Never went to college and I still have a Rolex thread

[Thunderball57]

Success to me is defined as being conscientious about family, honoring debts, kindness and remembering those who're less fortunate. The rest is secondary.

[mfer]

Originally Posted by superdog

The vast majority of college graduates do not go into their field of study.

That's me.

Problem is, so many companies require a college degree for more advanced positions. So even though my degree has NOTHING to do with my field, I can be upper management b/c I have that piece of paper.

[Rolex time is money]

For me, not going to college was one of the reason Im able to buy Rolexes, student loan and 3-5 years of not doing business would slowed me down to this:

[Vaxe]

Just being a realist, but a couple of Rolex without a college degree does not discredit the value of higher education.

Forum contributors like Ken, Mike, Tom, Sam, NoyB, the guys with bank boxes full of PP, Lange, RM, plats, gold, multi-million dollar collections all went to college. Most of them are even in grad school or have a doctorate.

To all the kids reading this forum - college, despite all the flaws, has its merits.
Do you want to be the guy with 2 Rolex or 14 Pateks + 6 Lange?

[Wongawa]

I'm sure this gentleman (who was a high school graduate) could have easily afforded luxury items but that was not his path.

Vermont gas station attendant bequeaths millions to library, hospital
BY BARBARA GOLDBERG
Wed Feb 4, 2015 4:22pm EST

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(Reuters) - Perhaps the only clue that Ronald Read, a Vermont gas station attendant and janitor who died last year at age 92, had been quietly amassing an $8 million fortune was his habit of reading the Wall Street Journal, his friends and family say.

It was not until last week that the residents of Brattleboro would discover Read's little secret. That's when the local library and hospital received the bulk of his estate, built up over the years with savvy stock picks."Investing and cutting wood, he was good at both of them," his lawyer Laurie Rowell said on Wednesday, noting that he read the Journal every day.

Most of those who knew Read, described as a frugal and extremely private person, were aware that he could handle an axe. But next to no one knew how well he was handling his financial portfolio.

Read, the first person in his family to graduate from high school, dressed in worn flannel shirts and spent his free time scavenging for fallen branches for his home wood stove. He drove a second-hand Toyota Yaris.

"You'd never know the man was a millionaire," Rowell said. "The last time he came here, he parked far away in a spot where there were no meters so he could save the coins."

Read graduated from Brattleboro High School in 1940 and during World War II served in North Africa, Italy and the Pacific theater. Returning home, he worked at Haviland's service station and then as a janitor at a JCPenney store, marrying a woman with two children.

Before his death on June 2, 2014, Read's only indulgence was eating breakfast at the local coffee shop, where he once tried to pay his bill only to find that someone had already covered it under the assumption he did not have the means, Rowell said.

Last week, Brooks Memorial Library and Brattleboro Memorial Hospital each received their largest bequests ever. Read left $1.2 million to the library, founded in 1886, and $4.8 million to the hospital, founded in 1904.

"It was a thunderbolt from the sky," said the library's executive director, Jerry Carbone. While a surprise, he said the gift made sense once he learned more about the quiet, shy library patron appropriately named Read.

"Being a self-made man with his investments, he recognized the transformative nature of a library, what it can do for people," Carbone said.

Read's stepchildren survive him but were not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Will Dunham)

[Thunderball57]

"Read's stepchildren survive him but were not immediately available for comment."


Of course not. They were all down at the nearest Mercedes dealership. ;)

[cht]

Originally Posted by DCheeta

Whether a person goes to college or not, it takes the same thing to earn a Rolex - hard work.

When I see a person with a gold or platinum Rolex, I respect them not because of their wealth, but because of the insane amount of hard work they must have put in to achieve that kind of success.

You didn't go to college, but I can pretty much guarantee that you worked your a$$ off for that Sub on your wrist. Well done, sir!

Not everyone has to work their assess off.

One of the greatest predictors of wealth is NOT how hard you work, a job, or college, etc, but its actually who your parents are/were.

Not unlikely people inherit decent sums of money, nor is it unlikely people are part of a successful family business that was created before them.

[porschejeff]

Originally Posted by watchwatcher

This reminds me of Steve Jobs, he did OK too...

Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates never finished college either. I'd say they did OK and maybe even own a Rolex.

[handsfull]

Originally Posted by CT74

College is good for those that know exactly what they want to do for the rest of their life given it's a career that requires a degree. I have always been self made.

Same here.

Originally Posted by wantonebad

Now just think what more you would have achieved if you HAD gone to college...

LOL. I'm hoping this is a joke. If not, it's even funnier. As if a college degree automatically makes one 'achieve' more..... x 1000....that is comedy gold.

Originally Posted by Comacho

...a piece of paper on the wall means very very little to me, my clients, or my wallet. It all comes down to what can you produce.

Bingo! Well said.

Originally Posted by Vaxe

Just being a realist, but a couple of Rolex without a college degree does not discredit the value of higher education.

To all the kids reading this forum - college, despite all the flaws, has its merits.
Do you want to be the guy with 2 Rolex or 14 Pateks + 6 Lange?

Depends...which 'guy' is actually happier in his life?
Higher education doesn't automatically make you wealthy, intelligent, motivated, or even likeable LOL. A college degree does NOT determine whether you'll have 2 or 100 watches. I've lost count of how many people with 6+ years of school making incredibly poor choices with money, their spouse and -especially- their children.

To all the kids reading this forum: Keep your values in order.

[bradj]

Originally Posted by Vaxe

Just being a realist, but a couple of Rolex without a college degree does not discredit the value of higher education.

And a few wealthy individuals watch collections do not wholly validate a college degree.

Whatever your path you typically get out what you put in.

[BNA/LION]

Learn at College or a University, on the street, in the boardroom, or wherever you can find the information that you crave to fulfill you Dreams!

~ Work Smarter Not Harder.

~ Make as much money as you can doing what you like to do.

University was a time I will never forget; Hard work studying and learning, making life long friends in a Fraternity and falling in love. Nothing wrong with a good education and nothing wrong with skipping it as long as you fulfill your Dreams.

[Tmac478]

I never attended college. Heck, wouldn't have graduated high school but passed my GED. I came from a middle class family. My father was a marine who served in WW2. He became an electrician and had a real thirst for alcohol. I followed suit but was always a hard worker. In my late 20s it all fell apart for me. Thankfully I had a wonderful wife who stuck by me as I went through rehab. Now, 28 years later, my life is a daily gift. I own a communications business, still married to the saint who stuck with me all those years ago and have 2 fantastic kids. I never did make it to college but I've worked hard all these years and now really enjoying the fruits of my labor which includes a few nice watches.


Sent from my iPad

[K3vin]

Just leaving this here...

[Macnavara]

Originally Posted by v.lats97nsx

I know this is silly. how many guys/gals haven't gone to college but still have a rolex? Nothing wrong with going to college. I didn't and i survived:)

I dont understand the question....perhaps i should have gone to college

[Robert Cross]

“Education is what people do to you,
Learning is what you do to yourself…..”



Bob

[wantonebad]

Originally Posted by mfer

That's me.

Problem is, so many companies require a college degree for more advanced positions. So even though my degree has NOTHING to do with my field, I can be upper management b/c I have that piece of paper.

It's a union card, and getting hired or promoted is a nonstarter for some companies.

[Muzz]

No College here:( sadly just a couple of University degrees but I make due.

With that said I only use my education for visas and my experience for $

[andromeda160]

I bought my First Rolex right out of highschool. Now I'm in college though, while I don't think its right for everyone, I think it was a smart decision for myself though.

[ExplorerChris]

http://s1266.photobucket.com/albums/516/ExplorerChris/?

I didn't finish high school
Served three years in the military, I'm legally blind & memorized the eye chart to get in
Life has been an adventure

[Rags]

[QUOTE=brandrea;5604195]Id like to think that sucess is measured in terms of personal happiness, friends and family



This was the best quote..

[mvmbles]

I never finished college and have owned a number of Rolexes, but there is a lot of truth behind these statements:

Originally Posted by wantonebad

Now just think what more you would have achieved if you HAD gone to college...

Originally Posted by Vaxe

Forum contributors like Ken, Mike, Tom, Sam, NoyB, the guys with bank boxes full of PP, Lange, RM, plats, gold, multi-million dollar collections all went to college. Most of them are even in grad school or have a doctorate.

After a lot of soul searching this past year, I'm actually in the process of selling off my guitars and my last remaining Rolex in order to help fund my return to college as a full time student! I plan on doing it right this time with the goal of graduating with honors and attending an Ivy league JD/MBA program afterwards. Then I can begin to think about replacing my toys.

The contributors mentioned above have been a great inspiration for me

[njbeizai]

I'm in college right now. I think it's just as much a waste of money as paying rent or gambling is.

That being said, I've made a decent network out of it with professors and fellow classmates, so in my opinion there's value in the networking. I also think once I get that piece of paper, it might be easier to be taken seriously. Being young and having some level of success usually translates to people assuming it's mom and dad's money. I want to get away from that assumption.

[threemonkeys]

As I tell my children, college gives you many more choices. But whatever your formal level of education is, a Rolex is a prized possession.

[FTX I]

College is very important IMO, watches not so much.

[mvmbles]

Originally Posted by njbeizai

I'm in college right now. I think it's just as much a waste of money as paying rent or gambling is.

Are you a traditionally aged undergraduate? As someone who has some college 10+ years ago but never finished and has been working ever since, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you. I've been employed with the same company for almost 5 years now and have received regular promotions, yet can not reach the upper management levels due to lack of degree. There comes a time in your adult life where you will want your work to be very handsomely rewarded as well as intellectually satisfying, which is next to impossible without college unless you're one of those rare examples like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg.

You WILL reach a glass ceiling no matter how much relative success you may seem to experience in the work force without college.

Also, try not to care about what others think of you, but let your actions and merit dictate that.

[new2rolexforums]

Just being a realist, but a couple of Rolex without a college degree does not discredit the value of higher education.

Forum contributors like Ken, Mike, Tom, Sam, NoyB, the guys with bank boxes full of PP, Lange, RM, plats, gold, multi-million dollar collections all went to college. Most of them are even in grad school or have a doctorate.

To all the kids reading this forum - college, despite all the flaws, has its merits.
Do you want to be the guy with 2 Rolex or 14 Pateks + 6 Lange?

X1

There are always exception to the norm but getting a degree is valuable in many ways. It allows you to get into a field that you may not otherwise have a chance. It improves your chance of employment and promotion.

[doubleinfive]

One has nothing to do with the other...

[jdpny]

In the scheme of things a Rolex watch is not that expensive, figure $7-10k and you've got a wonderful timepiece for life, considering an average car is $20-35k and will be owned for 5 years and then sold for $10k - not really a big deal.

[njbeizai]

Originally Posted by mvmbles

Are you a traditionally aged undergraduate? As someone who has some college 10+ years ago but never finished and has been working ever since, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you. I've been employed with the same company for almost 5 years now and have received regular promotions, yet can not reach the upper management levels due to lack of degree. There comes a time in your adult life where you will want your work to be very handsomely rewarded as well as intellectually satisfying, which is next to impossible without college unless you're one of those rare examples like Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg.

You WILL reach a glass ceiling no matter how much relative success you may seem to experience in the work force without college.

Also, try not to care about what others think of you, but let your actions and merit dictate that.

Yes sir I am. I'm 21 and graduating next year at 22. I find it drastically unfortunate that you can't break upper management despite your work. I believe that a glass ceiling exists in almost any level. I have a cousin with a MBA who can't break out of middle management. I suppose these experiences serve to inspire me to own my own business.

That being said, I hope you do make it to upper management because hard work should be rewarded.

[handsfull]

Originally Posted by mvmbles

You WILL reach a glass ceiling no matter how much relative success you may seem to experience in the work force without college.

False. COMPLETELY depends upon your field. I'm a witness....on both sides. LOL.

Originally Posted by doubleinfive

One has nothing to do with the other...