I am no career expert, but I have seen many businesses and business people try their hands at various different ventures, so I will take the liberty of expressing my opinion. Day trading, as far as I can tell, is a form of legalized gambling. There is a very big difference between investing in the stock market for long term returns, and doing ultra-short term trading, which is highly risky. Investors have a time frame of 5, 10, 20 years or more, for which the historical evidence of positive returns prove that the rewards far outweigh the risk. However, when it comes to day trading there is no historical data. Day traders have to open and close positions in a matter of minutes, often using borrowed money at a ratio of 3:1. In the span of a few minutes, tens of thousands of dollars can be gained or lost. (A couple of years back, a former day trader told me how while he is trading he doesn’t get up from his seat even to go to the bathroom!) It is not for the faint of heart, and contrary to what many believe, there are no “secrets” on how to beat the system.

[Try to find someone who has been successfully day trading for 10 years or longer. You won't be able to find any because they don't exist.]

But there is a deeper issue regarding day trading that should turn any respectable frum yid away from getting involved in it.

Chazal give us a list of those who are passul l’eidus, and in the list are dice players, a.k.a. gamblers. The reason why is because they are not involved in a beneficial work for settling the earth, i.e. their occupation does not immediately provide a benefit to the world.

This tells us something about going to work. When one takes upon the responsibility of earning a living, it should not be done just for the sake of making money – even if the goal is to support one’s family with that money. If that was the case, there would be nothing unacceptable about gambling (as long as you can handle the risk). But working is not just about yourself, it is so that you benefit others with your work by creating products or services that help settle the world. Groceries, insurance, building contractors, tax preparers, attorneys, and even stock brokers are all about helping others – if that wasn’t their primary goal they would not have a business. But a day trader is all about himself. No one benefits from his occupation, and so he is missing out the vital aspect of doing good onto others that is present with every other occupation. So much so, that Chazal felt that such a person cannot be trusted to testify honestly.

If you did spend years learning in kollel, does it make any sense to transition into an occupation that Chazal did not approve of? From the thousands of opportunities that are out there, please realize not all that glitters is gold. What seems easy to get into will cause you lots of heartache, and is not something that makes you a good person in the process. Choose an occupation that helps others. There really isn’t any other choice.

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Today, the opportunity lies in those who can offer something new. Anything that is different, creative, thought-provoking, or engaging, is an area of big growth.

The big companies of yesterday are no longer where the action is. Coca Cola, Exxon, Microsoft, Verizon, Honeywell – you won’t find anyone talking about them. Instead, everyone’s attention is being captivated by exciting companies such as Google, Amazon, Groupon, Facebook, and just in case you thought everything exciting had to do with the internet – Starbucks.

Google doesn’t sell any products at all. Starbucks sells coffee, which has been around for centuries. Amazon sells just about everything, but so does Wal-Mart. So what is it about these companies that makes them so successful today? It is the chiddush that they each bring to their market. Not the actual goods themselves, because the goods are freely available elsewhere. No, it is the creativity and engaging way in which they present their offerings which makes them so valuable.

The big difference between the way subjects are studied in college and how Torah is learned in Yeshiva is that a yeshiva learning encourages critical thinking. You aren’t taught to accept things as they are, instead you question and provoke, and don’t accept the status quo. When all other solutions fail, you need to say a chiddush to resolve everything. This is creativity at its highest form.

Don’t accept the status quo for anything in life. Take your skills of saying chiddushim and find a creative way to apply it in the marketplace. There are so many areas of opportunity that lie in waiting, which you are singularly qualified to uncover.

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A friend told him of a sales job opportunity in a nearby city, at a huge Fortune 500 manufacturing company. Their campus stretched for blocks, and when he entered their immense building he was overwhelmed. At the interview, the no-nonsense hiring managers peppered him with questions. Then came the moment of truth. “We noticed you didn’t fill out the education section of the application. What is your education?” The young yeshiva guy is ready. “My education is NONE. No college, no high school, no elementary school.”

The shocked managers recoil with horror. “What do you mean by no education? Without education you can’t possibly be successful.” To that he replied smoothly, “I always felt that to be successful in business, you have to be in business. Give me a chance and I’ll show you how even a guy like me can prove himself.”

After a stunning interview performance, which he did without the benefit of any education, he landed the job. And boy did he prove himself. He dove into the work, calling purchasing managers and scheduling meetings all over the area. By the end of the year he was earning well over $100,000 with his bonuses and commissions. And he was on tap to be the highest growth sales rep in the Northeast.

Anyone can get themselves an education. But to be really successful, you have to go in and kill it. And for that, you don’t need a whole lot of education.

(Did you hear that, Reb Kollel Yungerman? Think just because you are 32 with no degree you have no chance of being successful? If he did it, why can’t you?)

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The standard route taken in such situations is to “doctor” a resume using various underhanded methods – such as getting a relative or friend to write of “work experience at our company”, or to provide letters of recommendation, even though they would not think of hiring the person themselves.

The problem with this method is that it is deceptive, easy to discover, and not the way you want to really present yourself to a new prospective employer. Do you really want to give him reason to question your integrity?

A better route I have found is to avoid the whole matter altogether, by not having a resume in the first place.

It seems that more and more smart companies are ditching the whole system of job applications via resume. A resume gives reason to reject people by saying, “Oh, you only went to this school and not that school.” Or, “Oh, you only have 2.5 years of experience and we need 3.1.”

A better way is to let yourself be your own resume. What have you accomplished in your life that can demonstrate your capabilities? Do you have any of the skills needed for this kind of job? Well, prove it. Who cares if you never went to the “right” college when you have already proven that you have what it takes to get the job done right.

True, many big corporations will only hire through their massive HR departments which require the typical resume. But those are jobs where people are processed through like units of production, not as individuals. Your chances of succeeding in such organizations are slim, so your lack of qualifications for those kinds of jobs are actually a blessing in disguise.

But smart businesses – typically small to mid sized companies, are open to creative alternatives to the resume method. Here is a great example:

Jason Zimdars is a great graphics designer living in Oklahama, who got a “dream job” working for 37 Signals in Chicago. Yes he works remotely, and yes he got the job the job without any resume. Read more about how he did it here and how 37Signals accepts job applications here.

Bottom line – smart yeshiva guys can come up with a “chap” how to get hired without a great resume. Just don’t do it the crooked way, do it in a creative way. That is the wave of the future, and works well for us without the standard qualifications.

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Microsoft makes a very sophisticated and powerful database software called SQL. It is so complex that there are specialists whose entire job is to be a database adminsitrator who can properly manage the databases and the tables, where the average salary for a good database person can top $110,000. This fellow tells me that without taking any classes, he was able to pass 2 of the very difficult Microsoft exams on SQL, which he took “just for the fun of it”. (None of his heimishe customers would know or care if he is Microsoft certified).

Here you have someone who never went to college, never went to any vocational school, doesn’t have a high school diploma, but who is making a nice living setting up computer systems for businesses of all sizes, from small to medium to large enterprises. How did he get there? By applying his intelligence (which we all have) and drive to succeed (which we all should have) to a skill, he became an expert in what he does. An expert in any kind of field, whether it is law, construction, medicine, or even kriah remidiation, becomes the “go to” person that can make a nice living whatever it may be.

So next time you find yourself saying, “But what can I possibly do to make a living?”, just learn the lessons from this enterprising fellow (and the many others just like him). Believe that you can do it, and then get about the business of doing so.

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It’s amazing to see how yeshiva eductated men who have no professional training of any kind enter the work force and become super stars. It doesn’t matter what industry or field they find themselves, they are soon making a name for themselves as serious contenders to be dealt with.

What is amazing to see is how adapatable we are. I remember back to the late 90s when the stock market was booming. Yeshiva guys with no finance background at all were sitting around computer screens analyzing a stock’s technical performance. In those days, more than just a few of them were making serious money by trading securities, and doing amazingly well. When the stock market petered out in the 2000 crash, real estate came in. Soon many people – with no formal training or background – were making very good money in both residential and commercial real estate. Since 2008, when the bubble burst, it may seem as if all is quiet, but the next phase of money making enterprising fellows are out there – hard at work buidling successful businesses.

Making a living is a holy task, much like building the mishkan was. Hashem promised those who dedicated themselves to the work of the mishkan – even those without the knowledge and expertise that was needed – would be successful.

Is it any surprise that earning a parnossa is no different?

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Rabbi S., who helps match kollel yungerleit with appropriate positions, tells of the phone call he received from a wealthy person whose son-in-law was learning in Lakewood for many years with no end in sight. He asked Rabbi S. to please find his son-in-law a respectable position, and that he will pay for his entire salary. Rabbi S. replied, “I’m sorry, but I just don’t have anything available now.” The man responded, “But…you apparently don’t understand what my offer is. I am willing to pay his entire salary, the yeshiva won’t have to pay a dime.” “I’m sorry, you have to wait in line,” was the reply.

Even as yeshivas are experiencing extreme financial difficulty, there are not enough positions available for those that will pay  to work for there. This is a harsh dose of reality for those that believe teaching/chinuch positions are a way to support your family while “staying in learning”. The forces at play are simple: A chinuch salary is not determined by the status of the position, but rather by supply and demand – just like every single position in the marketplace.

And when the supply of prospects greatly exceeds the demand of positions available – and shtelers in chinuch are a great example – you can’t get a job even if you are willing to pay for it!

Let me be clear – if you are called to chinuch because that is truly your heart’s desire, and you would do it even if you didn’t get paid, by all means please continue trying to get a job. I want such a Rebbe for my son.

But if you are just trying to get a shteler as a means of “staying in learning,” please wake up and realize your foolishness. If you can’t even pay to get a job, what kind of chance do you think you have?

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A good mechanic – one who does well – is someone who is good at diagnosing what is causing the trouble, and how to go about fixing it. A good architect is one who starts with a blank piece of paper, and draws for their customer a plan for their house that they never could have imagined. In almost every industry, the people making the most money are those that have to start with a blank paper and their job is to figure a way how to create something out of it.

How can you turn yourself into commanding a high salary? By becoming an artist. Anyone can draw a masterpiece painting if they are given a paint-by-number sheet, and anyone can drive to California if given a good road map. The trick is to figure out the process with no guidebook. Your value in the marketplace is increased greatly when you can figure out the problem when no one else can, or when you can create something from scratch where there is no clearly defined method in place.

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1. A lack of credentials for prospective employers, and
2. A lack of the practical knowledge needed to perform the job at hand.

Most people, when faced with the first problem, give up right away. They say things like, “I will never get a job without a degree so why bother?” But those who instead choose to deal with the second problem first have an entirely different experience.

College degrees are really only certificates attesting to the person’s proficiency in a particular subject. Always, that same information is readily available for anyone who wishes, either in a book, DVDs, or online. For free. In a fraction of the time it takes to get a college degree, one can study a subject and become sufficiently proficient to have the skills needed to perform the duties of any job. Obviously, one cannot become a lawyer, accountant, or a doctor without going to college. But there are many careers and businesses which one may think they need a college degree, when all they really need is someone proficient enough in the skills needed to perform the job. (Computer programming, networking, web design, construction, nutrition, & special ed are all great examples of this.)

Oh, and what about that you don’t know the first thing about programming, construction and anything else? Think back to when you started learning a totally unfamiliar sugya for the first time. Did you know anything about kodshim before you went to Brisk? How about Yoreh De’ah? But after a few weeks, you were sufficiently familiar with the subject you were learning.

Dive right in and you’ll become an expert in no time. That is, if you don’t give up hope before you even start.

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But us kollel guys don’t have these options available. We generally don’t have any degree to speak of, so we can’t get a traditional job that pays even a modest salary. We also don’t have the expertise and recognition that will get the interest of venture capitalists or other investors in the business. And we have much greater expenses than the population at large, so we can’t just take any entry level position which pays far less than a frum family can manage on.

And so, we are left with only one choice, and that is called bootstrapping. That means to create a new business with little or no money, and to grow that business by using only the internal cash flow that is reinvested in the business. Building a business this way requires no college degree, no angel investors, and no large business loans. The business is conceived, operated, accounted, and overseen by its owner – who doesn’t have to answer to anyone, except to satisfy his customers so they come back and bring others along with them.

Is the path to success a long and hard one? Is it tough to begin your business using a fold up table and chair, without having the “prestige” of an executive office? Aren’t most small businesses out of business within 5 years? Yes, yes, and yes.

But when you are a kollel guy looking for work – there is not much of a choice in the matter. That makes the decision to operate this way so much easier.

P.S. Here’s a great free e-book on how (and why) to be a successful bootstrapper – The Bootstrapper’s Bible, by Seth Godin.

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