No risk!

its funny how my thoughts were automatically sorted out. i didnt have to do any internal debates. 2 weeks ago i was totally indecisive. but now, i have settled for option 2 of my previous post. and im sure i wont regret that choice.

part of it was influenced by going to school and not going to the office. frankly the idea of working in such a competitive job sounds stressful to me. i would rather stay with school life, which though sian at times, can be enjoyable too. also like i said earlier, im not mentally prepared at all to give up education.

never mind about the attractive offers and fat paychecks... like ivan said, it wont last. cos soon the labour force there would grow so large and competition among them so great that the pool of potential customers would deplete quickly. as time passes, the number of marketers increase and customers decrease. sales opportunity decrease and that means less money. in the end, all the people would be either not interested in the products or bought already. considering those are non perishable products, they wont buy again. and the marketers? retrench lor. the corporate ladder breaks and those who climbed higher up suffers a bigger fall. literally. it seems inevitable to me. sooner or later.

i believe that the tourism industry will hold out much better than VE. it should remain lucrative and even get better as time passes. moreover, the government takes measures to ensure theres not too much competition for jobs in each industry. so no worries for my future as long as i do well in studies.

im not desperate or greedy for money now. i can well wait till graduation before i start getting income. anyway, im not giving up the VE job either. After my semestral exams (wich is quite soon) i have plenty of spare time for VE, so i can go gain work experience and presentation skills and money while killing off the surplus time.

so that settles it... no more doubts or hesitations. the pros far exceed the cons. No risk!

Risk or no risk?

its like this.

One peaceful afternoon, i suddenly recieved a call from an unknown number. They asked me to come down for interview. Wasnt so shocked cos i experienced such things b4 in that modelling incident. so i asked a bit more.. they told me they got my contact thru SP, so its not a mistake. i was told the job was about assisting presentations. Freelance. doesnt sound too hard. The person on the other end also seemed very helpful and assuring so i decided to go. just to find out more. and stay if it was good.

So this is what i found about it.

-The company name is Venture Era. it develops and markets patented products which somehow improves ppl's health. these include, water enhancers, air purifiers and magnetic beds.

-Almost everyone working in the company is involved in sales. all started as a lowly MAP and work their way up, up to the highest position of senior business group manager (8th level.)

-Everytime u meet a quota of sales, u will be promoted to the next position, earning a higher commission rate and other bonus income with each level, and also heavier responsibilites.

the company uses this system called network marketing. apparently the most successful in the world in creating millionaires.

-no academic qualifications needed. absolutely anyone can join as long as they can communicate properly. the job's skills are picked up from your uplines.

-from first to 2nd lvl, u have to sell 900 pt values worth of goods. just 1 water enhancer will do. Even at the 2nd level, ur already empowered to bring in ppl under u. their sales would contribute to ur sales count, and could push u to the next level. u would earn a small % of their commission too. but u or your upline must train them and be on the ball too, or theyll overtake u.

-It seems really easy to get promoted. the average time to become a business manager (5th level) is about 1 year only. thats a high position already. so theres a BM who is only 18 years old! and with about 50 ppl under him, either brought in by himself or his downlines, his sales count is rising fast, pushing him up to the next level.

-The products convince me well. theyr really marketable.- The paychecks offered are really fat for a job like this. i had a face-to-face session with a lvl 6 guy.. he told me he just got a month's paycheck of 11K, and a car award. (free car!)

- That guy quit his previous job as an air force pilot to join VE. Theres also a girl who quit J2 in PJC this year to work fulltime.. prolly for the rest of her working life.

These are the safeguards

-The products are very marketable in my opinion. They are said to bring many good benefits, and is still pretty unknown to the world. (good sales opportunities)

-Venture era is only 7 years old. from humble beginnings without an office then, to a 18000 sq ft office today. the labour force size is also growing extremely fast. now theres only 2 SBGMs (lvl 8). it is estimated that by next year there will be at least 7. that shows just how fast VE is growing.

-VE is aided financially by reputable banks. their reputation would be tarnished if they made the wrong choice in supporting VE. so is to say, those banks are convinced that VE would continue to prosper and not go bankrupt.

-VE's products are certified and approved by ISO, WHO, and some UK organisation equivalent to ministry of health. its cal-ion water is also awarded healthier choice. cant say its a scam now.

-the job is freelance. i can slack as much as i want without being sacked. but at the cost of staying stagnant in my position there.

These are my options available.

1. Quit the job. just forget about the whole thing and return to my poly life, undisturbed by outside work stress.

2. Continue concentrating on studies, only doing my job when i am really free. The job, btw, could provide me with presentation skills useful in my course and the business field.

3. try as much as possible to balance work and school. that means meeting the basic requirements of school, and devoting the rest of time to work.

4. Quit school! and join full time... just like some did. i could after all become a successful high position staff with fat paychecks before i would have graduated from university otherwise.

And these are my concerns

1. i could waste a great opportunity to ride an expressway to success, or at least gain work and relevant experience. it also doesnt mean that if i finish my studies, i would be guaranteed a good job, better than this. who knows what the future holds.

2. i dont think i would ever be 'really free'. before that i was already short of time. i would probably progress at snail pace with option 2. and have to sacrifice some play and relax time.

3. this would surely adversely affect my grades. which arent very good already. not much use of a diploma with half past six results. plus the if i were to dwell on work, it would only suck me in further until theres no escape. it might lead up to me having to choose (4).

4. abandoning my 11 years of education is a extremely radical, lifechanging situation. i am not mentally prepared at all. if it all goes well, VE could well secure my future. But if VE was to sudenly fail a few years after i decide on this, i would be like Jesus's disciples after the crucifixion. Lost, helpless, hopeless. BUT knowing it wont resurrect.

I cant get onto track until i have made a final and satisfactory decision.
perhaps i could get advice from others.
It all boils down to one question: risk, or no risk?