New CDL Holder Looking For Advice

Hey everyone, my name is Lawrence. I currently live in Chicago, IL. I have chosen to start a new endeavor in the trucking industry. I am nearing the end of my schooling and am trying to educate myself on the best direction to take, given the goals, ambitions and responsibilities I have. I am excited, motivated and passionate about learning new things and hearing about other people’s opinions and experiences, so I am posting on here to get the wise opinions of those on this forum.

First off, a little background info from me. I am 32 years old I have a college degree in business from IU. My parents were both ballroom dancers growing up so learning to dance, teach, sell and compete were embedded in me at a very young age. I came and left the industry a few times, but for the past 8 years I have become very established within the industry positioning myself as a future multi studio, highly sought after instructor, and admirable competitor. I did this by traveling the country on weekends competing and networking, practicing from 8 am to 11:30 am, and teaching from 12:30 pm to 10 pm. This has been my lifestyle for the past 6 years. For those who don’t know, ballroom dance lessons are not cheap. They range from $140-$200 a 40 min. session, and I had multiple students that would come in five days a week for two sessions a day. And don’t even get me started on the cost of trips and competitions. My time was truly a commodity. I share this because I believe I regularly dealt with people who were well off in life, had plenty of discretionary income and time, and were highly ambitious, or at least I taught them to believe in themselves and that led them to be. I also believe I have a very good work ethic, and am ambitious, driven, motivated and intense about accomplishing my goals in life.

My ultimate long term and overarching goal in life right now is to dive into ministry, evangelism, and philanthropy. Through my time teaching I saw the value and felt how wonderful it is to be able to impact and influence positive change in people’s lives and would love to make that my full time work. However, I want to do this without having my personal finances being a main focus of my time and energy. I want to get away from this by learning more about investing in general and having my money work for me rather than me work for money. To get to the point where I want to be financially, I need to have both the time to invest in educating myself in finance and the capital to start investing all while providing for two children both of which unfortunately don’t live with me due to a recent divorce. I call them both regularly, and have as much of a relationship as their mothers will allow me to have, but unfortunately, at this time, after multiple attempts and appearances in court it doesn’t seem the government is on my side as far as enforcing my visitation rights.

Okay, So here is what I would like to ask from you folks! I am brand new to the industry. I am educated in my previous industry and am eager to learn about this one. I want to know, in your opinion, what is the best route to take regardless of the lifestyle I have to live, liability I have to take on, or sacrifices I have to make to get the most capital the quickest. I am truly looking for actual number ranges, not just things like, “good money”, or “well off”. Let’s just say my first goal is to see how I can get to earning 250k net.

So far, and for the past month, I have been doing extensive research into different people’s routes to being successful in this industry and am fascinated at how many different ways there are to go. I interview different big name carriers by phone, sit down and talk with recruiters that come into school, trucker friends about their goals routes and ambitions, and my instructors about their recommendations.

I am looking to broaden my world and knowledge, so I thought posting on a forum might be a good way to gain some more insight. Please know that your opinion and time spent replying to me is very valuable and will be cherished by me and anyone else that comes and investigates this thread in the future. I truly appreciate those of you who took the time to read through this whole post and are willing to share your experiences with the world.

TL : DR
I am a soon to be CDL holder looking for advice on the best path to take in order to make as much money in the shortest amount of time, but am willing to work my butt off and make sacrifices to do so. Share you knowledge!