There was a day not long ago when I spent 60+ hours a week working to make someone else rich.

It isn’t unusual, in fact most of the people in the United States ( and quite frankly the rest of the world) work in a job that makes the head honcho most of the money.

Does it have to be this way?

Let me tell you a story about Alan. Alan was a successful investment banker doing quite well in comparison to most of us. But he wasn’t happy. Working long hours, always being passed up for promotions because there was always someone a bit better, a bit younger and a little bit more qualified.

Alan was nearing retirement age, but thanks to a life living a bit too much in excess he didn’t have a big enough nest egg.

What could he do but keep working long hours past retirement.

Alan’s story isn’t all that uncommon.

Now let me tell you about Amy. Fresh out of college with big plans – plans to travel, explore the world and someday settle down into a job that would hopefully still allow her to travel.

Amy soon realized travel was expensive, so she had to cut her travel plans short until she figured out a way to pay for it all.

These two people seemingly at extreme ends of the spectrum are really not all that different.

The next phase of their lives turned out to be pretty much in sync. Looking for ways to pay for their lifestyle led them to an unlikely solution.

A solution many people hope to achieve as well. Online income.

A fast growing segment of the population is turning to the Internet to fund their dreams and get out of the 9 to 5 (or longer) rat race. For many top affiliate marketing blogs like ShoeMoney, Affilorama, Missy Ward, Island Gratitude and others it’s a dream come true.

There are numerous ways to make money online and each comes with its own pluses and minuses.

For Alan and Amy the choice was similar but slightly different. You see, Alan being an investment banker thought it would be a good idea to purchase an existing business.

Alan chose to buy an already profitable business selling physical products through a drop shipping service.

Drop shipping is where you stock your store with products that you can order from an online business that stores, fulfills and ships the product for you.

Amy one the other hand, had dreams of being a travel blogger and making money with an affiliate partnership with a travel agency.

This option allowed her to travel and write about her travels while making the money she needed to pursue her dreams of traveling more. She effectively created a job where she was paid to travel.

No matter the type of online business you envision there is a way to make money online for you. It just takes time to find the right path.

In the end pursuing a career online is a valid option that was not even a dream for our parents parents. Only 30-40 years ago no one could fathom creating this type of business.

It just goes to show you how fast the world changes. Who knows where we’ll be in another 30-40 years.