WOULD YOU RATHER BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR OR TAKE A WHITE-COLLAR JOB?

These days, youths of our generation have always come to the dilemma of whether to become an entrepreneur or seek employment in readily available firms. It’s one of those two things now. You can become an entrepreneur, start up your own business, and become an entrepreneur. You can also decide to aim to get a well-paying job that suits your interests.

By white-collar job, I don’t just mean being a doctor, lawyer, banker or engineer. Having a white-collar job doesn’t just refer to what we as Nigerians have created to be the ‘top-notch’ professions. When we say ‘white-collar job,’ most of the time we refer to it as ‘office job.’ Professions differ from occupations. Bring it home to our country; we have engineers working bank jobs. Now, their profession is engineering, while their occupation is banking.

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Working white-collar jobs could mean working as an analyst, manager, or human resources personnel. It means a lot and entails much more to different categories of people.

The mistake people make, and in fact, graduates make, is that they think immediately after school, they’d secure a job. Most don’t plan their life till they are out there in the so-called ‘labour market.’ Some think they’d land jobs that pay them six 6-figures per annum as well. Hence, it’s one thing to secure a job, and it’s another to secure a well-paying job.

Should You Become An Entrepreneur?

Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, are owners of their own self-developed enterprises. A baker who runs their own bakery is an entrepreneur. Note the word ‘own.’ A baker who bakes under the business name of another doesn’t make a person an entrepreneur. As long as your income is not generated from your capital, then it doesn’t count as entrepreneurship. (One could be working an office job and still have their own private business).

Entrepreneurship is usually marked as the use of skills or talent. This shouldn’t be. I could own a hairdressing salon and have a hairstylist employed to do the work. They have the skills; I don’t. I have the business name; they don’t. In this scenario, I am a business owner and an entrepreneur, and those with the skills are employed by me. People who fall under the category similar to the hairstylist are hard to place. Why? Well, they are gainfully employed, but they are not entrepreneurs.

These points to the fact that ‘white-collar jobs’ or ‘office jobs’ are farfetched. People like these stylists are being paid regularly, they enjoy the satisfaction from their job, and are doing what they love. In securing jobs, youths of today have neglected their passion and drive. They have forgotten why they opted for their profession. They’d work anywhere just to make ends meet.

There’s now this new trend of ‘find a skill’ because there are now more people willing to work than can be employed. Now, it’s developing entrepreneurship potential to start your own business. The whole system is no longer at equilibrium. Today, everybody is a baker, tailor, makeup artist, etc.

I was telling a friend that there’s nothing you want to do now that hasn’t been done. The competition is now stiff, and it takes the strong to survive. There are a lot of online clothing traders, dealers in perfume oil, and online importation experts, to mention a few. Everything has now lost value. I get offended when people say “but people are making it”, “start small and grow big,” “all you need is passion,” and other clichés.

Wherever people see an opportunity to make money, there’s a rush there. Till even the business opportunity gets tired. Our universities have bought up courses for entrepreneurship where they train students on how to make soaps, air fresheners, dresses, stone headgear (gele), shoes, etc.
People thought having a master’s degree would raise the bar, but no, now everyone has a master’s degree, and it’s as common as a first degree. Now, it is the doctoral degree; everybody is moving towards academics. Or you know what, a second degree to even your chances. From the polytechnic to the university, from B.A. or B.Sc. to M.A. and M.Sc. The whole system is tiring.

There would always be competition. One would always have to decide to either use the certificate or, as they say, ‘leave it.

Whatever you do, pursue your dreams and aspirations. Don’t leave them behind.

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So what would you rather do? Office or business? Let us know what you think in the comments section.