Guest post by Claire Adams
Look at it this way: if you never get a job, you won’t hate Mondays. During our school days, our only job is to study, but after graduating college, most people assume that it’s time to get a job. Yes, I know, you would probably like to keep your habits of not thinking about money and having the freedom to go and do whatever you want.
Well, we have great news for you: you probably don’t need a job. Just because everybody wants one doesn’t mean that you have to be a part of the masses. There are better ways to make a living, so it’s great you’re here reading this article because it will show you some great reasons why you should avoid being a 9-to-5 kind of person.
A College Student’s Guide to Never Getting a Job
Maybe you aren’t convinced that avoiding the cubicle grind is for you, though. Or perhaps the thought of not having a steady job is just too scary! (Hint: traditional jobs aren’t that secure.) Well, we’ve got four BIG reasons why striking out on your own is GOOD for you and why it can actually be more stable than a 9-to-5.
1 | Limited experience
You’ve heard it over and over again: every employer wants to hire an employee with experience. For college students, it can be hard to prove that experience, though! After all, you probably worked ‘teenager-type’ jobs back in high school, and most employers don’t seem to care about that. Maybe you were lucky and got a great internship where you gained actual experience during college. Some employers barely even count that (which is ridiculous, we know). You’re supposed to come to a job with experience, but you can’t get that experience until you land the job. It’s a vicious cycle.
Okay, so imagine you do get that job. Hooray! The thing is, you gain experience with everything you do, while with a job, you only gain experience at that position. The problem with job experience is that you stagnate, because you repeat that same thing over and over again, missing other skills that are potentially even more valuable. What is your experience worth now, and what it will be worth in 20 years? Which would you rather learn: how to get rich without needing a job, doing something you love or how to do a specific job that you can cash in on right now?
2 | No freedom
Once you start working, your office becomes something like a cage, making you a domesticated pet. Along with all of your colleagues, you’re there to complete tasks that your superiors want you to do. Are you waiting for a reward for being a good worker? A cash bonus at the end of the year, or maybe a raise? How does this conditioning make you feel? This cubicle life isn’t the best life for us as humans!
If you want to escape the rat race and remain free of the cubicle, you have to make a choice. It’s time to make the leap to entrepreneurship. More and more of the workforce is going digital, meaning that you can work in a completely different time zone from a co-worker or client, or even from multiple time zones while traveling! Don’t let yourself get locked up by your employer, lured along by the cash bonus carrot at the end of the stick. Take the skills you’ve honed in college and do something exciting with them, something you’ll thoroughly enjoy.
3 | No security
If you think a traditional 9-to-5 offers job security, know that you’re wrong. How can getting a job be the most secure and safe way to support yourself when you can lose your job at any time? “Excuse me, but we’re not satisfied with your work and progress so far” or “The tasks you have performed so far have been automated, so your department is being shut down.” Sorry, you’re fired. No job is secure, so it sounds like having ten income streams is better than having just one.
Even if you’re the best employee they’ve ever had, that doesn’t mean you’re exempt from job cuts. Being the best often means being one of the most expensive, and those positions can be the first to go in some workplaces. Creating your own income streams allows you to diversify. If all your eggs aren’t in one basket, your legs won’t be cut out from under you as much if a particular segment of the economy takes a dive since you weren’t relying solely on it in the first place. Give yourself some true job security and at least start a side hustle so you can work your way out of the cubicle.
4. End of your social life
As a student, you meet a lot of interesting people you can hang out and have fun with, and even learn a lot from. People with jobs often find it difficult to separate work life from their social life as they hang around the same people all the time. This means one thing for you – a social dead end. “Let’s grab a beer after work!” Yeah, why not, and then we’ll continue talking about everything that’s work-related.
Even though we overdid it a bit with the irony in some of the previous paragraphs, there is truth in every single one of them. Sure, it’s not easy to break out of your comfort zone and start looking for more lucrative ways to earn a living, but trust us, it is a step in the right direction. Being indifferent to your future and happiness is the absolute worst thing you can do because you need to fight. Get angry, shout out and stand up for yourself!
Instead of wasting your precious time on earning money for someone else, you should head for the goal of becoming your own boss. By working for yourself, you’ll lead a more stress-free life, because you’ll know that everything you’re doing, you’re doing for yourself. This will allow you to enjoy a dynamic life, meet people from different social spheres, and even have a better chance to afford a fantastic luxury retirement one day. Starting your own business takes a bit more time to get going, but it’s worth the wait because you get to keep your freedom.
We should all listen to Courage Wolf when he says that fear is a reflex, while courage is a choice. There’s real value rooted in who you are, and you should express your authentic self through what you do. Learn to trust your inner self, your gut, or however you like to call it. College is the best time to think about it, make preparations, and start tackling real life on your own terms.
What will be your path after college? Share your journey in the comments, whether you’re in college, just graduated, or have been out for ages!
About the Author:
Claire is a personal and professional development expert who believes that positive attitude is one of the keys to success. You can find her online writing and giving tips about lifestyle and development as a regular contributor to highstylife.com.
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