I’ll be honest with you—I never thought about becoming self-employed at any point during my studies. It was never a defined goal I had. I just knew I wanted to earn money and be independent.
So let me explain how I got here.
I started studying business administration at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration in 2000. I had never been a good student, so this came as a surprise to my friends and family. They smirked and said, “He’ll be home again in six months.” I can’t blame them. I hadn’t given them a reason to think otherwise. I had only just managed to pass my school exit exams.
We’re All Unique
There is nothing I hate more than someone imposing their will on others without being able to explain why people should comply. Unfortunately, many people do this. They don’t seem to understand that we are all unique and need to find our own way. Often our society and systems work against this as well by rewarding conformity. Of course, there has to be some order to avoid chaos, but I have always lamented the way we easily forego flexibility and independence in the service of that order.
Flexibility
At university I was finally able to experience the flexibility for which I had been longing. I could take courses I was interested in and finish them at my own pace. I loved being able to organize my schedule. I thrived on racing other students to get into coveted courses. Nothing was more important to me at the beginning of the semester than working out the most efficient timetable that avoided idle time and maximized the number of credits I could achieve.
Much to everyone’s surprise, I completed my studies without major difficulties. I was ready for a job as an investment banker, which at that time was in demand and offered a high salary.