I put in more than full time effort for three years as a partner building a small business in a country where I couldn't actually own it. In the end all I coul

I put in more than full time effort for three years as a partner building a small business in a country where I couldn't actually own it. In the end all I could have was a private agreement with my local partner... but I didn't realize that until I was already emotionally and financially committed to the enterprise. In retrospect, I learned a great deal from it and am doubly motivated to become a good programmer and have a stab at the software business. It was a costly way to learn, though.