Should we work for a company, or for ourselves? Conventional thinking tells us that the latter is always the riskier choice of the two. Going it alone offers less stability and it’s just not a responsible, mature decision to make. Granted, it isn’t the best choice for everyone. And there are clear advantages to working for a company. But aren’t there benefits to working for ourselves if we just shift our perspectives a little?

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We dream about it on the weekend. About how we stand in our van-turned-café, chatting with customers, ready to travel to other countries. We like the idea of ​​freedom, adventure, and control over our hours that comes with working for ourselves and freelancing. But then the week starts and ‘we go back to reality.’ Which means working for someone else. Which means security, and stability. Because we are simply too old, too inexperienced, too young, too poor or ‘too much woman’ to make something like our dream a success. It’s simply too risky. And in the end, working for someone else is just less likely to give us sleepless nights. Because ”they” can give us security.

Working for ourselves; we just don’t have what it takes

We might have heard those famous success stories about those who have persevered on their own, against all odds. There was Colonel Sanders, who was 62 years old when he founded the world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Then there was the young Steve Jobs who created his Apple in the garage of his parental home. Or how about the ‘under-educated’ Dave Thomas of fast-food empire Wendy’s, Dell Computers’ Michael Dells, and of course Richard Branson. But that was different, we say. They were lucky. We just don’t have the quality they had, we don’t have what it takes. We are too old, too inexperienced. We wouldn’t be able to handle it.

And even when we start working for ourselves, and things go pretty well, we say we have to do something “reliable” on the side. But does this perspective give our new company a chance of success it deserves? Why do we automatically assume that working for someone else is more reliable than ourselves?

A return to self reliance

When it comes to working for ourselves or someone else: Which option is better? There is no one definitive answer to that and not one that applies to every individual. But there are people who approach things a little differently. They say that in some cases, working for ourselves or freelancing works out well. That in some cases, it provides more reliability, not less. For example, by learning to rely on ourselves rather than one someone else.

People who view things differently point out that the world is changing a lot right now. Take the security of a ‘job for life’; does it still really exist? They write that a career sounds good but that many of them have become “fast-changing dramas.” Or that smaller family stores are making a comeback, which can be great news for people who would like to start their own business. Some of these ”new thinkers” remind us that working for ourselves was common in other centuries and that a return to self reliance is not a bad thing.

Being entrepreneurial

For many of us, especially the longer we work in the same job, the thought of losing our job is a terrifying one. It can even feel life-threatening. We would have no idea what to do. That’s why others say there should be a form of teaching entrepreneurship in schools. Because the ability to persevere, work independently, and seek out creative solutions can be valuable to all careers. Others point out how learning to have an entrepreneurial approach can make us self-reliant. For example, that being used to budgetting for good and bad months, gives us more security, not less. Especially compared to putting all your eggs in the basket.

Working for ourselves: There’s never been a better time

Some even say there has never been a better time. We live in an era where there is the Internet and technological opportunities to learn how to start our own business and offer our services and products.There are plenty of benefits to be found online when it comes to freelancing or starting our own business. They help us escape the rat race and have the freedom to work from anywhere. It means we can give back to the community, or do something fulfilling. We can have more time for life and our family. Especially when the time to commute can be taken out of the picture. Others point out that in a climate where no job can offer 100% security, we can at least try to create our own job security.

Only for the lucky ones

No one doubts that working for ourselves can be risky in some cases. That starting our own business is not for everyone. But how true is it that working for ourselves is less reliable than working for someone else? Or that starting a business is only ‘for the lucky ones?’ Perhaps we can use the current structural changes in the world to rethink our old perspectives. And see if they (still) suit us.

“The ability to persevere, work independently, and seek out creative solutions can be valuable to all careers.”

Pros and Cons?

Like anything, the decision to work for ourselves can come with pros as well as cons. But the world is changing, and people are finding ways that work for them rather than what’s expected. Can the same happen when it comes to whether we should work for ourselves or someone else?

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