Starting down the road less traveled

MysteriousEm

Hello everyone!I`m a twenty-something about to get my undergraduate degree.  My family is convinced that I ought to get my Master`s, but I`m just as convinced that it would put me even deeper in debt with very little to show for it that I couldn`t get just by opening my eyes and ears, and reading a lot.Anyhow, my dream is to start a photograph restoration business out of my home.  Of course, I have tons of "bright ideas" to go along with it, but who doesn`t at this stage?  Unfortunately, one of the many over-priced lessons I learned in college was that credit cards are a Bad Idea.  Add that to a pile of student loans, and I`m definitely paying for my bad decisions. But I`m determined not to let this stop me from planning for the future.  Time will pass whether I spend it moping around or making plans, so I figure I`m better off doing all the legwork and research that I can without a lot of funding, while I work toward paying down my debts.Anyhow, just wanted to introduce myself and say hi!  I`ve already learned a lot just lurking and reading other people`s posts, so I`m looking forward to taking part in this great community.

MysteriousEm

Hey TigerTaco,Actually, my screen name is derived from my real name, which starts with the letter "M".  It`s become kind of a joke between me and my brother (very long story which probably isn`t as funny in the retelling), but it makes as good a screen name as any.    I`ve never made the "em dash" connection, though.I wanted to thank you for the words of encouragement!  I know it`s going to be tough for awhile, but I`m in the lucky situation of being single with relatively few responsibilities other than those of my own making.  I`m also lucky enough to be roommates with my brother, who is probably the most awesome cheerleading squad anyone could ask for.  So I`m trying to focus on the good points of my situation instead of getting down about the mistakes I`ve made.  Since my brother is about to start college, we`ve moved into an apartment and split the bills so that I can send the extra income to pay my debts, and he can send his extra income to pay his tuition, instead of going into debt like I did.  I`m glad that he`s learning from my mistakes, anyhow.I`m sorry to hear about the death in your family.  I lost my grandmother to cancer awhile back.  It`s hard to lose a family member like that.  That`s pretty impressive about your grandfather`s business, though.  I don`t have anything nearly so massive in mind!Anyhow, I`ll stop before this becomes a novel.  Thanks again for the warm welcome! 

MysteriousEm

Thank you, Craig, for the great advice! 
Right now, I`m very aware that my plans are in the "pipe dream" phase.  But I try to take a step toward making them a reality every day.  Some days I even try for 3 or 4 steps.
I currently have a very tolerable job working from home in what I suppose you would call desktop publishing.  My boss owns her own business and provides her services to Thompson publishers, working on electronic resources for textbooks.  It`s a great job, for now, but the idea of owning my own business, and taking full responsibility for my successes and failures, is very appealing to me.  But I do at least have a steady income.  And when the business is slow, and I don`t get as many hours as I like, I can put that extra time to work by doing research for the future of my business.  It`s an ideal situation to be in, really.  But then, my biggest fault is probably a little too much optimism.  XD 
I`m going to look into the possibility of getting into product photography.  I had also thought of trying to do what I suppose you`d call freelance work photographing weddings, etc.  No matter how slow times may be, I figured people still get married.
I`ve got a lot of ideas buzzing around in my head, though.  You should see my "notes" file.  It`s just a good thing I know how to keep organized when I need to, or it would be a train wreck.
Once again, thanks for the warm welcome!