Introduction: This is a public letter to an 18-year old recent high-school graduate. He considers himself a good writer. He has started a few web-pages, but is worried about mastering the details of the niche website building business and if he can make money at it. And yes, this is a business, not just a hobby, for those of us doing it to make money at home in an Internet business. This student is looking for reassurance that he will be able to make some decent money creating niche websites (monetizing them with AdSense and/or by other means) while going to college.

While an iron-clad guarantee cannot be made that this particular student will be able to create a successful Internet business publishing niche websites and blogs, it has been possible for many. It does take some intelligence. And that intelligence has to be applied properly and diligently. The would-be Internet marketer has to learn acceptable English writing skills, some Internet research skills, some particular marketing skills, and some technical computer skills. But he does not have to become a "rocket scientist" or guru to be successful.

Dear C:

You are just 18? You could be making a living by the time you are 21 with this (building niche sites, posting HubPages, and doing other web stuff. Yes, it has worked for a lot of people. You could never have to work an 8 to 5 job for the rest of your life! Keep that in mind as you do this.

You don't even have to go to college, except to find playmates for hooking up. That's the only reason I can see for going to college. And, politically incorrect or not, having a few bucks in your wallet while in college (and after) will greatly increase your attractiveness to potential “recreational partners”. Whether you go to college or not, you should master researching and writing. You also need to learn web technology such as HTML, WordPress, and the technical and “clicking” aspects of presenting nicely and SEO effectively that what you write. BTW, you don't need to go to college to count up your AdSense and affiliate income.Get on it right now! ("Right now" is July 2009.)  Learn what you need this summer.  Learning is time consuming.  Publish a few Hubs.  They can be about anything, just to get your feet wet.  Get the learning over this summer, so that this fall, you can just do it, along with your college work, if you do decide to go to college.  Get that learning and initial experimentation over now, so you don't have to engage in two learning experiences in the fall.

I have a college degree. Degrees are just licenses to get interviews. The field you get educated in can collapse or be cyclical. By the time you get out of school, the field in which you studied could be in a slump or moved to Iraq. I was in electronics and aerospace engineering. Electronics mostly disappeared to Asia. Aerospace is feast or famine depending on our rulers' plans. There have been several cycles during my lifetime where engineers got laid off and then had to drive cabs or whatever. Then when an upswing occurred again, many of them were not re-hired as their experience was no longer current.

I had enough of that. I got out of that and finally was able to fake my way into basic computer programming. This was still pre-Internet. I was making somewhat of a living. But then, you have probably heard of outsourcing? Programmers in the U.S. are are competing with Indians and Chinese. To stay competitive, it is not just 9 to 5. It is all-consuming. I, myself, got tired of trying to keep up with whatever was the programming "language du jour", in the attempt to keep the "skill set" "cutting edge". Burnout. Maybe some people can do it, but it is difficult for many to fake a good attitude when both burnt out and jobless for a few months.

You can think you are on the top of the world, in any field, working on a job or for yourself on the Internet. Be aware that the government can crap on you no matter what what you are doing. It looks to me that, nowadays, business majors are not immune to job market swings, either.

I am a geezer. So listen to your elder: My advice is to get into something where your experience can build. You don't want to have to start all over every couple of years. I'm learning all the time doing this Internet stuff, and it seems to be fairly cumulative. Yes, some stuff I have learned is no longer useful (or never was). But it's not like you have to forget everything you learned three years ago, as you do in some fields.

When I was your age, many, many, many years ago, there was no Internet. No personal computers. A few people could make a living independent of location, independent of having to be someplace specific. If you had a profession, you had to be in and out of your office, physically. If you were a business owner or shopkeeper, you had to be there. If you had a job, you definitely had to be there.

With an Internet business you can do it from almost anywhere, and at any time. You can work from home, you can work at the beach. You can do it late at night listening to George Noory and guests on coasttocoastam.

Yes, you can go to college, if you wish.  But that is mainly preparation to get a job.

There is an alternative you can consider.  Do the Internet thing, and also learn an actual real-life trade.  Then, if you are worried -- as you should be -- about the fascist road this government (Democrat AND Republican) is taking, has been taking, learn a physical trade that cannot be shipped overseas, that is hard to regulate, and will still have demand when TSHTF.  When TSHTF, jobs are going to be scarce.  Corporate drones, even a lot of government drones, are going to be out of jobs.  Internet access or what you can do to make a living on the Internet, may be greatly restricted. 

So, build your Internet business.  Make your living from that while you can, but also prepare for “real life” by learning and doing things like auto repair, auto engine conversion, solar installation and other off-the-grid power generation, cabinetry, smelting and metals refining, gunsmithing ...  Maybe you can even combine the two.  Lots of people do.