what happened to getting a job like everyone else?

[Nicholasp27]

it depends on the person

some people enjoy going to work from 9-5 at an office and having that structure...set hours, known job tasks, set 2%/year raise, benefits, a few weeks paid vacations, etc...they work their 40 hours a week and don't think about working or money the rest of the time


others enjoy finding ways to make money; to invest their time/capital and get a good return on that investment; they don't wanna work 40hours/week until they are 60 and would rather work smarter or harder or longer when younger so they can hopefully work less while still in 30s or 40s and have the flexibility to choose their own job tasks and what they want to do with their time

[spex x]

My brother-in-law is an engineer. He got a job at an engineering firm right out of college and works at the same firm now. He sits in a cubicle all day, and sometimes he goes to supervise construction. He will work at that same firm until he retires. He isn't a risk taker. I likes the stability of having a regular, moderately well playing job. Its great for him and his wife and they are happy. Godd for them.

Now, I've never been able to work a job like that. Work gets boring to me fast. I'm an entrepreneur. I'm fulfilled by starting busniesses. Once the business is making resonable money I figure out a way to remove myself and start something else. Sometimes I sell the business, other times I sell a controlling interest, and other times I hire someone to manage the business so I can concentrate on other things. I like the risk. I guess thats why I like to gamble so much. For me, its not fulfilling to simply get a job and sit in my cubicle. And its true that you can't get rich working for someone else (generally). But its not really the money for me anyway, although having money is nice. I have a passion for starting businesses. Thats why I spend time on this and other forums giving advice. My brother in law has a passion for engineering. I've tried to get him to start his own firm, but hes not interested. I guess its just personality.

I'll also say that I think there has been a shift in the way people think about their work. It is increasingly rare to find either companies or employees that are considering staying at their job for the long term. I think that the average worker changes careers five times now. Nowadays people are recognizing that their jobs aren't quite as secure as they might have been for past generations. So opening that scuba shop or bakery that they've always thought about doesn't look that bad. The popularization of books like "rich dad, poor dad" have also contributed to people wanting to start their own businesses. Kyosaki makes it sound so easy to get rich that it also seems like a sucker move to get a regular job.

[Nicholasp27]

if someone has a passion for engineering, then they should work for a firm and concentrate on engineering

if someone's passion is baking, they should work at a bakery, not start their own


but if someone's passion is business; starting them, improving them, fixing them, whatever, then that is what they should do


once that baker opens their own bakery, they stop getting to focus on baking, and instead have to concentrate on running the business side...same as engineering firm

so your bro-in-law is probably right to not start his own firm, as his passion is engineering, not business

[huber117]

for those who asked or are wondering, im currently taking stats, english, accounting, and business law for classes, took psych over the summer too. i thought i had decided on being a finance major, but im open to new ideas. i have almost 4500 saved up and wanted to do something more with it then just look for a mutual fund, etc. thing is 4500 isnt really much. any ideas?

[beeyjay]

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i have almost 4500 saved up and wanted to do something more with it then just look for a mutual fund, etc. thing is 4500 isnt really much. any ideas?

[/ QUOTE ]

4k is plenty to do a lot of things. the problem i have with this question is its impossible to offer you ideas without knowing what type of skills you have. while i agree with whoever above (i think nicholas) that people who start businesses need to be good at the business end and that maybe a baker would enjoy baking more than opening their own bakery, i dont think its possible to begin a small startup without the necessary skills to operate the business.

eg. i dont see how you could start a bakery without baking skills if you are doing things on a shoestring. for a while, you will probably be the only one doing the baking. ultimately it would be nice to hire others to do that type of work while you run things but starting out you need to be able to bake.

this is my biggest problem with people asking others what type of business they should start. my answer would be to look at the skills you have and try to think of a way to put those skills to work in a new, creative way. without knowing your skills i dont know how we could advise you what to do.

[guids]

jobs are for suckers, maybe 50 years ago, if you worked hard, etc you wouldnt get screwed, but working your ass off for someone else, ill never do it againl. the best thing to do is find an area of interest, pick up a phone book, and start calling places that you would like to work.

[elus2]

guids,

i've had 'jobs' and ran some businesses and really the only differences between them are who you take [censored] from. most jobs i get [censored] from my boss. most businesses i run, i get [censored] from my customers instead. the great part about having a job is if you get fired then you can collect EI/severance plus stability of steady paycheck. the great part of running a business is you can scratch your ass and not go into work if you don't feel like it.

[Josey_Wales]

Rich Dad, Poor Dad - read it.

[KLLions]

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bartender

[/ QUOTE ]

QFT, if you want money.

[majesty2009]

Job WTF is that