Employed or Self-Employed - Which is Better?
Employed or Self-Employed - Which is Better? - Employees dream of self-employment and self-employed people long to return to being an employee. At least part of it.
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But what is better now? To be employed or to be self-employed?
In this article, I answer this difficult question and share my experiences.
Of course, I am happy about your experiences and opinions.
The Dream of Independence
According to studies, around a quarter of all employees have already quit internally. This means that they do not do more than necessary and have no emotional connection to their work.
There are many reasons for that. Bad working atmosphere, no challenge, problems with the boss or colleagues, control, no freedom, and much more.
But not only do these employees often dream of self-employment as a way out and a panacea. Many unemployed also see this as an ideal solution and even employees who are completely satisfied with their job are thinking about self-employment.
Usually, however, the image of independence is a very idealized one that has little to do with reality.
- Instead of freedom and self-determination, there is the desperate search for orders and customers at the beginning, who unfortunately all too often know and take advantage of this.
- Instead of financial success, many self-employed people are struggling to survive, especially in the early days, but unfortunately sometimes also later. Not to mention constant fluctuations in the income situation.
- Instead of free time management, overtime is regularly on the agenda for many founders and self-employed people.
I have already covered the myths of self-employment in detail in a series of articles.
Employed and Happier?
But if self-employment is often so tough, isn't it better off as an employee?
Many voices believe that you are much better off as an employee. And the arguments can hardly be shaken at first glance.
A regular salary, fixed working hours, vacation, sick pay, etc. are things that a self-employed person has to do without. On the contrary, if you are self-employed for a longer period, you risk your existence.
The distance that many employees have from their work is also underestimated. Self-employed people often find it difficult to switch off, which can be stressful.
And yet the life of an employee is not all rosy. It's not always fun to work under a boss, to be told what to do, to have little room for maneuver, and to get along with colleagues. Not to mention the fear of quitting and the search for a new job.
At least some of the employees don't like the situation that much, but is that why self-employment is a better option?
What is Better?
It's not that easy to answer this question.
There are many happy employees and happy self-employed. But there are also many unhappy employees and unsatisfied self-employed people.
Earning certainly plays an important role, but it is not everything. Those who can become self-employed and do what they enjoy are also satisfied with less income. Especially since a good hourly wage for the self-employed is usually only attainable after a certain time and many do not manage to do that either.
Conversely, many employees would certainly judge their job a little differently if they were independent for a while and had to start from scratch.
It is important to know the reality and not to chase after any myths or dreams. You can be very happy both as an employee and as a self-employed person, but even then there won't be such easy times and not everything will be great.
You must find out what suits you and what you expect from life. Ideally, you have gained experience in both areas, know the reality, and know where to set your priorities.
My Experiences
After studying business administration and qualifying in the field of online marketing, I got a job in a medium-sized company.
At the time, I was very happy about it, because thoughts of self-employment didn't play a role at all. There was only one self-employed person in my family and I didn't know my wife at the time either. (She is now also self-employed and we share many views, but we also know about the downsides.)
After a few years, I started to think a little bit about the idea of starting my own business. There are a couple of reasons for that. The company itself was great, the colleagues and bosses were very nice and the salary was good. But I was out to work for a long time every day and my work wasn't fulfilling for me in the long run either.
After about 6 years it became clear that I would lose my job, like many others in the company, and I was faced with the choice of starting in an agency or of starting my own business. On the one hand, it was quite clear to me that I would probably never get such a pleasant job again. On the other hand, my need for self-determination and personal responsibility had meanwhile become very strong. So I decided to start my own business.
And the first few years were tough. My independence developed positively, but at the beginning, we had to turn every cent three times and I put in a lot of overtime. There have been moments when I missed the convenience of my clerk job. But it was also great fun to be self-employed, so I never really regretted it.
In the meantime, I have further developed my business and am also financially better off than before. I have reduced working hours and employees are planned for the future.
And even if there are days (e.g. on vacation) when I would just like to be an employee who doesn't think about his company, I could probably never work as an employee again. I love to decide everything myself, to implement my ideas, and to have the feeling of building something that is my "baby".
I think that there is no better or worse decision between self-employment and an employee. It depends on what type of person you are and what things are important to you. Being independent can be very tough, but with the right attitude and having fun with it, you don't notice it.
On the other hand, life as an employee is certainly more desirable for many others, as they can live out their interests there, have fun at work, have more security, do not have to worry about business matters and in many things simply find more orderly channels.
You just have to find the path that suits you best.
Your Opinion
How do you see it and what experiences have you had?
Employed or self-employed - which is better?
- Self-employment (44%, 84 votes)
- Both have their advantages (42%, 79 votes)
- Be employed (9%, 18 votes)
- I don't know (5%, 9 votes)
Number of participants: 190 (1 vote)
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