Page 188 - Why We Want You To Be Rich - Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki.pdf

182 I CHAPTER SIXTEEN

took a job with Standard Oil of California, and shipped our of San
Francisco. The reason I chose Standard Oil, even though the pay was a lot
lower, only $47,000 for seven months work, was because I was interested in
oil and because our tankers sailed to Hawaii and Tahiti. (Think about it!)
In 1966, the academy sent its entire sophomore classto seaas apprentices
onboard ships for a whole year (known as a sea year). During that year, I
sailed on freighters, tankers and passenger liners as a student officer. That
year oftraveling the world was a great mind-expanding time for me. It was
also fun running into classmates in faraway and exotic ports. I grew up a lot
and learned a lot about life and the real world that my parents had tried to
protect me from.
During my four years at the academy, I had two defining moments. The
first was freshman English. Having failed English twice, I was certain that
college-level English would be the end of my career as a student. I had
nightmares thinking about failing and being sent straight to Vietnam, as
was the fate ofstudents who flunked out during that era. Instead, freshman
English was a joy. I had a great teacher, Dr. A.A. Norton, a West Point
graduate and B-17 Bomber pilot in World War II. Instead ofpunishing me
for my poor spelling and radical ideas, he encouraged me to write. I finished
his classwith a B. More important than the grade, Dr. Norton renewed my
confidence in myself as a student. In a school where more than SO percent
ofthe classis failed and asked to leavebefore graduation, it was Dr. Norton's
confidence in me as a student that got me through those tough academic
years. Today, my books have been translated into more than 46 languages,
have sold more than 26 million copies, and I am more known as a writer
than a ship's officer.Ifnot for Dr. Norton, I may never have graduated from
the academy and definitely never would have written a book.
Another defining moment ofmy life was when I discovered the power
ofoil and its effect on the world economy. In 1966, as an apprentice officer
onboard a Standard Oil tanker, I learned that oil is power. Today, I invest
millions of dollars in oil. As an entrepreneur, I have helped start two oil
companies. One failed at the start and one went public then failed. I learned
a lot from those failures.

WHY WE WANT You To BE RICH
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