Jul
10
Can you survive on your own?
July 10, 2009 | Comments Off
Independently I mean. Without the help of your parents? And without the help of adoptive parents in the way of an employer? No shame in accepting that you can’t: most people can’t. However, it is an interesting mental exercise, and an interesting idea to explore. In an age of almost 10% unemployment, this is no joke.
What if you lost your job today? The first thing many people would do is to try to reduce your expenses to a level that is more sustainable. Think about how low can you go and still live in a way that is safe and acceptable. Yes, those Starbucks lattes may have to go from the budget. The organic food may also have to go. Goo deeper and think about downgrades you may have to do — that luxury SUV may have to be replaced with an entry level compact model. You may even want to calculate moving into a cheap apartment. At the end of all that mental exercise, you can come up with a number: hopefully lower than your current living expenses.
Now think about tasks you could do as a freelancer. Can you cover that number? Can you go sell your services directly, to someone, and cover that number? Can you create a job by yourself, without a company hiring you as an employee, to pay for those minimum living expenses? Start with thinking about offering the same kind of services you offer on your current job: bookkeeping, programming, etc. Don’t stop there. Explore other options: can you do some kind of work for which you are qualified but do not currently do (two-men-and-a-truck, lawn mowing, babysitting and elderly care). Remember, the mental exercise is just to see if you can achieve that minimum level of independence. It is not to replace your current salary: no one said you have to quit your safe and steady job.
Don’t take me wrong. I do work independently, but I think a “permanent position” at a “big company” is not a bad idea either. If someone offered me a $1/2 Million /year job, the only question I would have is “how soon can I start?”. I would trade my freedom for the right amount.
My point is that at some point during our lives we should check if we are truly independent. If we can really survive without having to depend on Big Corporation or Big Brother. If we can stand on our own. No shame if we find out we can’t. I think for many years I couldn’t. And for an equal number of years I didn’t knew I could. Then, at some point I did discovered I could. I wish I had discovered earlier.
Related Posts:
Comments
Subscribe
