By Jeremy Weis and Bunmi Laditan 
 

      You've heard it a million times. Maybe from a friend, family member, or disgruntled co-worker, "I'm going to start my own business," it never gets less painful to hear. It just sounds so cliché. And in your mind you're saying, "Sure you will..." You might even have wondered how long it would be until they hit you up for some cash. 

      If you asked every single person on the street if they would rather spend one more day at their job or become self employed tomorrow, 99% of them would say that they want to become self employed. Why is that? Well for one, most jobs suck, but the real reason is that people are craving freedom and the chance to use their creativity and their mind. Most jobs don't want or even allow space for original thought past deciding what color paper clips one will use for their next report.  

     I have a theory. Humans were meant to use their minds. I quote the movie Office Space when I say, "We were not meant to spend our entire day in small cubicles." Although I do believe in survival of the fittest, I don't think that the fittest were meant to employ all of the rest of humanity. Why then, you might ask yourself, does it seem like so many able minded men and women wake up every day to an existence in where they do not utilize their creative talents in a more, dare I say, entrepreneurial direction? 

  Fear. Disbelief. Lack of Confidence. Take your pick. We are conditioned from a young age to be employees. We are taught in schools that there is one right  answer to every question, and the word "why" is irrelevant and for the trouble makers. It is my belief that schools do not teach us to be independent and creative thinkers.  

    Think back to high school. How many hours did you spend doing busy work, cheating, doing take-home-tests, and making the latest diorama, and how many hours did you spend thinking about what skills you have and how you could turn them into a viable business venture? 
  
  With the economy in the shape that it is (bad), what would benefit the future generations more: making a plaster volcano, or the educational system training the young ones to be entrepreneurs? Hmmmm, the risk of pursuing a business venture, vs. the risk of being 42, laid off from your company, and with a mortgage and 2.5 kids? One of these is scarier than the other. 

   What's a person to do? Quit their job tomorrow? Maybe, but for most of us, that is not the feasible thing to do right now. My solution is to put aside some time every day for yourself. Whether it be five minutes or five hours, spend the time thinking of how you can utilize the talents you were born with into a business. People put, or should I say toss their hard earned dollars into the stock market every day, why not invest in yourself, in your future? Decide whether or not you are worth it. 
 
 
 

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We here at eCollegebiz.com believe that nothing is more healthy than a little constructive criticism. 

This week's review: 
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