FIND YOUR DREAM JOB

PROS & CONS OF GETTING A JOB

 

I graduated from law school in 1994.  I faced the prospect of either getting a job or starting a business. The lure of a steady income with medical and dental, a retirement plan, and paid vacations was too strong to ignore.  Unable to convince any South African law firm to employ me at minimum wage to perform back-breaking work as an articled clerk, I threw myself into the world of banking and finance. I embarked on a 25-year career in employment.  

 

Twenty years into this soul-numbing stint, I realized I had become institutionalized. Everything I did was for the pleasure of my superiors. I also realized I had more than one boss. For three days of the week, I was working for the man with the gold Rolex, the small penis and the red Porsche. For the other two days, I was working for the taxman who did not even trust me to pay him directly. He would go to my corner office boss and get him to pay those two days directly before the money reached my bank account. The taxman would then pass that money to the government who would construct creative schemes to piss it away.

 

I also entered a crisis of relevance.  Technology was sliding its greasy tentacles onto my turf.  The futurist Yuval Noah Harari speaks about the future of irrelevance. In the past, people were concerned about employer exploitation.  Harari says the future challenge is not exploitation but relevance as automation, artificial intelligence and big data displace traditional employment. Instead of entrepreneurship being an option for future generations, it may become mandatory.  Technology is forcing redundant workers and job market entrants into a corner where their only option is to start a business.  

 

Also, as technology revolutionizes the economy and cycles of change shorten, people need to continuously reinvent their skillsets. The days of studying a career and dedicating your professional life to this one career are over. You will need to acquire new skills and embark on a journey of continuous learning.   In this world of constant flux, softer skills such as emotional intelligence, communication, and negotiation skills, and the ability to sell will stand out. So too will skills of financial literacy and the ability to create opportunities outside the world of big business increase in importance.

 

So how do we unpack this? If getting a job is the worst long-term financial strategy, why doesn't everyone just stomp into their boss's offices, plonk down their resignation letters and follow their passions? That would be foolish and irresponsible, especially if you have financial dependents.   

 

The journey to financial freedom is exactly that – a journey. It is a process that requires an immense amount of work, effort, and courage.  It requires self-belief, determination, discipline, commitment, and a long-term road map. It does not require you to be a genius but it does require you to be curious and open-minded.  Albert Einstein said "I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious". The fact that young Albert boasted an IQ of 160 did not hurt, but winning the cerebral lottery is not a requirement for financial freedom.

 

Life is not a game of poker where you either fold or go all-in. There are fifty shades of grey.  You may love your job but hate your employer.  You may be a financial adviser in a large brokerage house. Test the waters to see if some of your largest clients would move with you if you decided to jump ship. Set up a side gig as a prelude to making the jump.  In 2017, CNN reported that 44 million Americans have a side gig they run in parallel with their full-time job. Perhaps you have a good nose for real estate. Instead of ploughing your savings into a money market account, acquire a couple of high-quality apartments, and rent them out.  Start to develop a stream of income that is independent of your formal employment and see how it pans out.

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