jeffrey-money-spruce

Hello, Yakezie! Jeffrey here. I’m happy to be writing this post after receiving the exciting news that I and my blog, Money Spruce, have been welcomed as a member of this awesome network! It’s been a lot of fun getting to know everyone!

How Did I Get Here?

Not to insult anyone or his/her blog, but I really started Money Spruce because I was bored and wanted an exciting, new project. After going to college for six straight years and finishing off a thesis with almost constant work, I found myself at a 9-5 job with nights and weekends entirely to myself. A week or two into tossing on a Netflix movie every night, I decided I needed to get back to working on something that excited me. And along came Money Spruce.

Money Spruce Is Like My Life

The easiest way to tell you a bit about myself is to say is that Money Spruce isn’t just about my life, it’s structured like my life.

Personal/Honest:  While some blog anonymously out of necessity, I love the fact that I can share my identity with my readers. I would reveal more about my financial life, but I typically don’t out of concern for friends, family, and coworkers. I will admit that my writing makes me feel a bit egotistical since I don’t talk about myself nearly as much in real world versus on Money Spruce. But I often feel I have the most to share and help others when I speak from experience.

Changing Focus: Money Spruce doesn’t have a laser-focused theme like other blogs out there, and if I had to do it again, I’d probably change that. But I’ve definitely enjoyed sharing my life story a bit, and I hope others have enjoyed reading it.

Although I’m proud of my mathy engineering background, I don’t have any certified expertise in finance or business. Much like JD at Get Rich Slowly, I don’t claim to be an expert nor do I think you need to be one to help others. As far as careers go, I’ve been a bit of journeyman so far. My future is extremely uncertain, but I enjoy that more so than I’m worried about it.

Challenging the Status Quo: I rarely accept things at face value without at least wondering why they are the way they are. Why do we own so many cars in America? Why are so many people willing to commute an hour every day to a job they can’t stand? Is there a way I can change that in my life? These are things I’ve yet to come to understand, and I have a hard time figuring out why others don’t think the same as I do. I try to let that show through in Money Spruce, even though the suburbanites with kids I’m sure of sick of hearing about my life without a car. But stirring up a little controversy always leads to some great discussions.

The Future: Quitting My Job

My big theme for 2012: I’m leaving my job. While a lot of this is due to a city change and not that I despise my job or think that my entrepreneurial prospects are huge at the moment, working for myself is something that I know I need to experience at some point in my lifetime. I’m a little nervous, but I don’t feel I have a lot to lose. There’s no doubt this is the right time in my life to make this leap. I have no kids, no wife, I own few things, I have no debt.

Just how am I going to earn a living? Blogging is actually not my self-employed business plan, and I don’t consider myself a true blogger at heart. While I hope to enjoy increased blog income, I plan to derive the majority of my income as a freelance SEO consultant and writer while I develop more awesome web-based projects. I’d be lying (see above: I don’t do that) if I said I have it all figured out. But I think that’s part of the fun of the whole experience. There’s no shame in giving it your all and failing.

I hope you’ll join me in my journey, and perhaps cheer me on along the way!