“Get a haircut and get a real job”
George Thorogood
Those lyrics are pretty typical of the normal 9 to 5 mentality. But
is the 9 to 5 grind right for you?
That song spoke to a generation, and told you to get “serious” about your life and look for a “stable” office job. They say this because they think it’s the only thing that is going to put food on the table. I used quotes for the word stable and the word serious because having a desk job is no longer stable and you don’t need a desk job to get “serious”.
Don’t misunderstand, that’s not to say that if you want to, you can’t climb the corporate ladder if you work hard. Some people with office jobs have become wildly successful.
If you’re asking this question I’m sure you understand, you need to be willing to give some things up and you also need to compromise with the way things work in that kind of environment.
You may have been raised to believe that a degree is going to be a lifesaver and that your life will be much better if you go to college and find a job working for an existing business.
You may have also been told that starting your own business is too risky and that you could end up being broke and have serious financial issues.
This is the myth that makes most people settle for being employees and forgetting about becoming entrepreneurs, it’s important to keep some things in mind if you’re still on the fence about living the 9 to 5 lifestyle. Here’s some questions to ask yourself.
Can I deal with authority
Of course if you’re trying to get out you already know your answer to this. If you’re the kind of person that’s not too fond of being told what to do, you are going to have a very hard time adapting to or continuing the 9 to 5 life.
If your head explodes at the thought of the boss yelling at you for being late, for not doing what they expect you to, or simply because they were in a bad mood one day. Then… you might want to reconsider your employment status.
“Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.”
HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Do I like set hours
This is probably one of the biggest challenges of the 9 to 5 employee. You lose control of your time and other people decide when you sleep, eat, someone else even gets to decide when you can pee.
When you work for someone else, you have to deal with set hours. This means you never get to make plans without adjusting tour life to your work schedule. You might find that lack of freedom a bit too much.
For you, being able to work at your own pace, and during the hours of the day that work best for you may be really important. When you work a “normal job”, most of the time this isn’t possible and you have to stick to someone else’s schedule.
Keep in mind this also includes your vacations.
In most cases you need to choose your vacation time based on the company calendar . If those kinds of restrictions on your freedom make you unhappy, maybe it’s not for you.
Can I deal with paperwork
When you work in an office, you are most likely dealing with loads of very tedious paperwork regarding all operations within the office. It sucks but it’s often the fate of people who work desk jobs. Some normal jobs don’t require a lot of paperwork. If you have one of those, lucky you.
News flash!
When you step outside of the normal workaday world you will still have paperwork. Probably more of it. The good news is you can control the paperwork, it doesn’t have to control you.
What about the office environment
Office – Noun: a room, set of rooms, or building used as a place for commercial, professional, or bureaucratic work.
Environment – Noun: The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.
The simple fact is that by definition, you are going to be working inside a building within a confined space could very likely make you feel claustrophobic, (I know it does me).
If working in a crowded location while having to deal with your work peers and their personal issues is not for you, then stay out of the office.
How well do I deal with idiots?
This may sound a bit harsh, but some people are incompetent idiots and can’t (or won’t) do their jobs, and you have to carry the burden. This means that your ability to do a good job is going to be limited by your teammate’s abilities.
You’re always going to have to work with other people. The good news is If you’re calling the shots, you get to choose who those people are.
Do I deal well with uncertainty?
The old idea of a 9 to 5 being a safe option is out the window in modern times. This is even more evident in some industries that are hiring freelancers to do certain jobs and they are no longer needing people at their offices to get that work done.
“If there’s one thing that’s certain in business, it’s uncertainty.”
Stephen Covey
This level of uncertainty is growing more and more common in offices all over the world. This makes the risk of starting your own business seem equal to that of having an office job.
What about income limits?
I mentioned before that some people are able to earn a significant amount of money from their 9 to 5 jobs.
For every person that does this, there are thousands of people that have to settle for very low paying jobs, you may be one of them, I feel your pain. Not only that, but they are often afraid of asking for a raise due to how easy it is for them to be replaced.
This is one of the most frustrating aspects of being an employee and working the 9 to 5 grind. It’s easy to feel stuck and to find yourself in a dead end job.
Now we come to the end.
The truth is that the 9 to 5 lifestyle is not for everyone, but the good news is that it has never been easier to become your own boss than it is today. This is mainly thanks to the internet and the many ways in which we can connect to the world without even having to leave our homes.
Leave a comment below if you have suggestions for my next blog post or any questions regarding online income. I’ve got many more interesting articles coming out soon and I love to help!
One last thing, if you think the 9 to 5 life may not be for you check this out.
Find Your Freedom
Wakeman
dumpmy9to5.com
Having a desk job is indeed no longer stable like it was in the old times. The old idea of a 9 to 5 being a safe option is outdated. the 9 to 5 job is always very difficult to make it big these days. Being an entrepreneur is a more better options, being on a 9 to 5 job system, that time is no longer yours but that of your boss so you loss control of your self each day but being an entrepreneur gives you this freedom to do whatever is it one wishes to do at anytime, there’s no restriction in almost all areas as an entrepreneur unlike being an employee.
I agree thanks for the input
Also keep in mind that a lot of 9-5 jobs are more like 8-6, especially if you’re serious about progression, then evening work and weekends too when necessary.
The other benefits of self employment is that if you do it well you can earn a very good income, much more than as an employee.
It’s a different world now, the office job Is no longer the main means of earning an income – on-linen is certainly the future.
True. “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die” Warren Buffet