Ok, the title of this essay should really be more along the lines of “Why Having a Job isn’t Exactly the Best Idea”, but that doesn’t have a nice ring to it like the current title, does it?

For those of you that know me, I recently started a new full-time job after being primarily a contractor/consultant for over 7 years. About 1 week into it, it hit me that I made a terrible decision. Why? Mainly – Time. I hear you asking “what is he talking about?” It’s quite simple really. I was never consistently a full-time employed contractor. Sometimes I was part-time, sometimes, 3/4-time, sometimes even more than 40 hrs/week. While I’m always struggling for time enough to cut deeply into my To Do list, I haven’t been this strapped for that precious commodity in years. Trying to run a side business while working a full-time j-o-b is not easy. I have new-found admiration for all of those so-called ‘overnight successes’ who bootstrapped businesses while working a full-time gig. I simply never realized how important and valuable my time was. To know something academically isn’t the same as experiencing it.

But there’s more to my bad decision than just a lack of time. There is the fact that I don’t much care for what I do at my job any more, despite my being good at it. [Of course, I contend that I'm mostly good at it because of my experience, but that's another article.] It is just a job. It’s not my passion, not any more. I may have a problem in that area – I have too many interests and a short attention span. I want to do something new all the time. If you are my flabbergasted current employer who happens to be reading this, don’t worry, my sense of obligation and guilt will prevent me from ‘escaping’ any time soon.

I hear more (imaginary) readers asking all at once “But isn’t your own business just like your day job?” Well I could argue the nitty gritty details, but I won’t. What I will say is that there’s a magic word in that question: “own”, as in “my own business”. There’s something very satisfying about owning and running what you can consider to be yours. When you work for someone else, there’s a chance, possibly good, that you may be tossed out the door tomorrow. Not so with your own business. There’s also another factor – I haven’t succeeded at it yet. Success will be measured simply – can I live exclusively off of the profits of my business or not. If and when that happens, then I’ll have an opportunity to become tired of it, but until then there’s a challenge that I am yet to best.

Is there a lesson here? At least one. Kids, if you’re not the entrepreneurial type, then make sure you find something you enjoy doing. Spend copious time thinking about this. Spend time finding out if what you think you like, you really like. Here is another reason why school is important. Most things that people want to be in our technology-based society requires schooling in specific fields. You can’t get around that unless you want to be one of very few professions that don’t require a more in-depth education, and no one ever suffered from having ‘too much’ school. If school isn’t your thing, figure out how you’re learn what you need to know in order to be good at what you love.

Incidentally, I used the word “kids”, but I also meant it in the David Letterman sense. You’re never too old to start anew. It just depends on your circumstances and if your finances/obligations/mindset can take the hit that a career change usually involves.

Let me get back to the time factor for a minute. Have you ever considered why we have jobs? Isn’t it to give us the income so we can live comfortably? But shouldn’t we also have the time to enjoy those earnings. There’s that word again. If you work so much that at the end of the day you’re just too exhausted to enjoy the fruits of your labor, what’s the point? Oh yes, I know, I go home and work some more, but that’s because I refuse to be bound to a typical job for the rest of my life. I’ve made that commitment and I’m sticking to it (for now anyway).

One of the books I read recently that I thoroughly enjoyed, and provided me a lot of inspiration was Tim Ferriss’ The 4-Hour Workweek. Yes, some of my friends laughed at me when I told them the title. Admittedly, the title is a bit sensationalist, but after reading it, realized that it wasn’t a lie assuming you followed the author’s suggestions to a “T”. While I probably won’t follow Tim’s choice of lifestyle, the 1st third of the book was inspiration and who can put a price on inspiration?! Tim spouts the same argument I gave in the preceeding paragraph and then advocates that we try our best to live life while we have it, and not to wait for some half-baked retirement that happens when you turn 65 or some arbitrarily assigned age. I agree. If you’re interested in more of Tim’s ideas, but don’t want to splash $12 for the book, take a look at his website. But seriously, it’s $12 – just buy the book. By the way, let me say right here, that if I ever get to a 4-hr work week or even just the financial freedom to do it, that I will personally seek Tim out and take him to dinner!

I do wish I had figured this all out about 10 years ago, but like I said, it’s never too late to start. That’s it. Ironically, it’s back to work for me.