<prompt> Human: Hey rpersonalfinance!Its a little long down there sooo lets start with the readers digest version...Also throwaway account because finance talk ;TLDR: In 4 12 years I went from being 20k in debt to surpassing 100k net worth thanks to rpersonalfinance by:1. Increasing my income from 0 to 100k per year without increasing lifestyleexpenses2. Living well below my means 3. Eliminating Debt4. Not taking on new debt5. Saving and Investing in Retirement6. Being proactive and positive in my careerI cannot believe I actually hit 100k net worth today...its seriously surreal. Words cant describe how grateful I am... both for the financial security I have today and the help rpersonalfinance has given me along the way. Without you guys I have no idea where I would be. I had zero financial knowledge before... like nothing. In the past 4 12 years the financial advice and expertise youve provided has opened my eyes to a future I couldnt have dreamed of before. I wanted to share my success and offer my storyhelp to anyone else struggling financially this year. I promise things can and will get better with patience, a little perseverance and of course hard work :My Life Before PF 2011In the interest of keeping things clear and concise... ill just give you the key bullet points. 20k of Debt Student Loans - BA in Sociology Unemployed Lost Social Work Job during the recession Credit score - Around 350-450? BoA would not give secured CC to me Broke and on food stamps Only income was selling T-shirts on the streetMoment of RevelationThe moment that pushed me to take control of my financial destiny was being denied a secured line of credit and needing to sell my favorite surfboard for rent on the same day. I had never had a credit card before, knew nothing of credit scores and didnt understand why I was denied. I also had no money in the bank and 20 in food stamps for a week of food. I realized I needed to understand the financial forces in the world to live the life I dreamed of having. I also realized that those forces were already working against me. If I didnt learn to make them work for me I realized I would be destined to a life of insecurity, doubt and fear at every unexpected expense. I was 27 years old. Creating a Plan1. I started reading and learning as much as I could about personal finance, credit, loans, debt, etc. 2. I discovered rpersonalfinance and immediately posted about my financial situation and asked for advice. 3. Based on that advice I did the following: Decided to transition careers and started applying for internships and entry level positions in new fields. Requested my free credit report and created a game plan to tackle outstanding debtnegative marks Organized student loans according to interest rate and created a plan to aggressively highest interest loans and work my way down. Once I had steady income, resolved to establish an Emergency Fund that would give me a 3-month cushion should I lose my job. When all of the above was completed...start saving for retirement and building creditStep 1:Increase Income and Career PotentialIncreasing my income potential and career prospects longterm were of utmost importance to get my finances under control. As such, I resolved to start from the bottom and work tirelessly develop my skill set. No matter how much pridesacrifice it might take... I decided I would find and excel at a new career. I jumped right in and... Identified my transferable skills and polished my resume Decided that I wanted to work with startupscompanies developing exciting new technology Immediately started applying and interviews. NO JOB WAS ABOVE OR BELOW ME...If it seemed interesting and like I had even a few relevant skills I would apply. This process was essential in refining my personal pitch and honing in on the positionsareas that interested me the most. Not to mention all of the phone interviewsin-person interviews we invaluable training for future job searches After a few weeks I was offered an internship and a great company for 20-hours a week at 10 an hour. All of the other interns were still in college, most couldnt even drink and despite feeling like an OLD ASS MAN at 27... I knew this was a great opportunity and jumped at the offer. Step 2 : Work Hard, Move UpFrom the interview my internship it was explicitly stated that no interns would be hired. I decided my new goal would be to change their minds. My performance would convince them to keep me around. SO I PROCEEDED TO WORK MY ASS OFF! By the end of the internship: Id learned more than I could have imagined I had two full-time offers on the table from companies Id applied to over the internship When I told my intern supervisor, he said Do not accept another offer... we want you here. The next day I signed an offer letter at the company I interned with starting at 50k a year. IMPORTANT NOTE: Ive continued working with the same zeal and dedication. As a result, Ive been promoted several times and my salary has increased from 50k a year to 100k a year. I believe a strong work ethic can make anything a reality. Step 3 : DONT LET MONEY CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE. LIVE BELOW YOUR MEANSMy new salary allowed me to immediately start saving and tackling debt...BUT ONLY BECAUSE I DIDNT SPEND THAT MONEY ELSEWHERE. If I was living on food stamps before... I should be able to keep my expenses low right? I continued to live well below my means and put all of my extra money into paying down debt, then saving. This meant no new cars, no new debt, and no frivolous spending sprees. I had to keep my eye on the prize even if I wasnt under such intense financial pressure. Within 1-year I had: Paid off ALL OF MY STUDENT LOANS Increased my credit score by over 100 points Established an emergency fund of 1000 Begun utilizing my companies 401k match Promoted and given a pay raise Other Essentials1. I have found that YOU HAVE TO BE PROACTIVE to increase your income, salary and position. I initiate salary reviews on a yearly basis with my superiors Jump at the opportunity to take on new responsibilities Being proactive doesnt mean forcing youre way on others I always look for the right and appropriate moments to further my career goals while remaining teachable I NEVER FORGET THAT EVERYONE IS REPLACEABLE and work hard to be an asset to my company 2. Pay CC off in full every month and dont take on new debt If I want a car... I buy used and wait until I have the cash on hand Same goes for any consumer product 3. I now MAX OUT ALL RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS THAT I CAN 401k ROTH IRA4. I maintain a liquid emergency fund that will cover EVERYTHING AT MY CURRENT LEVEL OF EXPENDITURE for 6-months I dont touch itThere is so, so much more I could add... so if you have any questions at all please ask away... I love helping people with this stuff since it the advice I was freely given here literally changed my life. Anyone can do it! I swear! Last but not least... THANK YOU ALL AGAIN. If it wasnt for rpersonalfinance Id still be lost in life!EDIT: WOW..the skeptics are strong... I didnt immediately respond to comments with questions because i posted this at 2am... then went to bed. I am going to go through today after work and respond to everyones questions one by one... even if it takes me till 4am.EDIT 2: I did not win the lotto or inherit any moneyEDIT 3: Job progression and salary information ... Assistant Community Manager: 50,000 K Community Manager: 66,000 K Operations Manager: 80,000 K Head of Operations 100,000 KNEW YEARS EVE EDIT 4: I just realized its new years eve so I just wanted to let you all know that I plan on hammering through comments tomorrow afternoonevening... I have not forgotten about you. You all are my first priority for the new year. Assistant: Fishy how OP is skipping all comments with clarifications with the story and responding only to those who congratulate him. Not trying to be an ass, but more details would be nice!For example : It aint necessarily good personal finance management if you won the 1M lottery to pay off your 50k debt. Human: Brand new account with no history, I wouldnt be surprised if this entire story is bullshit. Assistant: We all concur.Human: What else would you like to know? Its crazy how skeptical people... All i wanted to do was share my story and relay how pumped I was...  <response>: what degree do you have? what areastate are you in? what jobs have you had and what are you now? Your post had so much fluffery that it really didnt help any of us at all because you left out all of the important information. You shouldnt reply to this, you should update your post so everyone can read it the first time... thanks. 