Hello Mustachians,
I've been reading MMM for a couple of years and just discovered this forum, so I decided to join up!
My story:
I'm 22 and graduated in 2012 from a well-respected university (think "public ivy," as silly as that term sounds) with a BA in Economics.
I decided that I didn't want to get a normal summer job, so I started a company that helped small businesses market themselves online and build positive online reputations. This isn't an area I was particularly interested in, but I saw a niche and filled it. It didn't set the world on fire, but it was a good experience and taught me that I can have at least modest success on my own.
When I graduated, I took an offer to work at a marketing consulting firm working with Fortune 500s on branding, positioning, concept testing, etc. I also do some business development work that has a longer term strategic goal of bringing in new clients. I've been working there for nearly a year now.
While the bulk of my professional experience is in marketing (as it's what was most accessible inside and outside of school) my interests lie more in economics/finance/investing. In addition to coursework, I've got econ research experience and a year of experience managing 100K in real money for my school's endowment fund.
I thoroughly enjoy the analytical side of the work I do now and similarly enjoyed problem solving in my business. Ideally, I'd be doing work like this at a new position or in a new business venture this time next year.
Finances:
-I take home ~3K/mo after taxes.
-I have a 401K through work that is a 3% contribution by my company regardless of how much I put in that I don't currently contribute to.
-I live semi-frugally with roommates and have a car payment (I bought a new car before I started reading MMM, don't shoot!) that is at .9% interest with less than 2 years left. My car gets 27 mpg aggregate, but my job is ~15 miles away, and I commute about an hour per day.
-Total bills each month amount to $1500ish, plus I invest $500/mo in a non-tax advantaged account. I'm not funding retirement accounts right now until I see what kind of liquid cash I might need for a move/travel/business startup capital
Total cash: $22K
Total investments: $9K
Goals:
-Short term, I'd like to be location independent and doing a job that I enjoy. I’ll probably look to change jobs at the end of 2013 for fit and location reasons.
-Long term, I'd like to be financially independent as early as possible (age 35-40 seems most likely).
The two seem to be at tension here. In my area of interest, I haven’t found a lot that fulfills my goal of being location independent and will still pay me enough to save 50% of my take-home or more for early retirement.
Questions:
-Do you guys think this means I’ll need to build another business to fit this desired lifestyle?
-Am I missing anything glaring?
-Any advice for an aspiring Mustachian? Anything and everything is helpful at this juncture.
TL;DR: My job is not really in the area or industry that I’d like to be in long-term, and I’d like to be location independent so that I can travel the world a little bit over the next couple of years. I’m committed to my current job until the end of the year, but am faced with the decision of what to do. Long-term, I'd like to be financially independent, and my current job (or one that pays similarly) would get me there in 15 years of working. How can I get from here to where I want to go?
Edit: typo, whoops!