The single SMARTEST thing you have ever done

[Matt]

moved to the US at 18. Changed my life completely.

 

[onix]

Originally Posted by Matt

moved to the US at 18. Changed my life completely.
Wait, so you moved to the US, then moved back to VN?

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by onix

Wait, so you moved to the US, then moved back to VN?

He's Australian, Mate!

 

[onix]

^ lol, stoopid me

 

[Matt]

I am not from Vietnam man.

I am Australian. I went to the US at 18 when I fluked some study abroad scholarship program thing. Supposed to be one year, liked it, fluked the same scholarship for another year and stuck around. Back to the hometown, but by that stage, the horizons had been broadened and there was no renarrowing them.

Moved then to Melbourne (which I basically consider home), then Singapore, then Vietnam.

If I hadn't gone to the US, I'd probably still be in Adelaide with a cute 3 bedroom detached place and a wife that was once cute, now barely fits in the bedroom and from whom I feel completely detached.

 

[onix]

Originally Posted by Matt

I am not from Vietnam man.

I am Australian. I went to the US at 18 when I fluked some study abroad scholarship program thing. Supposed to be one year, liked it, fluked the same scholarship for another year and stuck around. Back to the hometown, but by that stage, the horizons had been broadened and there was no renarrowing them.

Moved then to Melbourne (which I basically consider home), then Singapore, then Vietnam.

If I hadn't gone to the US, I'd probably still be in Adelaide with a cute 3 bedroom detached place and a wife that was once cute, now barely fits in the bedroom and from whom I feel completely detached.

My wife definitely doesn't like seeing me highlighting this line.

 

[azm]

I never ended up going to my dream college instead choosing to stay close to home. I regretted that decision. I was never really happy. I rarely saw my family anyway...

Being unhappy, I took a leave of absence and with only a few hundred dollars in my pocket (after a one way ticket) ended up in London. I was planning to go back to school eventually but it never happened.

I ended up dropping out. I've actually never told my folks about it. Or really anyone for that matter. They all think I graduated college.

But it was probably the best decision I ever made. After staying in london for about a year I ended up living all over the world whether it be for only a few weeks or several months for the next 6 years. I just ended up crashing with who ever would let me stay with them for little to no money. I worked a lot of ****** jobs over those years and had very little money but I met people from almost all walks of life. Made a lot of great friends in the process and the different experiences really shaped who I am.

I had about 30 college credits left to be fulfilled in order to graduate. Instead of going back, I ended up moving to NYC to look for a real job. I ended up getting a well paying corporate job which provided me with some capital after a few years of saving for some business ventures with some of the people I met over my years of traveling. I ended up leaving my job...

 

[MasterOfReality]

First job out of university was with a mining company that had been placed in voluntary administration. Jobs were extremely difficult to get at that time and I thought "what the hell, even if it only lasts for 3 months at least its experience". Something that a inexperienced graduate mining engineer such as myself sorely needed back then.

11 months later the mine closed and I walked away with a $20k redundancy payment.

2 months prior to the payout, I had a job offer for a mine in Tasmania. I turned it down, wanting to hang out for a possible redundancy. One month after walking away with the redundancy, there was a fatality at the mine in Tasmania and it was shut down by the state government. Everyone was out of a job and hauled over the coals by the state mine inspector.

I am going to propose in 2 months so that will surpass anything else I have done.

 

[Thomas]

When I turned 17, my parents moved to Houston, but I stayed behind to attend summer school and then finish high school with my friends. Doesn't sound like much, but that last year took me from being 16 without knowing what I was going to do next, to turning 18 with scholarship offers in my hand.

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Married my wife. Not even a question.

+1

 

[CMJTperry]

Was managing a Grocery store and quit out of the blue one Saturday when I was 30. Changed my life.

 

[Piobaire]

I have to be part of the marrying the woman I did club.

Other things include leaving home very young and never looking back and my series of moves farther and farther from the podunk cowtown I grew up in.

 

[henrikc]

Can't join the marrying my wife club yet, but off the top of my head; education.
I actually wanted to be a web designer or photographer when I went to high school. I almost ended up going to a school where most of the time is spent jerking around at Facebook and then making a few ****** photographs and websites.
Instead of doing vocational studies I went with general studies. A great decision, and then when it was time to chose subjects, instead of going with classes like "Small business economy" et al, I went with physics, biology and calculus.
With this background I can chose whatever I want, because I haven't really ruled out anything because of my education. Best decision yet.

 

[Matt]

uhhh....hate to burst your bubble there son, but you may well find that by not constraining yourself into something practical, the market will just turn around and constrain you right back out. But best wishes with it nonetheless.

 

[henrikc]

I did forget to add that now I can't stand the thought of being a photographer or web designer. Even though the market might change, I'm quite sure that being an engineer will be a safe bet. There's a lack of engineers here, and even if the job market might be cold, I could always be a high school teacher in math.