Pull yourself up and get busy!

I'm difficult to pigeonhole. I'm a "floating" voter. I choose to vote based on who can help me the best at that time.

When I was younger, being brought up on a sink estate in Birmingham, Labour was most likely to help me out.With its policies involving the redistribution of wealth and giving those at the bottom of the ladder a financial boost, it was right at that time.

As it turns out, I did better for myself by getting on and learning. I stayed on when most of my classmates left school at 16. Myself and a few others completed our A-levels and then went on to University. We got busy. Especially those of us with a less wealthy background.

As it happens, although I voted Labour, it was a Conservative; Norman Tebbit that was right. I got on my bike.

I dropped out of university after the first year. I was one of the first to jump through the hoops that was the Student Loan Company. I could see that if I was to continue with my degree, I would end up in a load of debt with no guarantee of a job at the end of it. I deliberately failed my end of year exams and walked away.

I signed back on the dole, and while looking for work I completed a City & Guilds vocational course. I then tried to get back into University, but found that my Local Education Authority was not prepared to pay for any other fees as I had already done a year of a degree. I shrugged and while studying towards a foundation course in Software Engineering found a job.

I worked, moved jobs several times in search of greater salary and more responsibility. I got on my bike.

I could've stayed in the sink estate. Got married and had a load of kids, and expected the state to pay for my home and welfare. I didn't. Based on my experience, it took me 10 years to get myself financially better off than if I had left school at 16 and had a family and let the taxpayers support me.

10 years of investment in myself is what it took. It's those first 10 years that a lot of people do not want to invest in themselves. Its hard work. There were many setbacks and letdowns. But now, because I got on with it and got busy,I now have a decent paying job and I am buying my own house. The only debt I have is my mortgage.