My Narrow Escape From a Life of Corporate Hell

 

As a little kid, I had big dreams of what I wanted to be once I had grown up. I wanted to be a professional basketball player, computer engineer, lawyer, and a corporate employee.

 

 

Basketball didn’t work out since I was too short and skinny. Computer engineer sounded good on paper, but was way too tedious for me. Law still is one of my passions, but I could never make it out alive through all the school.

 

 

All that was left on the table was a profession as a corporate employee. Funny thing is, even after starting my first company, I was still poised for a path that would see me working for a big corporation.

 

 

Why I Wanted To Be A Corporate Employee

 

After all my other possible career professions seemingly didn’t work out, I decided I would attend business school and do whatever it took to get a high position job in a well-known corporation.

 

 

I wanted to be a corporate employee because business degrees didn’t require much school, corporate employees got flashy titles, and I thought they made decent money.

 

 

It was only after a year of pursuing entrepreneurship that I realized I would be setting myself up for a life of drudgery by pursuing a corporate job.

 

 

Why I Changed My Mind

 

Once I became an entrepreneur, the world around me opened up. I finally understood why people were as wealthy and successful as they were.

 

 

I became an entrepreneur at the age of 17 when I launched my first business. I didn’t know much about entrepreneurship at the time, but I was balancing high school classes and clients.

 

 

I quickly fell in love with creating and operating a business. I was able to grow my business to over 15 virtual employees and did upwards of $80,000 in revenue in my first year. For a high school senior just starting his first business, those numbers were great for me.

 

 

As I was graduating, I quickly began questioning the path I was taking in life. I was attending business school hoping to working at a company like Microsoft or a JP Morgan.

 

 

But why?

 

 

The Mind Shift

 

I began coming across tons of successful individuals. None of these people said they worked for a company or held a small position in a large business.

 

 

They all built fascinating technology, multi-million dollar businesses, top rated mobile apps, and other types of businesses. I quickly began watching this grow into a trend.

 

 

The most talented individuals would never make more than a yearly salary working at a corporate job. Their skills wouldn’t shine bright, they would just be another cog in the system.

 

 

On their own, these individuals were making millions of dollars from their own business. At a corporate job, they would have been lucky to make anything more than $80,000 a year.

 

 

Only the people at the top thrive in corporations. Whether you build your own business or work for one, you will quickly see that only a select few thrive at the top.

 

 

In the entrepreneurial community, there’s a saying that goes a little like, “Always hire people who are better than you.” 

 

 

This is exactly the model the big corporations take. They benefit tremendously by picking up talented individuals and offering them a salary.

 

 

They limit the competition that they could possibly be exposing themselves too and add another piece to their company. That piece can increase their profits or revenue by millions of dollars, but he/she would still get the same salary at the end of the month.

 

 

I quickly realized that corporate jobs have no meaning. What are you really working for in a corporate job? There is no passion, excitement, or reason for you to succeed.

 

 

You’re just another puzzle piece filling the holes necessary. You’re easily replaceable, undervalued, and underpaid. I could have wasted my whole life by accepting a 9 to 5, but I wouldn’t do that job justice.

 

 

I refuse to work for something where my talent and skills aren’t appreciated.

 

 

I refuse to work for just a paycheck.

 

 

I refuse to do work that isn’t passionate or meaningful.

 

 

I refuse to be another piece of the puzzle.

 

 

The Leap To Entrepreneurship

 

Entrepreneurship is truly my savior. I’m glad I found it at a young age so that I didn’t have to suffer through the treachery of a corporate job like many entrepreneurs have.

 

 

I got a job at the age of 15 working at my Dad’s company. I truly understood why working a job can be so bad. My job had decent pay and wasn’t tough, but I just hated everything about the idea of a job.

 

 

It took me 2 years of struggling to finally quit, but quitting was the best decision I have ever made. After I jumped into entrepreneurship, I haven’t looked back.

 

 

When I wake up in the morning, I open my computer up and everything I’m building is mine. I’m not a puzzle piece or some cog in the system.

 

 

Every day I am working on things that I am passionate about. I have a reason to get up early in the morning, work when I’m sick, and not take vacations.

 

 

It’s because everything I do, I do it for my OWN business and for my OWN beliefs. The harder I work, the more I make. The better I use my skills and talents, the more it benefits my business.

 

 

In a corporate job, I would take all my sick days, run at the opportunity of a vacation, and have a tough time waking up each morning. At the end of the day, who wants to be just another robot?

 

 

Conclusion

 

Thankfully, I have been able to escape a life of corporate hell. If you are on the fence about entrepreneurship or a corporate job, I highly recommend reaching out to me. I will be happy to share my thoughts and opinions on this topic even further.

 

 

photo credit: Ciorra Photography via photopin cc