drive

“If you haven’t made your first million by 30, you will never make one.” The first time I heard that this statement was actually a scientific study of sorts, it made me make a quick assessment of my life. I’m 22, on my third year of undergraduate studies, and with hopes of graduating on time. Which all gives me roughly six years to make or break it. Shoot. I guess what coursed through me after that realization was tantamount to the panic you felt when your rival team is up by 3 points and the time on the clock says 5 seconds. And it’s their ball. Why, oh, why did I spend so much time (bumming around) in college, I ask myself.

My SAD professor recently made us interview a Systems Analyst to get an idea of what the industry would be like for us future professionals. I contacted somebody I knew who was a Senior Software Consultant to interview, and, my, was I blown away. She had worked for two software companies, (three including the current), held positions like Software Developer and Technical Support Specialist, had her Master’s Degree, was sent to the United States twice for projects and seminars, is presently racking up a range of 40 – 120 grand a month, has her own car, and has her Skills section in her resume start with “ADO.NET, ASP.NET, MS SQL Server, C#, ASP.NET Security, XML…” And I’m willing to bet that if she hasn’t made her first million yet (which I’m doubtful of), she’s definitely on her way. She’s 28.

The million, they say, need not be in bonds – it could be in any form of property that is the fruit of your sweat and blood over the course of graduation to the big 30. Inasmuch as that is consoling, it doesn’t make the feat any easier, especially for me. But determination, as I’ve found out in my years of college, can bring you to a goal as high as you dare set.

Before I submitted the interview transcript, I made a copy of my interviewee’s resume and tacked it up on my wall. Something to keep me “wanting” in times when my drive wavers. Yes, I want that million. I may not meet the crucial deadline, but I may just prove false the first sentence of this article.