A Job is a Business Training Course

By Steve Gillman

The proper purpose of a job for many people is to use it as a business training course. It isn't that there is something wrong with a job as a way to make a living. That works for some people for all of their lives, and for others as a temporary solution (almost all of us will work as an employee at some point in life). But there are a couple major problems with employment for some of us.

First of all, there are few jobs that will ever make you wealthy by themselves. Well, okay, if you are employed to act in hit movies or you can shoot better than 50% from half-court in basketball, you might get rich with a job. You can also choose to live on less than you make and invest the difference and so build wealth over the decades. And in any case, we do not all need nor want to get wealthy. But to the extent that you do want to make a lot of money and do so in less than decades, you should probably consider starting a business.

Another problem with a job is that only a select few will find one that truly engages their abilities in a way that is mostly enjoyable. Though working a machine in a factory or cleaning toilets may pay the bills, few people really pursue these positions as their passion. A business, properly developed, either allows you to do work you love or gives you the money to buy the time for your passions.

That gets us to a more general problem with jobs, especially those that do not pay much. They limit your options compared to going into business. To avoid this you might (hopefully) find high-paying work that you are free to quit and start again at will, and keep expenses low, so you can use the money in-between job sessions for doing whatever you truly want to do. Some have called this the serial mini-retirement lifestyle. For much of my life I managed it with low paying jobs, but it is easier with better ones.

Why then, if you want a better income and don't enjoy the work or the limitations it imposes, should you ever have a job? Because a job is a business training course if you choose to use it as such.

Start then, by looking for employment in an industry that you have an interest in from a entrepreneurial perspective. If you hope to open a restaurant someday, get hired at a nice place and work your way into management. You will learn from the inside what it takes to make good food, keep customers and employees happy, and turn a profit.

If you want to someday own a magazine, get a job at one. Do what you have to do to get where the action is and where you can learn the basics of distribution, selling advertising, arranging financing, finding writers, negotiating with printers and everything else you will need to know when you have your own publishing company.

If you are currently employed without such a plan, give it some thought right where you are. It may not be that thrilling to sort metals at a scrap yard, for example, but it does give you the inside scoop on the metals recycling business, which has made millions of dollars for hundreds of owners--and someday making those kinds of profits might be a bit of a thrill. Ask questions, take notes, and start planning. Any job is a business training course if you choose to use it that way.

If you liked this page please let others know with one of these...

Other Relevant Pages

Some Good Businesses

Money Articles