10 reasons not to have a job

[jimshu]

First, I just want to say your book is great, loaded with advice I intend to glean to my advantage, and that it has already, after the initial reading, changed my life for the better.

My question on the "10 reasons" is, vis-a-vis universal and congruent principles governing all of your theories: how do reconcile the advice to not have a job, with the world that would be created if everyone worked for themselves? Obviously, there are jobs out there that require intelligent people to perform them; eg scientists, engineers, ambassadors, lawyers, etc.

[Daffy Duck]

We could still have self-employed scientists, engineers, and lawyers who decide to work together on a common case. But in a way, that's not so different from a job, is it? And in another way, it is.

I don't think there's anything wrong with having a job. But ideally, all of us should enjoy the work we do every day and be passionate about it. Many self-employed people are not passionate, and that's just as "bad" as having a job, isn't it?

[jimshu]

Yes, everyone could be self-employed (independent contrators) which seems to be the way things are trending anyway; but you'll never get away from being beholden to someone. Not being beholden to an employer ("being free") is what is most appealing to me in the "10 reasons"; all I'm saying is that it doesn't seem too realistic as a "universal principle".

And more to the point of the 10 reasons as I understand them, is that everyone can't govern their own enterprise. For instance, if I want to manufacture semi-conductors, I'll need PhDs, physicists, engineers, etc. - whether independent contractors or employees. I'll still be able to hire and fire them, thus wielding power over them. You just can't escape it in this world.

However, I will take his advice and personally seek my own enterprise, rather than have a job. But that's just about what I can do for myself.

[st33med]

Having a job or not is a choice you make. Not Steve's; not mine; yours. Listen to what you would prefer to be. If you listen to Steve and believe that you must, at all costs, avoid jobs, well, say that when you want to be a bridge architect.

[Eric Revelin]

It's not really about whether or not you have a job but whether or not you're a slave to your work. If you wake up dreading what you have to do then you're a slave.

[lasti]

Originally Posted by jimshu

First, I just want to say your book is great, loaded with advice I intend to glean to my advantage, and that it has already, after the initial reading, changed my life for the better.

My question on the "10 reasons" is, vis-a-vis universal and congruent principles governing all of your theories: how do reconcile the advice to not have a job, with the world that would be created if everyone worked for themselves? Obviously, there are jobs out there that require intelligent people to perform them; eg scientists, engineers, ambassadors, lawyers, etc.

Can't scientists, enginners, ambassadors, lawyers etc. work on a self-employed basis? If you think creatively about that you will surely find a way (well, lawyers are often self-employed anyway).

[Savage]

"10 Reasons" was originally written as a humor piece. My intent was to challenge people's assumptions that getting a job was the optimal choice for them.

It surprised me that it became so popular and (based on feedback I've received since writing it) has apparently pushed dozens of people to start new businesses.

[Kazeko]

What irony...

As for me, I never considered it humorous. Sarcastic - definitely

The topic itself is very hot and painful for many people. Try having a job, say, for 2 years, and you'll understand people's reactions It could be a nice personal development experiment. You could work and blog about your experience.

[KazeCraven]

It's only painful because it's true. Granted, there might be no optimal answer to this, but most people never heard about the abundant unemployed option and they feel attacked because deep down inside they feel like suckers. Especially the ones that go around selling stuff no one really needs, or would be better without!

Sure, I'll still probably get a job, but it will only be as a teacher or as a researcher. Hard to do either of these things for a living when unemployed. Nothing hurts more than getting an hourly job where you sit around doing worthless work to make ends meet. But then again, some people are being pushed to make businesses that are also rather worthless in nature. And there's no point in creating a niche for yourself if there's already your dream job sitting right next to you.

[greenpower]

I guess that in life almost everything should be taken with a sense of balance (equilibrium from latin). Physics tell us this very well this if you take light waves (with its beautiful sinusoidais shapes), particles with its counter parts anti-particles, electrons and protons and the concept of entropy (when a hotter object and a colder object are put together the hotter object always becomes colder and the colder becomes hotter) as examples. The same concept can be found in other places like in taoism ideology for example with the yin and yang.

My point is, and in response to Steve's article "10 reasons not to get a job", that in life we should at some point in time acknowledge and accept the Life's ups and downs and try to live with as much balance as we can taking enough time to grow, learn, marvel and contribute (work) to the society, whatever suits you. But its here (work) where it all becomes tricky, isn't it...

It's clear that the 60h/week job (or even a 45 or 40h in my opinion) is not appropriate for so many of us that intend to live life to its fullest because as Steve points out in his article we are selling most of our (daily) quality time for money. And the problem is that the money does not compensate in the long run because frankly obviously there is not enough quality time left to spend it. Its like living the typical sort of pattern "Save it to the coffin" or "Invest for retirement" kind of life.

So for me the middle term solution is (with the honourable exceptions for many people of course) to work less Job hours, being it on a dependent or independent job, and still keep some quality daily free hours to do what your heart desires. As Steve points out in his article "Triple Your Personal Productivity" humans can be much more productive in Jobs if they work less hours (lets say 5 hours).

Imagine what you could do with an entire afternoon for yourself and others (plus the night) every day. This is easier said than done because quite frankly I don't understand why there aren't enough high qualification part-time job opportunities for people as already there are available for other less-qualification required jobs. In a good conspiracy thinking way are "they" slaving us for life, to keep us plugged in like zombies so not to raise too many questions that could break the current "Order"?

Sincerelly I think that is little doubt why this article is Steve's first one in the top. Because in my opinion full time jobs of more than 25-30 hours a week are just unsuitable in the long run for people like Steve, you, me and so many others. People that want to do stuff, want to grow, experiment with life will break at some point (as Steve did) and look for a new life. Its up to any one of us to make the choice that suits us best. Continue in the goold old "blue" world working 40-60h as usual, change to a radical cut with the past and start a new approach with no Job at all or go for the middle solution: The Balanced solution for work and life.

Let's hope that in the new world order this sort of things can be changed/tweeked. Its up to us.