Why It’s Too Risky To Have A Job…

on January 22, 2021 at 3:29 pm

Even ten years ago, the benefits, apparent stability and career path people thought accompanied a typical cubicle job may have been tempting enough to justify opting for a typical career path in an office.

But having a conventional job these days is not worth the risk. It’s irresponsible. Let me explain…

Change

Whether due to COVID or other seismic shifts in today’s economic reality, companies are failing at an accelerated rate, leaving their stunned former employees scrambling to find a foothold elsewhere. The companies that remain are more willing than ever to replace you, no matter how much loyalty they demand from you as an employee.

Opportunity Risk – Working a normal job is an enormous time drain as you are “owned” by your employer from 9-5. Even if COVID conditions mean you are working from home, your time is not really your own. Most people could do their jobs in less than half the time they are required to hold office hours. If you weren’t owned by an employer you could be using this time to drum up other business, work on lucrative freelancing projects or just have more of a life. A conventional employer will pay you the least amount possible to keep you chained to your desk for a huge chunk of the day. That’s an unacceptable disadvantage.

Complacency – It’s easy to get complacent when you have a regular 9-5. You are surrounded by fellow employees that have submitted to a system that works you to the bone and gives you 2 weeks off per year (but good luck scheduling all that vacation time all at once.) As you get used to this sort of indentured servitude, it’s easy to atrophy and ignore the fact that it’s more than possible to make a lot more than you are making on your own terms if you are willing to do what it takes to get out of your corporate rut.

False Security – A closely-related problem is the false sense of security you get from joining the masses working “normal” jobs. During the Great Recession of 2007-2009, I worked for hospitals. At the time, healthcare felt like a surer bet than most for job security. People will always get sick, right? The problem was that the sense of being isolated from the deplorable business conditions of the outside world meant my co-workers and I weren’t as focused on setting up lucrative side-hustles or an entirely new, more self-determined set of revenue streams. I finally worked up the courage to leave healthcare in 2012 but not before painful layoffs had taken place and a cut to benefits was announced.

Unhappiness – Reporting to someone who can decide to cancel your one source of income at any time, is a horrible position to be in. Relying on one company for your paycheck can make even reasonable employers feel like tyrants you have to give in to at every turn. Is that really how you want to spend your best years?

An Alternative

It’s time to think a lot smarter.

Online freelancing platforms, unprecedented opportunities to set up your own business online and the millions of other opportunities to build up several different streams of income, mean that you can build your own alternative to the old employer/tyrant model.

The beauty of building your own set of revenue streams is that you can truly create something that fits your tastes, strengths and sense of what is meaningful. It also means that you have more security since you are not threatened by a single point of failure as you would in a traditional job where a single employer determines your fate.

It takes a lot of work and stamina to build this new future but it is definitely worth it.

AdventInnovate is here to help you build more meaningful futures that tap into your God-given talents.

Check out these posts for some real-life stories of how to make this happen: