After my CEGEP degree.

I had been studying Social Sciences at Montmorency College for two years now. I just finished my studies there, pulling off straight A's, and I was now searching around for the next step in my education : a bachelor's degree. I was torn between two universities that interested me, since they offered a very similar program.

Choice 1 : HEC Montreal in Bachelor of Business Administration program.

Choice 2 : UQAM ESG in the Bachelor in Administration program with a focus on finances.

HEC Montreal in the Bachelor of Business Administration program.

I chose the three-year program to better my knowledge and experience in business. Everything was going as I expected. I went to a meeting event to expand my contacts. I met a group of young investors who are working in a small business. I came home and wondered if I should go work for them or start my own business with friends I made during my bachelor's degree.

Choice 1 : Go work in the small business with the group of young investors

Choice 2 : Start a business on your own.

UQAM ESG in the Bachelor in Administration program with a focus on finances.

I chose this school, but this meant it was further from home. I spent more time in public transportation, and less time studying. Furthermore, this program did not allow me to change the focus I chose when I signed up. I quickly realized It was not what I wanted to do. I could change my focus to something more personal, like financial planning or leave school and try to start a business.

Choice 1 : Financial planning.

Choice 2 : Start a business.

Working in the small business with the group of young investors.

The business my friends made was great. I loved the job but a drawback was the income. It was not enough to cover the rent for my apartment. I could always try to start a business even though I didn't have a lot of money, or I could continue my education, getting a Master in Business Administration (MBA).

Choice 1 : Starting a business on your own.

Choice 2 : Master of Business Administration.

Starting a business on your own.

I was super motivated to work on my own success. I had a lot of great ideas, but the money was starting to be rare. The product I wanted to put on the market wasn't quite ready yet. I could try to present it to sellers anyway or get a bank loan to finance the rest of the development to finish my product.

Choice 1 : Bank loan to continue developing the product.

Choice 2 : Release the unfinished product.

Financial planning.

Two more years in school lead me to a branch of finances I really liked. During the summer, I was hoping to get an internship in my field of study to increase my knowledge and learn the ropes of my future job or I could follow the dream I always had to travel the world before getting myself into a full time job.

Choice 1 : Internship in a bank.

Choice 2 : Travelling the world.

Business with very little education.

I dropped out of University to start my own business. I had read everything there was to know about start-ups and success stories about drop-out students who created a business which changed the world. The reality was not as nice as the stories. I ran out of money and I was lost. I didn't know what to do anymore.

Choice 1 : Give financial planning a try

Choice 2 : Try again

Master of Business Administration.

I chose the MBA because I thought it would help me to become a better, more complete employee. The problem is that I was now overqualified. I couldn't get a job because my education meant employers had to pay me more than they could afford. I was applying for dead-end jobs because nothing else was working. I just wanted to start a business.

Choice 1 : Start a business on your own.

Travelling the world.

I chose to live my life at its fullest and take a year off to travel the world. I was working quick jobs in the towns I visited. It was a great experience, and was even able able to come back with a bit of extra money. Now I could try to apply for the internship I missed out on the year before or continue my education to the Master of Business Administration like I always said I would.

Choice 1 : Master of Business Administration.

Choice 2 : Internship in a bank.

Internship in a bank.

I landed the internship, and I am now getting an inside look of financial planning. Working in a bank was extremely fulfilling. It made me want to work there full time as a financial planner. It has always been my dream job but I could also work on a business I would create myself.

Choice 1 : Start a business on your own.

Choice 2 : Financial planner in a bank.

Financial planner in a bank.

I was working with a couple, making a financial plan for their retirement. I absolutely loved what I was doing and was living well. That was until I made a mistake which ruined their careers and retirement plans. I put the majority of their money in the stock market to get quick gains but I lost it all. I got fired from the bank after this incident. Other banks would not hire me either. I had just ruined my own career.

Choice 1 : Try again.

Bank loan to continue developing the product.

Since I didn't have a full time job and I was an independent, the biggest loan the bank could give me was not a lot. It actually was not even enough to get the product finished like I wanted it. I was out of options. I had to either release the product or work another way, as an intern possibly.

Choice 1 : Release the product.

Choice 2 : Work as an intern

Release the unfinished product.

It was not what I expected. The sales pitch I did at my local hardware store went surprisingly well. My product was received with excitement by the branch directors over there. They asked me how much I was planning to sell it for. I didn't know what to tell them. I could either set a low price and hope to sell a lot of it or set a higher price to cover for the costs of its development, even if they end up selling less of it.

Choice 1 : Sell at a low price

Choice 2 : Sell at a high price

Release the finished product.

I worked so hard on this product, and I was finally ready to present it to the world. The only problem is that nobody was interested. I neglected to do a market research to see if there was a need or a market for my product. All of this hard work has gone to waste. I had to come up with something else.

Choice 1 : Try again.

Sell at a low price.

After a thoughtful reflexion, I told the buyers that a lower price was more convenient for me. They accepted the offer, and they were very interested about working with me. They even offered me a job at the hardware store, but I didn't know what to think about it. I could work there to make more money while selling my product or continue gathering ideas for my brand.

Choice 1 : Work at the hardware store

Choice 2 : Focus on your business

Sell at a high price.

I was worried that a high price would not be convenient to sell at a hardware store, but they seemed so excited about the product, that they gladly accepted. The product was now on the shelves of the store but didn't sell so well in the first few weeks. I wondered if I should leave it there and give it some more time or go back to the drawing board.

Choice 1 : Leave the product on the shelves

Choice 2 : Work on another product.

Work at the hardware store.

This was a terrible idea. My product didn't sell well and I didn't have the spare time to think about new ideas. What I thought would be a good decision turned out poorly.

Choice 1 : Try again.

Focus on your business.

I was overwhelmed with my product's sales! It was selling so well that I could now afford to focus on my business alone. I took time on my own o develop future products to sell elsewhere to expand my reach in the market. I was really happy about my success.

Write a choice here.

Leave it on the shelves.

Things did not get better as I expected. I wasn't making more sales than at the beginning, even a few months later. This was really disappointing since I worked on this project for so long. I had to find something else o do because his was clearly not working out for me.

Choice 1 : Try again

Work on another product.

I chose to accept the defeat, even though I dreaded what was coming in the future. I took some time to develop something else and I think it really paid off. My new product sold so well, I was overwhelmed with results. My income grew considerably, and I was finally able to make my business my only focus and job. I found fulfillment, and I was extremely proud of what I had achieved.

Write a choice here.