Jobs VS Careers VS Entreprenuership

By Brandon Gaskins

Let me begin this post with this statement, there are plenty of men and women who are working in fields they would rather not be in, however they are doing so to help someone else reach their potential. Which means they are not basing their life's work from what they are doing to make money for themselves, they are basing their work from what they can do for someone else. That sacrifice is what allows many others to have choices not afforded to their elders. Their elders happiness is derived from seeing their hard work payoff in the success of their families. However there are far too many that are willing to accept a quick access to financial gains that they do not plan for their pending retirement until it is too late to do so. Never before have we seen so many citizens at retirement age working jobs that were once dominated by the youth.

When it comes to "making a living" there are typically three paths one can take, they are; jobs, careers and entrepreneurship. All three paths will ensure some type of stability as it pertains to your financial portfolio. However each path has its own set of rewards, limitations and obstacles that will keep you asking, Am I making the right decision? That's the irony of each path, you have to choose for yourself, you have to look yourself in the mirror and feel confident that the path you have chosen, is the one that defines who you are as a person and the one that will sustain you in your retirement years. Now I have to ask you, Have you chosen the path that will leave you with a fulfilled life or have you chosen a path that will only satisfy some of your needs.

From www.dictionary.com, a job is defined as the following:  An individual piece of work or task; An occupation; An object worked on or a result produced from working. What I get from this meaning is that a job is a short term task with very little reward but can require plenty of labor and sacrifice. In my opinion a job is a short term solution for someone in need of financial gains. You are never paid what you are worth because you are in a position were you can be replaced fairly quickly and by someone who is willing to do the job for lesser pay. Whatever your circumstances are, unless your goal is to work as hard as you can to help your family members got to school or you are helping them pursue a field that will help your family achieve social mobility, then a job should only be temporary.

From www.dictionary.com a career is defined as the following: An occupation or profession chosen as ones life work; an occupation requiring special training. A persons progress or general course of action through life. So as you can see,there is a Big difference between what a job is and what a career is. In my opinion the biggest difference between the two is the special training and education a person needs to obtain a career. With a job you are able to start working quickly to obtain a paycheck and usually without special training. While a career requires you to obtain more education and special certificates. Because a career requires so much more before you are able to receive a paycheck, they pay is almost always significantly more than that of a job. But, please do be fooled with that significant increase in pay comes an increase in bills.

From www.dictionary.com an entrepreneur is defined as the following: The owner or manager of a business enterprise, who by risk and initiative attempts to make profits. There is a BIG glaring word that usually send most people running scared from entrepreneurship and that word is, risk. Unlike with the other two paths there is no guarantee a check will be coming in a week or two, there is no certainty that you will be successful with your business offering. If you like eating steak you had best get used to eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for awhile. While most people avoid entrepreneurship because they are afraid of taking risk, those that have taken the initiative and put in the "grind" it takes to be successful will tell you the financial freedom and the ability to plan your own work schedule is well worth the risk. Looking at the definition again you will notice there was not a mention of money. taking the initiative does not cost you a dime, of course there will come a time where you will need an investor or two, however if you put in the leg work and you research to make sure your endeavor is profitable, when the time comes to find investors you will not have a problem finding one or more that believe in your idea; (see also crowd funding for revenue sources).

As you can see there is some level of risk and reward with each path, however if you want a life where you have more say so as to how your time will be spent, more financial freedom, a greater since of accomplishment and the ability to create a legacy, then the choice is simple, you should become an entrepreneur. If the highlight of your day is getting back in bed or if you are "living for the weekend", then you are definitely not happy with your current profession and should seriously consider becoming an entrepreneur. A word of advice, you should not attempt to become an entrepreneur to become rich, instead focus on how you can enrich the lives of those around, there is no greater currency than love.