You guys are the smartest people I know and that's sad.
 

So I've come to ask you all a question:

If I were to switch my current college goals to a business/computer science emphasis, how retarded would it be to try to start an internet retail business?

I'm thinking about doing it because it's getting ridiculously hard to find a job. I'm going on a year and a half of being unemployed. I'm starting to think it would be easier to just employ myself.

I'm confident enough with my current computer skills, augmented by a college education, to be able to design a website by myself. I'll take business management and other sales and marketing type classes so I'll have an idea of what I'm doing.

My reasons for being hesitant are obviously sinking lots of money I don't have into a business venture that could fail miserably.

You have described your logistics, but what is your product? Many attempts at internet marketing fail with the same education and computer skills, because they did not have a viable product. Customers must need or want what you are selling.

What are you majoring in at the moment?

Diversify, diversify, diversify.

I'm thinking of selling a variety of products, with a different website for each different customer-base. This, of course, would only be if one website were to take off.

I've been tossing ideas around in my head. My first choice was clothing, because I like to sew and make most of my own clothes. I could make hand-made clothes relatively cheaply. Another thing I thought about was just buying bulk shirts, pants, accessories, etc, and doing something kind of like findcoolclothes just with a less sketchy nickname. If I did this it would mostly be alternative punk/goth/whatever you like to call it.

So I've not got anything set on that one so far.

As for what I'm majoring now, general engineering. I haven't chosen a specialty to focus on so I'm learning a little bit about all of it.

It all sounds good.

Now a cautionary tale: I had a guy in my store that bought the cheapest phone we had, without service, just to use as a rolodex (or as he called it, his "ho-lodex). He bragged about how he broke off from the corporate world, which is why he doesn't have outlook on his computer anymore. He doesn't do the 9-5 grind any more. He's his own boss, and he's never felt more liberated.

So after we got done schlepping his phone numbers from one phone to the other, and putting about an hour worth of work into a transaction that netted us very little profit, he hands me his business card (for his web design business) and says, "If any of your friends have a business, tell them about me. Help a starving artist out."

Don't be that guy.

Thanks, but I don't plan to be. I'm going to at least try to have a day job if I can actually get one (Small town, almost no jobs, no money to relocate) to supplement my internet ventures until it takes off and I'm making good money.

Because I really don't want to be that guy.

No one ever gets a job involving the degree they get. Well, most don't. I have degrees in Soc/Psych and work as an engineer for companies like Microsoft and HP.

If you want to start an Internet business continue on with yer engineering degree. You can easily get an e-commerce site up and running without a degree in it sure.

^ SUCKADICKBROsky