You don't need a job

Shattering the youthful illusion of employment

You don’t need a job to be successful.

The great men of the past, which many of us look up to, rarely had an official job. 

It might sound crazy…but you can follow the same path.

Finding liberty

Why do people want jobs?

Freedom.

Ultimately we want freedom over our time. We want to work when we want. We want to spend time with family whenever we wish. We want the freedom to be anywhere at any given time, whether that’s in our own home, or halfway across the world.

We imagine that once we get the “perfect job”, we will finally have all of these things. Our time will be our own. College, or the idea of it, concocts this false reality.

By spending an ungodly amount of cash on college, many young people expect to receive an unbelievable profit. Often, college students expect to be making $100k+ right off the bat. To anyone above 30 years of age this seems outright insane to expect.

“Today's college students expect to make about $103,880 in their first post-graduation job, a survey suggests. But the reality is much lower – as the average starting salary is actually about half that at $55,260, statistics show.

The survey, conducted by Real Estate Witch, found that, across all majors and institutions, undergraduate students overestimate their starting salaries by 88%.”

-USA Today

This, too:

“Overestimates also persisted in undergrads' outlook for mid-career earnings. Ten years into their careers, the surveyed college students expect to make $200,270 – but, in reality, the average salary is $132,497, according to online job search and employer review site Glassdoor.”

-USA Today

Here’s the article: College grads expect $103,880 after graduation - almost twice the reality

Yet, what else can you expect from young people who haven’t lived in reality, who have been sheltered for 18-23 years of their life?

Unfortunately, a job won’t get you what you what you really want…dominion over your own time. Sure, you can find a great job if you’re lucky. Maybe you get a job making big bucks, one where you can call some of the shots.

Even then you won’t be satisfied. You’ll have meetings to attend, and places you’re required to be, and little say in almost everything. Checklists, a calendar full of meetings, and endless amount of work will haunt you.

You might be thinking, “Well, even if you start your own business you would have to deal with the same difficulties. Right?”

For the most part that is correct, the biggest difference being that starting and owning a business is your choice, and you will have control over your time.

Of course, getting a job is your choice too, so, choose wisely.

The way of the greats

Ben Franklin was the 10th of 17 children in his family. His father was a candlemaker, and very poor. Ben completed his formal education at the age of 12 and was soon apprenticed to his brother James, who was a printer.

He started off poor, yet got an incredible taste of entrepreneurship by the age of 12. His story doesn’t end there though. Franklin’s list of accomplishments in, frankly, astounding.

A good list of his accomplishments: A list of Ben Franklin’s inventions, discoveries

By the end of ben’s life he was wealthy beyond belief. What matters more: he had contacts everywhere. He was in many influential circles. Through his years of “self improvement” (I hate to say it, but thats the simplest way to put it) combined with his constant, full tilt pursuit of his interests, and service to whichever community he was part of, he had proved himself as a man.

Ben’s estimated net worth: How much was Ben Franklin worth?

Only 5 of Ben Franklin’s long life of 84 years was spent in a job (not including his time spent making candles for the family business, and working for his brother).

In 1724, after arriving in Philadelphia, Ben was urged by Sir William Keith, the governor of Pennsylvania, to start his own printing business in London. Keith promised he’d foot the bill for Ben’s passage to London and send recommendation letters with Franklin so that he could find the proper booksellers and stationers.

It turns out, Keith never paid for Ben’s passage or sent the letter to the ship he was on. Franklin found out about this after they already set sail.

Ben was in London for 5 years, working as a printer, until he gathered capital and became a sole proprietor of a printing business.

Certified badass

By the age of 19, Kit Carson had already killed and scalped his first indian. Throughout his 20s, he became an experienced hunter and trapper.

Trapping certainly didn’t pay well, and the conditions were not for the faint of heart, but it was an adventure of a lifetime.

It wasn’t until 1842 that Carson became a full-on, bona fide guide when he met John C. Fremont on a steamboat. Kit’s extensive knowledge of the west, coupled with his skills made him the man for the job. 1843, 45, and 46, were dedicated to the surveying and exploration of several western states.

Carson’s work as an indian agent in New Mexico has gained him lots of recognition across the country.

What’s important is this: Except for his time in the military, Kit didn’t have anything that today we’d consider a job.

He was a man for hire. His skills made him valuable, similar to Paladin in Have Gun - Will Travel.

When Kit Carson wasn’t employed by the government or John Fremont, he could go anywhere he wished. It’s highly unlikely that he wouldn’t be able to provide someone with value where ever he went, especially since he spent most of his time out west where he had skills that were needed.

Kit was not a wealthy man, but for a good part of his life (especially his 20s), he had freedom.

It was simply his unique abilities which allowed him access to things that others would have to pay money for. His actions spread him name, his name allowed him opportunities he probably couldn’t fathom.

What can you do?

The skills you acquire, the mastery of them, and proper use of them can be your ticket to freedom.

The catch is…you won’t get a regular bi-weekly check, and that’s good.

As Nassim Taleb says, “The three most harmful addictions are heroin, carbohydrates, and a monthly salary.”

A job can be a good temporary solution. They can allow you to learn skills and/or accumulate money. They should only be used as a stepping stone.

In previous articles I have detailed few things you can do with your time and money: College is a dead man walking

The path to freedom isn’t out of reach for many of us, some of already achieved it. All that lies in the way is silly and completely wrong notion about life: You and I, everyone, we all need a job.

For our entire lives we have had this idea drilled into our heads. So much so that even after accepting and pursuing freedom, we still allow the desire for a monthly salary to creep back in.

Toss it out.

The great men of the past were not a cog in the wheel.

They were the conductor in the orchestra of their life.