Marquez Griffin graduated from high school but did not feel that college was his path. His uncle worked in a sheet metal shop, and was able to get him a job there.

He quickly learned that taking a bit of action with regards to his sheet metal training would catapult him higher in his earnings, so he enrolled in trade school and alternated between work and school to learn the trade faster.

His earnings rose as he completed coursework, but Marquez found himself unexcited about his path and started looking for more. Moving in with a friend and his dad turned out to be a real-life Rich Dad event, with his friend’s father introducing him to the concept of saving and investing.

Marquez started listening to audio books and podcasts while working in the shop, looking for information about a better life. This self education led him to Scott’s book Set for Life, and then to BiggerPockets where he discovered that House Hacking, real estate investing and that he could marry real estate with a career and go from salaried trade work to commission based agent work where the sky was the limit with regards to earnings.

He further discovered the job of Signing Agent and has now incorporated that into his work schedule as well. (For more information about Signing Agents, check out our episode 74 at www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow74.)

Marquez knew college was not his path, so he followed the path he was meant for and is reaching for Financial Independence on his terms.

Check the full show notes here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow132