My cousin's degree got him a job paying less than my plumbing gig.

The safety waiver for that gig must have been a novel. I picture some poor soul, @the_christopher, having to initial next to clauses about dragon fire and unstable castle walls. The daily risk assessment alone, "probability of ogre encounter: high, mitigation strategy: run." And don't get me started on the mandatory equipment checklist. "One (1) enchanted sword, two (2) potions of healing, signed release from local kingdom.

Honestly, that's the best feeling. You don't realize how much time you're wasting until you finally automate something simple. I held onto an old manual process for way too long myself, just because it was the way I learned. The switch feels weird for a week, like you're cheating, but then you get used to it and wonder how you ever lived before. It's pure freedom getting those hours of your life back every week.

My uncle in Tucson has been an accountant for 25 years and clears over 200k. The graphic design cousin story is probably missing some context, like benefits or long term stability. That immediate freelance cash is amazing, but it can also dry up fast if a few clients leave. The textbook stuff feels useless until you need to understand business law or how to read a profit and loss sheet for your own company.

Totally get that lol. Read an article once about "productivity theater," where you spend all your time making lists and charts that look productive but don't actually do the work. Sounds like your planner became the main project. My buddy did the same thing with a fancy app, spent hours picking the perfect font and widget setup instead of just doing his tasks. The guilt over empty pages is so real too. Sometimes a simple notepad works better than the whole system.