Fourth Edition - Harsh Reality Newsletter

Today is the fourth edition of the "Harsh Reality" newsletter. If you're new here, welcome to the fight. If you want to see previous editions of the newsletter they'll be available at the link below.  And if you want to join us on our new Discord server click on that link below. Our intent is to always provide more value than we extract so thank you for being here and enjoy the show.

Weekly Dose of "Harsh Reality"

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" "What are you going to school for?" "What's your major?"  

Harsh Reality - Most people have no f@%!@#* clue what they truly want to "be." And here's the cool part, that's totally fine! So this week we're going to talk about viable alternatives to college, and how to set yourself up for success without a degree.

If you ask a child, "what do you want to be when you grow up," you'll get the typical responses. Astronaut, princess, police officer, ballerina, etc. You know that life is going to change their perspectives and decisions as they grow up so it's more of a cute moment than a serious question. However, when we ask a high school senior what they want to be when they grow up, we take them seriously. Not only do we take them seriously, but as a society we push them to that end state as quickly as possible. The problem with that is obvious for those of us that are over 30. They are going to change almost as much from age 18-25, as they did from age 8-16. Even worse, what if they are successful?  What if they get that 6-year degree, end up gaining employment in a specific field, and it's not what they expected? What if they end up hating the job; but they're $50k in debt from the education that was required to obtain it? Then they're forced to make a decision that pits their financial well being against pursuing an industry that they could feel passionate about. It can be a very sad and defeating place to find yourself at 24 if you're unwilling to make that decision. 

We here at Harsh Reality have a different perspective. Long gone are the "go be a doctor, lawyer or engineer" statements. Here, we believe that college builds workers, not leaders; and jobs limit peoples' potential if they're not used in the right way.

So instead we ask, "what is your passion, and how do you monetize it?" Pay attention to the verbiage we used there. I'll rephrase it for you. "How are you going to monetize your passion?" That's a question you have to answer to unlock unlimited earning and growth potential. 

Each one of us has something that tugs at us. Something that we're naturally good at or could pursue every waking moment without burning out. Unfortunately, we often disregard that tug. We disregard it because there's not a degree program for it; or it's not a traditionally respected career path. So instead, off we go to college to become a doctor, lawyer or engineer. Nothing against those career paths, they have huge potential! However, most of us have been force-fed that talking point for as long as we can remember and very few of us actually want to be those things. Before you know it, you grab a few student loans, get married, and six to ten years later you find yourself in "golden handcuffs" at a job you absolutely despise. For those that don't know, "golden handcuffs" refer to several things; but in this context it's a job that pays too well to leave even though you hate it. That could be because you don't want to let your family down by taking a pay cut; or you simply doubt your own ability to be as successful if you left.

Forget all of that bullsh!t. I'm here to tell you that there are people that make most people's annual salary in a month, and never step foot inside of an office. They do it by figuring out how to monetize their passion. They don't spend years fighting over structured jobs with set benefits packages; they put all of that effort towards a passion that they completely control, and one that has the potential to make them rich.  

*Disclaimer* If you have an interest in a traditional field of study, go for it! The following is not an anti-education statement!

If you're so bold as to pursue an alternate path, consider the following: 

Try to identify your passion. If you don't have one yet, that's fine; but know that now is probably NOT the time to go to college. Instead, consider pursuing a starter job. No, that's not a job fit for a teen. Instead, it's a job that's in high demand everywhere, pays well, and requires minimal effort to obtain. This will give you a good base to spring from while you try to figure out the big picture of your life. 

In the criteria above, "minimal effort to obtain" is not for people too lazy to work; it's so you won't have a psychological or financial obstacle preventing you from walking away from it. This job is nothing more than a tool. It's not a life-long career; it's a way to make good money, and gain some life experience on the path toward pursuing your passion. While you're young, it's imperative that you stay nimble. You have to be willing to take risks, change locations, work crazy hours, etc., before you take on major life responsibilities. Significant others, large debts, family obligations, etc., all prevent you from staying nimble and going after your aspirations. These jobs will keep you nimble but well paid while you do some growing up:

• Real Estate Agent

• Insurance Agent

• Building Trades

• Welder

• Digital Nomad

• Mortgage Originator

• Mortgage Underwriter

• Dental Assistant

• Property Manager

Cautionary note regarding the building trades. This does not mean a minimum wage laborer on a construction site with a horrible attitude that starts drinking beer at noon every day. This means a technically proficient, skilled and professional tradesman. They show up on time and are always improving at their trade. They have an eye towards specializing, becoming a foreman, a construction project manager or general contractor. Remember, you can make a fine living as an electrician or a plumber; but you can make millions owning a company that developers use for construction. Learn the trade; but learn the business side of the industry as well.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, nor is it in any order; but you can be working in any of these fields in less than a year. Most of them give you very good insight into highly lucrative industries, and they'll help you build valuable networks with high net-worth individuals. They can be done anywhere and several of them are stepping stones to unlimited earning potential. Best thing about them, you can walk away from them for a few years to pursue other avenues, and pick them right back up with minimal effort. 

Once you figure out your passion, the only thing left is to figure out how to monetize it. Once you figure that out, you can safely walk away from your starter job and make a swing for the fences. If that fails, you can always jump back into your starter job and come at your passion from another angle. Always fail forward and you'll be well on your way.

If you discover that your passion does require formal education, you'll have a much better understanding of what you're getting into, and you may be able to leverage your network to have someone else pay for it. Trust me, it's a thing.

Shit That Matters

Ohio Train Derailment - The EPA has arrived on site to oversee the removal of chemical contamination contained within the soils and water near the derailment site. The CDC also arrived to evaluate the health affects of the disaster.  

Harsh Reality - This has been a total shit show. No one trusts what the EPA, the CDC or Norfolk Southern is telling them; and by all accounts they're right. The EPA apparently still isn't testing for specific chemicals that "independent health experts" say are likely present in both the soils and the water. If you want to nerd out the testing parameters and results can be found here. Most egregiously, FEMA initially denied a request from the Governor to support the response effort. Inexplicably, that request was not fielded until 17 Feb, two weeks after the derailment!  

Regarding the politics of the situation, the transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg didn't bother showing up until two days ago (after significant shaming); and the president still hasn't bothered to visit the site. Not like they would be of much use; but they could have, at a minimum reacted quickly (or at all), and pushed FEMA to immediately respond to the situation as well. The optics do not look good to say the least.

But you know.. Climate change.

Russo-Ukrainian War - 24 February marked the one year point for the war in Ukraine. Biden made a surprise visit to Kiev to garner support for the U.S. support. This trip came ahead of the remarks made by VladImir Putin and Xi Jinping regarding the war's milestone. The Russians and Chinese have stated that they will continue to support each other going forward after the U.S. threatened the Chinese with sanctions over providing weapons to the Russians. Russia has also announced that they are suspending their participation in the STrategic Arms Reduction Treaty "START." 

Harsh Reality - This is a historically brutal conflict with hundreds of thousands dead; and the U.S. and NATO are 100% engaged in a proxy war with Russia.

China's support for Russia, along with Iran, North Korea, etc., is not surprising at all. We can claim that there's some moral high ground we hold on this conflict; but we don't. We continued to support the expansion of NATO into the Baltic states, Romania, and potentially Ukraine. We even supported the ousting of the Russian backed leader of Ukraine in 2014. The Russians, in turn, are trying to prevent the further expansion of NATO; specifically to the only warm water port on their border. This simply boils down to which side you're on; both are aggressors.

The scary part of this is that we're getting dangerously close to a conventional kinetic exchange between superpowers. That alone could genuinely result in the next world conflict; but unfortunately for us, the Russians have been proven to be a paper tiger so to speak.

It's clear that the U.S. and NATO countries will wreck Russia in a conventional war. This was made apparent back in 2018 when 30 U.S. personnel took on 500 Syrian and Wagner troops in the battle of Kasham. Four hours after the battle began, almost 300 of the Wagner led force laid dead; with only one Syrian allied soldier wounded on the U.S. side. This is a serious problem for the U.S. because it will force the Russians to use nuclear weapons to ensure their own survival. *Enter the Russian suspension of the "START" Treaty* 

Iran Nuclear Program - The IAEA has reported that their inspection teams found 84% enriched uranium in one of the enrichment facilities in Iran.

Harsh Reality - As usual, the Iranians have proven themselves to be full of shit. Since the disastrous "Nuclear Deal" Obama and Biden agreed to with Iran in 2015, they have claimed that their enrichment of uranium was only to be used for energy production. Unfortunately for them, (and the current administration) uranium for energy production only needs to be enriched to 5% to be viable. At the time the deal was signed, it was believed to be already enriching uranium to 60%, making the deal borderline treasonous. The potential for military intervention from Israel is high. (Great.. Another war.)

Weekly Market Recap

Shit That Doesn't Matter

Biden Family Influence Peddling - The House Oversight Committee requested that Hunter and James Biden provide documentation reference his foreign business deals no later than 22 Feb. The Biden family attorneys refused. 

Harsh Reality - No shit they refused. They're not going to turn anything over to the oversight committee; especially something that could potentially incriminate Joe Biden. This will be dragged out as long as necessary so the Biden administration can potentially remain in power. If they lose the upcoming general election in 2024, the dying act of the administration will be pardons raining down like singles at the strip club.

U.S. Plans to "Quadruple" Forces in Taiwan - The U.S. announced their plans to quadruple the number of forces based in Taiwan siting the rising China fear.

Harsh Reality - This is nothing more than word play and gaslighting from the main stream media. See here, here, here, and here. Go ahead and guess how much of an increase in personnel is occurring based on those headlines. They're increasing from 30 training personnel, to 200. There's not a single offensive asset on the island. It's almost like the MSM wants to scare the shit out of everyone..

That's A Wrap!

Thank you for taking the time to read this edition of "Harsh Reality." Each edition will only get better going forward so if you got value from this content please consider inviting your friends and family to subscribe using the link below. Once we make it to 10,000 subscribers this will transition from a weekly to a daily newsletter and we need your help to get there! Also, hit us on our Facebook page or on Discord to keep the conversation going! We welcome your feedback and discussion!