Reasons why any person continues in his job, though he may want to do something on his own:
--> Fear of failure?
--> Risk of uncertainty?
--> Financial obligations?
--> Inertia (i.e. you are too comfortable in your current situation and don’t want to make any effort to change the situation)?
--> Lack of a right opportunity? (Though on a personal note, I think this is just an excuse. I have used it long enough)
I recently quit my job and decided to become a partner in a thriving business. This offer was made to me about three years ago. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur; I loved the work; the time spent there is the best time of my professional life; People involved are like a family to me. Still I did not accept this offer right away. Why?
From the reasons mentioned above, financial obligation was definitely a reason. & for most of would-be-entrepreneurs, the reasons mentioned above should sum it up. But my personal experience forces me to add two more to the list.
# Greed
# Ego
The offer, made about three years ago, was to do my MBA and then decide. But then as one of the guest speakers in an entrepreneurship meet said “These b-schools don’t prepare you for entrepreneurs; they prepare you to work under them.” I believe no school does it knowingly. But then, the dreams of hefty pay packets, opportunity to work with big names in big cities & glamorous job titles make you greedy & you simply stop thinking about it seriously. You talk about it because it is trendy. But:
- Who wants to go back to Patiala, when I can spend the rest of my life checking out swanky restaurants of Pune?
- Why bother when a job in HUL or ITC or Citibank etc. will be offered in a platter?
- Who would want to leave the “opportunity” to be a CXO, VP or GM in an MNC?
The greed clouded my eyes and I walked over.
But I had forgotten that nothing is offered in a platter; came the time of placements midst the worst economic times of our era and all I saw was companies coming to campus and moving out without my name in their recruitment list. I knew I was not the brightest but I could not accept that no company wanted me. Somewhere down the line, it became an ego issue for me to get a job from campus. Though the offer was made again, my ego had inflated too much for me to look beyond it.
Now 6 months down the line, I have realized that this corporate life is not for me. The companies which were not selecting me were doing me a good. They were pushing me towards what I wanted to do. They realized that I was not made for them. I hope that this is “Better late than never” moment of my life.
P.S.: This is post is only meant for those, who want to do something on their own. There are many very knowledgeable, qualified and successful people, who have their calling somewhere else. When I talk about greed, ego and other reasons, it is only for people like me. For some the same corporate life, I couldn't adjust to is the real life & that is where there calling is.
