We get told from a very early age that we are supposed to go to college, then to university, rack up a huge debt so that we can get a safe career and retire at 65 to grow old and wear brown trousers.
No. That's just stupid.
So with that in mind, I have come up with seven reasons why getting a job is a terrible idea.
1. It is literally a waste of time
Great I've got myself a full time job. I'm so excited, I think we should all go out and celebrate. Well yes that sounds like a good thing initially, until you break it down and it dawns on you what this actually entails. You're in essence trading 40 odd hours a week in exchange for money. That is the deal you have with your employer. If you're lucky you may even get a decent amount of money as part of this deal, but the chances are you aren't getting enough to truly compensate you for giving up that much of your life on a weekly basis.
The Holy Grail surely is to either have a job that earns you enough per hour so that you can greatly reduce your working hours, or have some form of passive income. By this I mean an income that you can earn without actually being there. One of the best ways to make a passive income is via the internet. On the most basic level, having an eBay business is great for this and is something I used to do as far back as 2005/6. A better way is to set up a website or a product that can earn you money while you sleep.
Of course you need to put in the hard work initially, to create your business/idea and to get the wheels in motion, but once in place you can start earning money without actually being there.
I'm sure you can work out that this is better than turning up for your contract and 'clock watch' until you get to go home again. That's madness.
2. You probably don't even enjoy it
If you have a job that you genuinely enjoy then congratulations. You're lucky and nobody likes you!! Actually I'm just joking. You're one of the few that sussed all this out years ago and you are probably very content in your life.
For most people, enjoying your job is something that they cannot get their head around. How many times has your employer turned around and said to you these immortal words; "you're not here to have fun, you're here to work". Urghh its soul destroying isn't it?
Why would any sane person want to do the example above and trade 40 hours a week for something they hate doing? It's bonkers is what it is. Think of all the fun and satisfying things you could be doing instead. Go and do that. Go on, now.
3. Say goodbye to your creativity
When was the last time you had the opportunity to really use your brain at work? You're thinking aren't you... it's okay you can stop now. I'm not talking about boring stuff like how to solve x problem or anything like that. I'm talking about using your brain to be creative.
The chances are you're in a job that requires a series of steps and actions that have to follow a certain pattern. Most jobs require you to do as you are told. Creativity and thinking outside the box is usually frowned upon. This can and probably will lead to disillusionment and frustration.
What we want as human beings is to be challenged in such a way that we feel we can actually make a difference based on our own decisions. This is why being self-employed or people that are musicians, actors, writers, athletes or artists generally have a more content life. They are being challenged and they respond with their minds and instincts.
Don't be trapped in your stifling environment. Get out there and do things on your terms.
4. It's very risky
How is it risky you may ask? Well gather round and I shall tell you a story.
One day you go to work, content in the knowledge that you are safe and secure in a job you hate (we established this earlier). You get a call from your boss, he wants to see you in his office. Yes that's right, you've already guessed it. You get fired! The contract that you signed for that deal to exchange time for money, means nothing really. If you don't perform or you fall behind certain criteria, there is a possibility than you can no longer earn money with that company.
Sometimes you may not have done anything wrong. Your employer might need to downsize and get rid of some staff, and because you were the last one in, you are the first one out. Bit unfair really isn't it?
If you were your own boss or you earned money by doing it on your own terms, then the security is actually greater. This is because using your own creativity, motivation and application to create money is actually a skill. Once you know you can do it, you have the knowhow to do it again and again. You don't need to rely on someone hiring or firing you. Your ability to generate an income is solely down to you and how much effort you want to put in.
5. You have to beg for more money
Let's say that you do a damn fine job, wherever it is that you're a slave to. Actually let's say that you are the best at your company. You are very proud of what you do and the amount of output you are generating, but are you getting your money's worth? Are you getting compensated for your efforts?
If you aren't then you have to either wait until the end of the financial year for a pay rise that may never come (or that everyone gets) or you have to actually go and ask your boss for it.
Sorry, beg for it.
Yes that's right, you have to think up what is essentially a sales pitch to try and convince your boss to give you more money. This is if you are lucky enough to be in a job where you can get pay rises. A lot of people are in minimum wage jobs where no matter what you do, you get paid the same as everyone else in the country. How demoralising!
6. You probably work with idiots
This one is pretty self-explanatory. We have all at one time or another worked with people that we genuinely dislike. For whatever reason, it could be something trivial like they cannot stop talking or they slack off and let you do all the work. All we know is that being around these people day in day out is very stressful and unfortunately you can't do much about it.
Well, you could moan to your boss and move departments but that just makes you beg again, and we've already established that this sucks.
If you worked for yourself, you can control who you deal with. You can pick and choose business partners, employees, clients that fit in with what you stand for. No more having to 'grin and bear it' for the sake of appearing sociable and normal, as last time I checked you couldn't shove a sock in the mouth of your colleague without your boss getting moody. Shame really.
7. These will become your friends
An unfortunate aspect of the above example is that people tend to make friends based around who they work with. It's somewhat natural to create social groups from the people we see every day, and that's before I even get into (shudders) the works Christmas party.
You may not get on with the select few people you dislike in your workplace, but you generally have to fake affection to a certain degree. The risk here is they can actually like you in return. Then you're screwed. Then there are the work nights out and events that you are invited to, and you probably shouldn't go to either. Why is this? Well alcohol and idiots don't mix well for starters. You spend 40 hours a week in a pressure environment with these people and now you're expected to get drunk with them too? Not for me thanks.
While you obviously do create some good friends from work, it is generally advisable to keep work relationships and actual relationships separate for the most part.
And for God sake, do not date anyone from work. Just don't even go there.
Not so great is it?
So there we have it. My own personal thoughts on why you should never get a job. I understand that everyone needs an income and right now you may not be able to just give up everything, and that's fine. I do say though, that you really do owe it to yourself to have a think about how you can quit the rat race and start to have that freedom that you deserve.
Further reading - Retail is evil - why I gave up my job and 6 things I've learnt from 6 months without a job