I have been raised in a typical Filipino household where we've been taught traditionally.
Traditional in the sense that we were taught that the only way to achieve financial independence would be to graduate a course of either Engineering, Medicine, or law. Other studies were deemed "not profitable" by most Filipino parents.
I even enrolled in an engineering course because people told me that it was a lucrative job; people were right to infer that it is a lucrative job, but they failed to mention how hard it is to graduate.
In our university, 150 students were in the first year; by the time that class reached the 4th year, only 12 remained.
Then I thought to myself, is this the only way of reaching my financial goals?
It turns out it wasn't.
There were tons of side-hustles available on youtube geared towards students. And this signified my first steps to achieving financial independence.
I started cryptocurrency trading on Binance as I saw several YouTubers mentioned it was an excellent side-hustle for students. However, the amount that I earn from trading is not a lot; it's still a perfect way to make some money while studying.
But perhaps the most challenging side-hustle where I had to make my first steps was becoming a blogger.
I have always wanted to become a blogger and make money by writing great content for people to read, but just like everything in life, starting was definitely the most challenging step.
I started creating my WordPress account, but I later realized that I had to pay for marketing and host my domain.
So, I began blogging on Medium, where I did not have to pay to set up my account; however, engaging with users was not as easy as I thought because several articles were behind a paywall, so I could not grow my network there.
Then I discovered Hive. I only started only a week ago, but I feel like this is the place for me.
Not only do I not have to pay to create my account, I can grow my network with ease, and I also earn money from posting content. How great is this?
I want to continue bogging on Hive and eventually become a successful blogger in the future.
I know how hard it is to start with anyone struggling out there, but never give up!
You will find what you are looking for if you have persistence and motivation!
Good luck on your journey!