As someone who held a cubicle job for almost 24 years and held a "traditional job" in some form since I was 17 years old I can say working for myself is better in every way. I never enjoyed being under the complete control of someone else because most humans, especially in corporate America, are dysfunctional and very flawed. Now matter what job I had the boss had their favorites and if you were on the wrong side of that it was horrendous. Plus there were the office politics and drama that always ensued. I saw things you wouldn't believe. I witnessed two nervous breakdowns, people drunk on the job, back stabbing, the worst of human behavior all because people just weren't happy.
I had a particularly stressful corporate job from 2009 to 2013 that drove me to the brink and probably took some years off my life. No job is ever worth that.
If anything at all good came out of the pandemic it's been the "work at home" movement. Even though employees are still under the thumb of their companies they might get enough of a taste of freedom to feel comfortable taking the leap and becoming their own boss.
Since October 18, 2017 I've worked for myself and get lots more done and have way more to show for it. It was super scary for me as a Gen X'r at first but it's all worked out for the best. There is NO way I could ever go back to a traditional job.
I agree completely. Even if they stay in their traditional job, it seems people have much more freedom and flexibility than they had before. Perhaps things are slowly changing.
You know, I've always admired what you did very much. Must've been terrifying. As I get older, I start to appreciate more the difficulty of breaking a pattern and leaving, forgive the cliche, your comfort zone. So I can't even imagine what leaving a 24-year-old comfort zone must've been like. Even if, in truth, it wasn't all that comfortable.
So true! All they need is a slight taste of freedom and it's difficult to shake. The traditional workplace, especially an office, is inhumane in so many ways.
Thanks, it was super terrifying, I think the stress and worry of it aged me about 5-10 years. What's even more terrifying for me to think about what the rest of my life would have been like had I not taken that leap from the life of servitude. It's like seeing reality in a completely different way when you're on the other side of it.
There is lots of truth to that quote, "leap and the Universe will provide the net." So many doors that ended up opening wouldn't have if I would have stayed in my rut.
Wonder how much staying in that job would've aged you, though :)
Life certainly is confusing that way, isn't it? Though I think it depends on the person a great deal, also. Maybe they opened only 'cause you had the presence of mind to notice they were doors.
The last corporate job had very little stress. I could do it with my eyes closed pretty much. I would get my work done for the day in 3-4 hours and some days would be writing the rest of the time. : ) It was soul-killing though because I was so bored and not being challenged in any way. I was just "putting my time in".
Life can be confusing. So much of your fortune depends on faith. You must have faith in yourself and once you start trusting and having faith in yourself is when everything changes. Everything can be an opportunity if you view it in the proper way. Everything is a blessing or a lesson (which is a blessing in disguise.)
I'm starting to see that more and more, yes. So much of the way life plays out is directly related to how you view yourself, and how you feel. Seems to me if one's able to master that, they're pretty much set. :)
Makes sense. I don't think it'd need to be super difficult to be soul-killing. Rather, I'd say the term applies to anything that causes you to stagnate.