Being a full-time employee is absolutely fine
Am I a failure being in a full-time job?
On Social Media, it looks like everyone worth respecting is being an Entrepreneur or Investor. You may feel extreme pressure to escape your job as soon as possible (or not even get into a job - how about starting a startup straight out of college - that’s what you are supposed to do, no?)
I call it BS.
First of all, not everyone is cut out to be an Entrepreneur
It requires people who:
- are comfortable with taking risks and uncertainties
- have high self-leadership
- have a financial safety net
If you are risk-averse, inexperienced, deep in debt or struggle just to survive - don’t compare yourself with the sharks.
Secondly, not everyone should be an Entrepreneur right now
Quitting your full-time job to start a business is terrible advice.
The right way to go is to
Keep your job - be a Dream Employee to build up both your knowledge, skills, connection, experiences, and financial reserve
Run a side business on your free time and get it going.
When - and only when - you gain enough traction, you can decide to go all-in or not.
Everyone I knew who started successful businesses do it that way.
(The rest either fail, or they have so much privileged from their parents that they can afford to try and fail 10x times more than the average person in town)
But you should be a Dream Employee
A decent human being who gets things done, collaborates well, is fulfilled, and has great contributions. You will:
- Make the best of your time at work. Make an impact, improve yourself, learn new skills, build connections, and build a reputation.
- Have the maximum chance to get high recognition and rewards and promotions.
- Most importantly, you shape your identity to be an excellent human. And with this, you have true job security. Even if you lose your current job for whatever reason, you’ll find a new one easily.
Remember, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”. You simply can not be a decent, respectable, fruitful human being if you spend half of your waking hour slacking off at work.
So, what exactly is a Dream Employee? Find it out here.
