So I have an idiot co-worker....

[Cuda1447]

So I work at a dead-end retail sales commission job. No one will make any real money working here, unless you move up in the company. Most smart people use this job as a means to an end, personally to get me through school. There are a few people who are in their 30's though and obviously will never go anyway.


This particular girl has been working here for 6ish years. She will never be a manager, that much is obvious. But here's where the stupid comes in. This lady is in debt about 30k from what I understand. She has a kid and a boyfriend of like 5 years, this guy is a dead beat. Barely works a full time job, sometimes. He goes from job to job. Anyways, she's not making any headway on her debt and she basically can barely pay off the interest in the debt as well as living expenses each month. Whatever, thats not the worst part.


She has this idea that she wants to be a wedding photographer/dj. She actually wants to have her boyfriend do the Dj part. She has it all figured out because photographers make "$1500" minimum and DJ's another "$1000 minimum". So she's just going to up and do that and get out of debt. Lately she's been talking about it. Asking me about cameras (I used to sell them). She tells me she wants a wireless printer thats mobile. I tell her to get wedding quality pictures she won't be able to buy a mobile wireless printer at best buy for $200 bucks. I suggest maybe looking into a printing service initially to get going. She says, "oh like walmart?" Suffice to say she doesn't know what the hell she is doing. She's in waaaaay over her head.


So today I get to work and she starts talking to me. Apparently she went out and bought some DJ/speaker equipment. Yep, she just spent $5000 on her BoA credit card. It has a lower interest rate than some of her others so its a good deal.....


What the fuck is wrong with people? $30,000 in debt, not making any headway. No idea what the hell she is going to do with a business and she goes and blows $5,000 on shit she probably can't even use. There is more to come I'm sure. She was talking about buying a Nikon D80 (coworkers suggestion) from BB for like $1500 (with lens).



Its no wonder people are in debt so much and going into bankruptcy. No one has a fucking brain.

 

[olds]

:music: Cuda1447's got a girl friend. Cuda1447's got a girl friend. :music:

 

[Cuda1447]

lol, nah I do have a fiancee though. She's actually got a brain, thank deity.

 

[rocadelpunk]

lol

 

[yllus]

Hey, be glad for these people. They make retail sales easy.

 

[bignateyk]

You should be thanking her. People like this are the only reason our economy works. For every dollar you make, someone else has to lose a dollar.

 

[Cuda1447]

Not to start an argument bignat, but thats not really how our economy works. Well it is, but not the debt part. She will never pay off that debt. Instead she is paying interest to companies that take advantage of stupid people that don't know how to manage their money. This doesn't make our economy work, this makes banks rich.

 

[bignateyk]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Not to start an argument bignat, but thats not really how our economy works. Well it is, but not the debt part. She will never pay off that debt. Instead she is paying interest to companies that take advantage of stupid people that don't know how to manage their money. This doesn't make our economy work, this makes banks rich.

psh. We all know debt is the cornerstone to the american economy.

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Not to start an argument bignat, but thats not really how our economy works. Well it is, but not the debt part. She will never pay off that debt. Instead she is paying interest to companies that take advantage of stupid people that don't know how to manage their money. This doesn't make our economy work, this makes banks rich.

And the bankers in turn wisely invest the money to make themselves even richer.
And the government comes in and says "Give us your money!"
And the bankers are like "Ahh... hell no!"
And the governement is like "WTF!?"

 

[bearxor]

You know, sometimes you just have to go for it. Even though everyone around you is telling you it won't work, you're doing it wrong, etc, etc, etc...

I hope that, at least to her face and people she knows, you're wishing her luck. Some of the greatest ideas, inventions and businesses were started and operated even though people laughed at them and talked about they were doomed to failure or couldn't work.

In short, live your life. Don't expend the energy trying to live others lives.

 

[Cuda1447]

Oh I say good luck etc... but she really doesn't know the first thing about what she's getting into. I'm all for people starting their own things, but they need to do their research and know about the business they want to start. If you don't know how to work a camera, how could you be a photographer?

 

[gamepad]

pics?

 

[finite automaton]

To make money you gotta spend money. Don't be hatin' on her because she has more balls than you.

 

[JS80]

Originally posted by: bignateyk
You should be thanking her. People like this are the only reason our economy works. For every dollar you make, someone else has to lose a dollar.

retardation FTL.

How does the economy grow? Should everyone get poorer as the population grows? Why aren't we all living in huts?

OP: Why do you give a shit? You talk all this shit about dead end retail job (that you work in) and you put down someone who is actually doing something to get out of it?

 

[Kadarin]

You never know, maybe she and her b/f will actually end up being pretty successful at it.

 

[The Stigenator]

oh boy i knew a few of those when i worked BB.

ugh!

 

[SolMiester]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Oh I say good luck etc... but she really doesn't know the first thing about what she's getting into. I'm all for people starting their own things, but they need to do their research and know about the business they want to start. If you don't know how to work a camera, how could you be a photographer?

I'm thinking this also......she could even get sued for poor photo's or something.....Its probably her loser boyfriend's idea anyway.....

 

[tigersty1e]

Good for her.

It takes balls to go and start a business. Everyone has an idea, but nobody wants to act.

 

[finite automaton]

Originally posted by: SolMiester

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Oh I say good luck etc... but she really doesn't know the first thing about what she's getting into. I'm all for people starting their own things, but they need to do their research and know about the business they want to start. If you don't know how to work a camera, how could you be a photographer?

I'm thinking this also......she could even get sued for poor photo's or something.....Its probably her loser boyfriend's idea anyway.....

With cameras these days, it's really hard not to take a good picture.

 

[The Stigenator]

you know is she 'red neck'. i hear there is a lot of demand for people with digital cameras to take red neck weddings at mc donalds on the cheap.

I guess thats her target market.. cheap weddings..

 

[magomago]

Originally posted by: finite automaton

Originally posted by: SolMiester

Originally posted by: Cuda1447
Oh I say good luck etc... but she really doesn't know the first thing about what she's getting into. I'm all for people starting their own things, but they need to do their research and know about the business they want to start. If you don't know how to work a camera, how could you be a photographer?

I'm thinking this also......she could even get sued for poor photo's or something.....Its probably her loser boyfriend's idea anyway.....

With cameras these days, it's really hard not to take a good picture.

Clicking isn't hard.....but there is a LOT of technique that takes time to learn, there is a lot of PP that goes on (photoshop, noise ninja, lightroom, etc), learning to use a flash well is a formidable task itself...
Good luck if you believe you can buy a DSLR, put it on auto, and get people to pay you a thousand dollars.

That said if she properly researched her idea (we don't know so I won't pass judgement), if she already looked in cameras, if she has been taking classes, has plans to constantly practice in her free time to build up her skill...then maybe something will happen

but it mos def isn't "Spend 5K on speakkers, another 5K on camera shit and watch the money roll in!" To do it right is to spend so much time learning about the industry and the technique you have basically written out a business plan

 

[Spineshank]

Wow. I DJ part time and theres a light programmer i use that cost 5k itself. That shit is expensive to all hell.

 

[imported_Baloo]

A few years from now, when you see her drive by in her new Mercedes, paid for with cash, you'll be wondering who's the stupid one.

Eh, probably not. I say support her though. Sometimes all it takes for someone to make something work is a few friendly words. The idea to use a printing service was a silly idea though, as cheap as photo quality printers are. Next time she asks, you might mention some affordable photo quality printers. Oh, don't make the mistake of steering her towards a $500 printer -- even $60 printers can do photo quality.

 

[bearxor]

Any of the HP 02 series printers make excellent photo quality prints, as long as the paper is good.

 

[Cuda1447]

I think a lot of people are missing the point here. I find it funny that people are saying that I'm the stupid one as she has the balls to do something. I've got 3 points.

1. I am doing something, its called getting an education. I may try my hands in a business one day too. No qualms with that, but I realize its not just "hey, an idea... oooh money" it requires research and effort.

2. She isn't researching anything. She is asking co-workers "hey, whats a good camera" and then buying it. She mentioned taking a camera class with geek squad. Let me know how that works out. She doesn't have a clue what she's getting into. Has no business model. Has no plans for advertising. Doesn't know what sort of clients she is going to target or where she will get those clients. Doesn't have as much as a 6 month plan and just plans on winging it.... which leads me to my third point....

3. She is in debt 30k already and is just going to spend money on a whim like its nothing with about | | that much planning. Go ahead, encourage her. I will too. If I were a close friend though I'd take her aside, tell her she's being foolish with her money. She needs to get her debt taken care of and start being responsible. Then I'd tell her if she was actually serious about this she should take it one step at a time, do her homework and go about it in an intelligent way.


Sure, I'm the dumb one though.