by Ginger Earle

Created on: September 16, 2009

The question of whether or not to be self-employed stems from a deeper question and life philosophy that applies to many aspects of life. Being employed, much like being a child, or a citizen of a socialist or communist country, gives you protection, security and safety. The cost of this is freedom and independence. While a child living with your parents, you didn't have to worry about earning money to purchase your own food, pay for that roof over your head, or how you were going to get medical care. Your parents took care of all of that for you. As you grew up, you realized that while you were living in this house you had to obey their rules. No responsibility meant no power. You yearned for power and control over your life, for freedom, so at some point you broke away, moved out, got a job and started taking care of yourself. This meant many wonderful things-no curfew, no chores, no one to tell you what to do or who to associate with. But you also had to give up a lot for this new freedom. Now it was up to you to make sure you paid rent, bought food, and took out the trash. The same is true of governmental systems. Until recently, Americans have valued freedom over security, preferring to take care of ourselves, which meant we were responsible for ourselves. As governments become increasingly socialist, citizens lose freedoms, the most fundamental of which is the freedom to spend your own money the way you wish. In exchange for losing these freedoms citizens of socialist governments are given the same care and protection that children are granted-a government that takes care of their needs, from cradle to grave, making sure they are secure, if not free.

The same give and take is there with choosing to be self-employed or not. I recently chose self-employment after years working in a job I despised. The sad atmosphere in my former office left at least one person crying each day. I knew I had made the right decision, when, upon resigning, everyone told me I was making the right decision, envying me. My boss asked me if I would hire her to be my assistant. But as I gained the freedom to stop waking to an alarm clock, to work in my pajamas all day, to take a break in the afternoon for a nap or a walk, I gave up the steady paycheck, the medical, dental and vision coverage, and the other excellent benefits my old job provided. I also gave up the reassurance, the praise and the social interactions that are a part of a normal job working in a company. No one is here to tell me I'm doing a good job. I have no coworkers to talk to, to get coffee or lunch with. No one to be happy with that it's Friday.

Being self-employed is rewarding, exciting, and challenging. It's not practical for certain careers and vocations, and for some personalities. Procrastinators, or those who need someone to be accountable to, would not do well to give up their day jobs, as some people need the pressure of a boss or looming deadline to force them to work. But for anyone with enough self-discipline to actually work hard whether or not they have an angry boss staring over their shoulder, being self-employed is wonderful! It's scary and exciting. But ultimately, I feel it's the best choice for me. Just as I would choose to grow up and give up the comforts of being a child, and choose to live in a free society without the protections of a socialist country, I choose to work independently, for myself. Sure I've given up the thousands of dollars directly deposited into my bank account each month, but in exchange I've gained freedom and responsibility for myself that are worth more to me than any salary or benefits package.

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