subject: How To Make Your Own Google Fortune Without Falling For The Myth Of Inbox Dollars [print this page] When the Baby Boomers were growing up, the path to financial independence was obvious - you went to college, received your degree, were hired at a company, and began working your way up. Along the way you might switch companies, or you might even go back to school and receive your graduate degree, but the world was such that you could do that while still working and maintaining a family.
For today's youth, the economic realities are much different. Since so many people entering the job market have a bachelor's degree, now many people feel the need to get at least a Master's degree to achieve the job they want. And many companies have done almost completely away with the concept of "working your way up." Now, many upper level jobs - the ones that come with more money - are requiring more experience with more degrees before you can even qualify.
And college isn't cheap. The inflation rate on the cost of college versus the majority of cost of living inflation is unbelievable - if movie tickets had inflated at the same rate, it would currently cost $30 dollars per person simply to attend a movie - no popcorn or drink included. So acquiring these upper level degrees while working for the same moderate salary is causing people to go into serious debt.
These are all reasons why people are becoming obsessed with the idea of a "Google fortune" - becoming financially independent by using the Internet as a business platform. There are no special degree requirements to start your own online business, and the overhead necessary to do so is much less than creating a brick-and-mortar company.
While a "Google fortune" is not often all it's cracked up to be - you'll often see infomercials or ads on your computer featuring people who promise that thousands of inbox dollars will be rolling in daily - it is true that many people have started making enough money using the Internet to offset many of their monthly bills, or to even begin working completely from home.
The trick to going after your own Google fortune - or after your own Google moderate income, really - is to be reasonable. Don't believe the ads that talk of the mythical inbox dollars - money that shows up in your inbox without you having to do anything to earn it. Understand that working with the Internet is like any other job. You will have to actually work some long hard hours to start seeing a profit roll in.
But the benefit of trying for your own Internet business is that the pay off is equal to the hard work you put in. No longer will someone tell you that it's not your ability, potential, or work ethic that dictates what you get paid; you won't be held to an arbitrary set of requirements. You'll move ahead based on the time and effort you put in, and sometimes that's far more satisfying than any other aspect of job, with or without inbox dollars.
