[Shoe]

A little background first. I'm 28 and graduated college 7 years ago this spring. Since then I have watched 2 markets go from the infant stages to the mature stages. These are the poker industry, and the selling of virtual items in MMORPG's industry (such as selling gold in world of warcraft for real money).

I got a degree in computer programming. I worked full time for a couple years after graduating college, and then quit my job to sell video game items (it was everquest currency and items for real money at the time), and eventaully found poker along the way too.

Knowing what I know now about both of these industries, I could have made fortunes. All the money I made was from either playing the game and reselling what I made in the game for real money, or from winning at poker. I also bought game money (from everquest) in bulk and resold it in smaller quantities for a profit.

The problem with my line of thinking, even though it was profitable, is that I only make money while I'm working. I'm trying hard to "make my money work for me" and be able to generate money even after I have stopped working. Examples would be setting up a website with affiliate links for rakeback in the poker industry, or pointing to affiliate links to IGE in the MMORPG industry.

The debate I have right now is this, should I try to make something like a rakeback site and compete with the many other who have already done so and have already captured most of the market? Or should I just remember the lessons I have learned and wait until I find the next "startup" industry and be ready to hit the ground running? I don't want to just sit around and do nothing, but I feel like I know what to look for now (set up a business where I can make passive income, as opposed to having to work for every dollar). However, I don't really know what the up and coming hot industries are. I found my way into both of the industries mentioned in this thread by chance. I don't know if I have knack for finding what will be hot 2-3 years from now or not, or if I am getting to old to keep up with the trends. I want to find an industry that is still young and try to start up something up similar to what the rakeback companies have done with online poker. Does anyone know how you go about finding new opportunities? Or is it pretty much based on what paths you are lucky enough to cross?