The greatest lesson I learned so far is actually from a book titled, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”, written by Robert Kiyosaki.
In summary, the book stresses the ownership of high value assets, rather than being an employee as a recurring theme throughout the book’s chapters. This book played a big role during my decision to switch from Engineering to Commerce and gave me a different outlook on my career and approach to employment. Some of the highlights I learned from Robert include: an unconventional attitude toward money, the value of financial intelligence, and that corporations spend first, then pay taxes, while individuals must pay taxes first.
The biggest takeaway I took from this book was that having a degree will not guarantee any success. In fact, you may get stuck in the rat race based on the tunnel vision that you have created from doing a technical/specialized degree. This is the reason why Robert’s “rich dad”, who became very wealthy and successful without a college degree, had the right networking skills and financial intelligence to succumb to his shortcomings in education to succeed and enjoy life. On the other hand, Robert’s “poor dad”, who has a phd degree, is always on the edge to paying out his bills – being stuck in his own rat race that he’s created from limiting himself in his own specialized field without any desire for financial growth due to the constraints of the rat race.
In the end, these lessons allowed my current understanding and outlook on career and life to evolve. As a result, I can say that my personality have changed dramatically from my engineering days and that these lessons have expanded my views in the areas of finance, entrepreneurship, and personal wealth.
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