s a strong force that keeps people plugged into the Matrix. In reality, getting fired is only a problem if you let it destroy your confidence in who you are and what you know you can do.
I never took a step backwards nor had trouble finding another job because I was fired. And I had some losses in some tough times for a senior software guy — the post dot-com bust days. I never failed to continue to find better, higher-paying positions with better locations, perks and beni’s with six-figure salaries.
Once I knew I had a good chance of losing any job, I never let fear of getting fired keep me from exercising my power and influence when it went against the grain and ruffled feathers. I have the confidence that if there’s nothing to fear in losing a job because I’ll find another one quickly because I’m that good at what I do.
And, those poor guys who didn’t have the balls to stand up be men because they feared for their jobs, well, they’re still at their desks slaving away squirrel away money for another 10-20 years to do what I’ve been doing for over a decade — my own thing.
This is my thoughts exactly and the reason why I refuse to invest my life in corporate America or even step in it to begin with. I am 22 right now senior in college and the reason why I am in college is because its paid off and I am taking advantage of networking with like minded people. The way I look at the state of the job market right now there is no real hope as far as having that lucrative job that is both fulfilling and rewarding. I had a talk with a good friend of mine a few days ago who had to go through some bullshit and almost got fired over a cunty bitch who was envious at him because he had a lot of clients coming up to him. What makes matter worse is that she was trying to pull some dirt on him so that she could use that against him with the employer. To make the long story short he managed to put that bitch in her place. If this is a common theme in jobs right now count me out completely. I will only get a job unless I really have to just to get by. I am currently working on my entrepreneurship so it is best to start working on my business now so I don’t have to slave away my life in the meat grinder.
You don’t go to college to “get a job”, you go to college to prepare for your future where you decide what you will or will not do. The “get a job” mindset is little more than corporate/government subtle propaganda to keep you from thinking and doing for yourself outside of their gentle guidance (note the ironic use of “gentle”).
You’re on the right track man, kudos.
Thanks! College is such a joke and most of my peers who are going to college are getting themselves in debt getting worthless degrees. It is not all that is crap up to be because it is high school 2.0 with child adults partying, drinking and getting high like a bunch of idiots not knowing what they wanna do in life. But yes you are right higher education is opted and use to outsource “training and apprenticeship” by employers so that you keep getting useless credentials in the hopes of getting a higher paying job but we all know that it is all bullshit because it is easy for them to do that so that they don’t have to take money out of their own pockets to pay you for on the job training. And with college tuition going up like crazy you are better off working at Mcdonalds as soon as you graduate from high school and freelancing a little bit until you find a better opportunity.Also I’ve been practicing minimalism which is absolutely the best advice that I’ve taken. I can make 3 grand last me for like 3-4 months and I am not even kidding. The money I use it for basic needs, public transportation, food, and my side business. I have the minimalism locked down so being debt free and the freedom to basically not give a fuck about jobs has giving me the upper hand than a few people I know in my life who have a good paying job with a mortgage, wife, and kids. Even though I am poor at the moment, I have my career options open that most people don’t have no matter how rich they are at their job.
This article comes at impeccable timing. Im graduating after a 5 year streech with a B Comm in X Y useless major, but unlike most graduates I have co-op experience, extra curricular, spent 5 months in EE what have you. Currently have an offer to work for Xerox but I’m turning it down because the schmuk agency head told me I have to put a down payment on a car and commit 2 years to his small business while making 24k a year with “potential” for up to 50. I called the GM up of a steel distribution company after realizing this offer was not what I wanted for an inside sales job and I’ve passed 2 tiers of interviews with a phone call today saying “we are interested in hiring you” either for a position in my host city or to move south to Minniapolis for 6 months sales training (fully paid room and board). Clearly this is the better option, also have a potential offer for one of Phillip Morrises subsidary’s Benson & Hedges distributing tobaccco with also pays over 50k (this one comes with a car). All the comments on “minimalistic” life style really speaks to me after seeing how europesns (especially eastern europeans) live with nothing. Fuck that car, I’ll take the subway unless your buying. The network Is what I want, and to move the hell away from I am now, while not investing in anything stupid (rents want me to save up for a house fuck that not in this market). I think it’s important to be reminded of the truth ROK brings, and at age 22 I’m eyes wide open after taking the red pill in EE. Keep it coming, oh yea and between the options I’ve listed, which would any of you choose?
Don’t be a boring drone and go travelling instead
I traveled all last year through the balkans, ukraine, czech, germany, poland and lived in Hungary. One month of travel or 2 weeks doesn’t do it for me, not enough to make an impact, my idea of travel is working abroad for plus +1 year
Then why are you going to settle down for a graduate job in US or Canada, continue to work abroad.
Steel company. Save sales travel until your admin starts handing you airline tickets. You’ll end up with fucked guts and a bad back if you spend half the day behind the wheel.
Couldn’t the same be said sitting in a chair for half the day?
Save, save, save. DO NOT spend your money on women. If you must have a nice car, buy it 2 or 3 years used.
Then save some more.
If you can, work in another country. No PC shit, you will be paid more in most situations as an ex-pat. Improves your tax situation. Better women. I’ve been doing it for a long time.
Make as many friends as you can among men in your industry. Don’t waste a single minute on women. They will either get pregnant and leave their careers. Or, they are bitches and will fuck you over at the first opportunity.
When you are interviewing to change jobs, and if you get an offer, demand the maximum within the pay ranges for your experience. If the pay range is $40k-70k, demand $75k. You will be amazed at how your high value of yourself makes them want you more.
If a company is not providing you stock options at a good strike price, then you should have zero loyalty to them. They do not want your loyalty, they do not deserve your loyalty.
Don’t worry about kissing ass. Worry about doing your job to perfection. Then make sure people know how good you are at your job. Not by bragging, but by showing people what you did and asking them if they have any suggestions for improving on the work.
Do the work of other people for them, especially women. Use above technique to make sure others see that you are the one that is actually doing the work. Then you become very hard to replace, and the women become easy to let go.
Take advantage of every possible training course. If there are none, not enough, or not the sort you think you need to help you advance, do not be shy about asking for them. Ask for that as high up as you can. Fuck HR. Do not ask them.
If you are in that 360 bull shit, make agreements with at least two people around you to give each other glowing reviews.
If you can start a business, start one. Start it as young as possible. Don’t be afraid of failure. The corporate culture is for losers. Only a few people out of millions and millions win the rat race. It’s like trying to win the lottery. It’s stupid. Working for a big corporation sucks out your soul.
Never marry. You WILL loose half or more of your assets. If you have kids, you will be raped for support and alimony that will make it completely impossible to save up that much again.
If you are already married, insist that your wife work. Tell her how great she is at working and how proud you are of her for working. You WANT her to make as much as possible. You know the sex sucks, if it is even there, so what do you care if she is tired every night? Insist she saves just like you do. If she wants to quit work, keep reminding of her of what the FB bitch says – “lean forward baby.” Don’t have kids. If you have kids, well, you are fucked. Sorry.
Exercise. Being in shape intimidates everyone. Some admire you. Many are afraid of you. The masculinity you exude affects people in their subconscious in ways that they do not even recognize themselves.
Do not gossip. When you talk, make sure it has substance. You can bull shit with your pals outside of work. You have colleagues that you want to nurture networks with, but you have no friends in the office. At least not until you are both working in different companies.
Don’t pout. Don’t ever let yourself think of yourself as a victim. That gets in your way. It slows you down. It defeats you before you even start on your path to success.
Really good advice there!
Golden advice here. As somebody already mentioned The Office, I’ll suggest
http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-or-the-office-according-to-the-office/
as supplementary reading.
Spot on and rock solid. Shits getting dicey out there, gotta plan ahead.
I work in finance and also own several small businesses on the side. I am under 30 but have made millions. Comp from my formal role only passed the 7-figure mark last year, the rest are returns from investments made during and immediately following college.
Happy to share a few things:
a] save (heavily, don’t spend on stupid things) – bottle service in clubs is way better 10 years down the line when you can blow $10k if you feel like it, spending $500 in a weekend in your early 20s is a waste
b] buy for quality, not name – make your purchases count. You could spend $1,800 on a Zegna suit, but you’re paying for the name. You can get a better fit and material if you go MTM or bespoke below $1,000. The 6-year old Range Rover that’s depreciated 70% is a better idea than the brand new BMW 3-series.
c] be smart about developing relationships – it’s fantastic to be in a position where the people who get deals done are happy and willing to share them with you and get you involved, or for you to have a great idea and get people to back you financially or connect you to those who can. You do that by being proactive in your relationship-building. Add value for people who matter, and as the relationship develops, they will reciprocate.
d] don’t waste money on women or family – I mean ‘waste’ in the true sense. Spending $400 on an extravagant four-course dinner with the average entitled American girl isn’t a brilliant idea. Doing it (if you can legitimately afford it) for a rising tennis star from Eastern Europe who hasn’t yet hit mega-fame and gotten entitled is truly an investment. Family – some people are incredibly loyal; I am. If you have healthy family relationships, it’s both fine and responsible to be dutiful in supporting your loved ones. If you don’t, however, it’s irresponsible to allow someone who doesn’t love you, care for you, or respect you to leach off of your bank account, relationships, home, or other resources.
e] invest early – not everything will be a winner, but if you save 20% of your take-home income on a $80k salary, after a year, you have enough to:
– make a 10% down payment on a house in the suburbs of nearly any major city and begin renting it out
– to invest in the public markets directly or through mutual, closed-end, or exchange-traded funds
– make peer-to-peer loans through LendingClub, Prosper, etc.
– make angel investments in private deals through an accredited investor platform like Gust or AngelList or through an angel community in your city
f] find a way to monetize your existing skills – it’s neither hard nor expensive to incorporate, and if you’re already doing something, you should get paid for it. Are you jacked from lifting for the past six years? Spend two months getting your PT certification, and get paid every time you’re in the gym. Do you work in the IT department of some corporation? Set up a website and start doing consulting; if you start publishing thought pieces consistently, execute well for clients, and make sure to get referrals, you ought to be able to scale to a point where you don’t need your corporate role any more.
g] be knowledgeable about many things – there’s money to be made everywhere. Like Range Rovers? Spend 6 months researching specifically which year and model you wanted to buy? Great, now you’ve got this massive knowledge base; monetize it. Start flipping cars. If you can show up to a private seller with two dozen talking points as to how that model gets priced in the resale market and have cash on hand, you can squeeze several thousand dollars off the price. Then reverse the transaction; be knowledgeable about the resale and sell it on the high end of the spread. The body style got a huge upgrade in 2013 and 2014. All it took to reserve a new model was a $500 deposit, and dealers had limited slots to put in requests. If you put 3 deposits down at 4 dealers, you suddenly had 12 slots for the first truly new Range Rover model in 8 years. People were paying as much as $20k for those in the weeks leading up to launch.
Like Bitcoin? Start a blog about cryptocurrencies. It’s such a nascent technology that true domain experts are getting snapped up by startups and existing financial technology companies left and right. Some are staying independent and consulting on their own.
I didn’t mean to go on this long, but I wanted to share how easy it is for sharp people to extract value from the system for themselves. If you don’t want to be a wage slave, you need to take action early to position yourself for the quickest exit possible. The only reasons I don’t completely work for myself are:
– I’ve set up each of my businesses so that I can pay good people to run them for far less than it costs me to have them run it, therefore it generates passive income
– most of my best investment opportunities come from referrals
– my current role in finance has a tremendous work:life equation – my compensation is absurd for the amount of time I have to spend in the office
I know how bad the 100-hour work week is. I did banking. My encouragement to everyone on this site is to not only work hard, but work smart. Above all, get off the sidelines and get in the game. I see too many people here with a ‘woe is me, women suck, the world sucks, and women have made everything awful’ attitude. Yes, feminism has fucked shit up. If you don’t want to play by their rules, do you think it’s better to deal with 60 years of shit you can’t control and then pass out in a nursing home, or spend 60 years shaping your own environment and attaining a level of mastery that grants you freedom?
What type of work do you do in finance?
Started in banking at one of the top bulge brackets, moved to one of the elite boutiques, then to the buy-side in alternative asset management.
I’m now an analyst at a fairly lean fund (high AUM relative to number of investment professionals) that is just about at its target cash deployment, so most of my work now is portfolio maintenance rather than idea sourcing.
50-60 hour weeks instead of 70-80 like most investing roles, and miles ahead of the 90+ in banking.
Nice job bro, I would have definitely tried the banking route instead of law if I could do it all over again …
What did you study in college to enter your profession?
Good advise, thanks.
Great Article!
I would very much encourage trying to own something on your own. I.e start a business. The powers that be, have demonstrated quite clearly that their preferred (only) way of keeping up the facade that the West is somehow still a success story, is to wantonly debase savings, in order to prop up the financial sector; who is then forced to go out and overpay for any old harebrained so called “business idea.” I’ve benefited disproportionally from this idiocy myself, but it is still plainly idiotic; as in billion dollar valuations for some pets.com that does nothing……
But one thing it has led to, is making almost any startup, no matter how pointless, a potential goldmine. And the virtually free money, has simultaneously made it much easier to finance bringing in outside consultants and other help, instead of relying on inhouse talent. Meaning, I can go on a job as a consultant, and bill 5 times what the working stiff sitting in the cubicle next to me, who has plenty more experience, gets in salary. But management has no way of knowing that, since they are by now generally a bunch of “Business Majors” from DeVry with a specialization in Powerpoint; and my powerpoint slides say I’m an expert….
There is a veritable tsunami of companies being founded and funded, anything fro microbreweries to clothing shops to Hedge funds to Tshirt makers to tech consultants to tech startups to optioned screenplays to arctic sailboat cruises…….. all the way to budget airlines, or luxury airlines (actualy luxury anything useless); whatever. Money is cheap, and those with money are generally not the brightest (bright people tend to have built in inhibitions to doing something genuinely stupid, hence have missed out on most “opportunities” over the past few decades). You might as well drink while the punch is flowing
“I don’t mean mack girls on the internet…”
Is this guy a time traveling wigger from 1998?
He’s essentially advocating the central theme of “Never Eat Alone” which was a good book, but at a much different level than the lives of most people (the author worked with and among celebrities).
It’s important to not come across as needy or manipulative which far too many people do when attempting – belatedly – the strategy advocated by Cobra.
The part about not respecting your boss or company too much should be taken to heart even more so by feminists placing their careers over their husbands. Their husband (presumably) loves them, while their (usually male) boss only requires them so long as they produce. Amazing how many “independent” women never realize this until they’re 60 in a house full of cats.