I grew up in a loving a supportive family which encouraged me to do my best and follow my heart. I certainly took advantage of this environment.
When I was 16, I participated in a class on Battle Bots. Battle Bots was the coolest thing ever. All year we would work on our robot to make it a lean, mean, fighting machine in preparation for a final tournament at the end of the year. It was epic to say the least. Shrapnel was flying everywhere, and there were sparks in all directions. It was as exciting as it was spectacular. From that moment on, I was pretty sure I wanted to be an engineer. Frankly, I wanted to do every profession, but engineer seemed like the right blend of realistic and profitable.
Through college, I grew apprehensive, but remained bull-headed. I was pretty sure I wanted to be an engineer when I was 16, and I used that as guidance for the next 8 years. I worked through college at an engineering company, GKN Driveline , and it was just ok. It was underwhelming, but I ignored the signs, because I was confident that it would be different by the time I was a full time employee.
Still oblivious to my discontent, immediately after college I went to work for Chrysler. I was so focused on getting a job, and so unclear about what I was discontent with, that I found the best paying and most immediately available job. I worked there for a year and a half, grinding away, saving up for retirement. I was counting down the days until my next vacation, the weekend, the Friday, and eventually just counting down until Wednesday. Just to clarify, I was never depressed or angry at my situation, just the opposite. This was part of the problem. I was very passive about my feelings towards my situation. It was “just ok” and always would be.
One February weekend, I went to a Students For Liberty conference in Ann Arbor, to network and make friends with other liberty minded individuals. One of the topics was “How to change the world without going into politics”, by a Praxis representative. The speech blew my mind. I was totally won over. My heart sang for joy and danced all day. I could not believe that this opportunity had been around for as long as it had, and I hadn’t jumped all over it… But alas, I still didn’t jump all over it. I went to bed that night like any other night, and I went to work, inspired, but resigned. I’d give it a shot, but it seemed too prestigious and selective. I assumed they had hundreds of applicants daily, and who was I? Just some kid working a job that was “just ok”. I applied, but didn’t give it much thought. Lo and behold, I was accepted! I was so happy. Soon after, I quit my desk job and joined my friend at his start up company, Brainchild Engineering.
The story doesn’t end there. In fact, it’s just beginning. I’m now in my 3rd week of the Praxis education and soaking up everything it has to offer…
My plan is to start my own company as soon as I finish with Praxis (June 2016). I will single-handedly change the world by starting my own company and earning money for myself. Freedom is what makes me come alive and, by-golly, I’ll make that freedom.