tanimola22:

Unless you have good capital, novel ideas and something to fall back on, I would advise that you quickly jump at the oil job. Many people know how to say this and that; it is easier said. However, the actual test comes when one is faced with a very nice offer from an oil company. Not many people can resist the strong temptation.

I used to know one guy who claimed he would never work for anybody but himself. He was a year into his personal company when he suddenly got an offer from one of the major MNOCs, not even Total sef. The funny dude just abandoned his business and jumped at the oil company's offer. This was a dude that earlier made so much mouth about self-employment and even inspired very many people in the process. A lot of people, including yours sincerely, were astonished and disappointed in the guy.

Another one was a guy who was lured into resigning his bank job for the purpose of starting his own business and being self-employed. This guy foolishly harkened what he was told without even thinking about the risk involved. He never thought of what might happen if his business didn't go well. After 6 months of starting the business using 'all' the money he had, the business crashed! Today the guy is looking for whom to give him another paid employment. Unfortunately, paid employment does not come easily anymore. The person who encouraged him to resign his bank job and pursue self-employment has 'benjohnsined'. He has neglected him. Remember the song: when yawa dey for you everybody benjohnsin, dem go dey lie dem no no u again. This is the pathetic situation the guy has found himself.

I am not against being self-employed, in fact that is my ultimate plan. What I am saying is that, in the process of trying to be self-employed, one should have something to fall back on. It is a common knowledge that being an entrepreneur is not always rosy. What happens if things don't go well? This is the question we need to ask ourselves before going the self-employment route.

For me, I can never quit a paid employment unless I am sure that my family and I will survive for 5-6 straight years without any struggles. This is what I call having something to fall back on, just in case things don't look too well in the first few years of self-employment.

This is my take sha.

T22

tanimola22:

Unless you have good capital, novel ideas and something to fall back on, I would advise that you quickly jump at the oil job. Many people know how to say this and that; it is easier said. However, the actual test comes when one is faced with a very nice offer from an oil company. Not many people can resist the strong temptation.

I used to know one guy who claimed he would never work for anybody but himself. He was a year into his personal company when he suddenly got an offer from one of the major MNOCs, not even Total sef. The funny dude just abandoned his business and jumped at the oil company's offer. This was a dude that earlier made so much mouth about self-employment and even inspired very many people in the process. A lot of people, including yours sincerely, were astonished and disappointed in the guy.

Another one was a guy who was lured into resigning his bank job for the purpose of starting his own business and being self-employed. This guy foolishly harkened what he was told without even thinking about the risk involved. He never thought of what might happen if his business didn't go well. After 6 months of starting the business using 'all' the money he had, the business crashed! Today the guy is looking for whom to give him another paid employment. Unfortunately, paid employment does not come easily anymore. The person who encouraged him to resign his bank job and pursue self-employment has 'benjohnsined'. He has neglected him. Remember the song: when yawa dey for you everybody benjohnsin, dem go dey lie dem no no u again. This is the pathetic situation the guy has found himself.

I am not against being self-employed, in fact that is my ultimate plan. What I am saying is that, in the process of trying to be self-employed, one should have something to fall back on. It is a common knowledge that being an entrepreneur is not always rosy. What happens if things don't go well? This is the question we need to ask ourselves before going the self-employment route.

For me, I can never quit a paid employment unless I am sure that my family and I will survive for 5-6 straight years without any struggles. This is what I call having something to fall back on, just in case things don't look too well in the first few years of self-employment.

This is my take sha.

T22

consultmartins:
Don't try to mystify the entrepreneurial process and make entrepreneurs look like gods. Entrepreneurship is not about brevity, or lion heartedness; it's all about recognizing opportunity and doing all you can to tap such opportunity. As for the poster, before deciding on whether to pursue a job or self employment; first ask yourself this question:
Why do you want to be self employed?
Don't tell me you want to start a business because you want to be the next Mark Zuckerberg; you have to do it for the right reasons. If you choose the self employed route, do you have the capital to make it a reality? If not, go and learn how to raise capital or better still, get a job and save towards your plan. And lastly, becoming self employed is not a good goal to pursue because in the end, you are still employed. Rather, i will advice you aim to be a business owner; meaning your business can run without your presence. I am an entrepreneur and there's nothing glorious about the process of building a business. In fact, we entrepreneurs work harder than our employees and we also earn less in monthly income than our employees. I know a lot of entrepreneurs that earn less than bank cashiers. But our hope is not in monthly pay; we are working towards building a asset that will continue generating cash even after we pass away. Just my two cents.

emmatok:

Correct.

nekkyihe: Please help me make a choice on this issue. Being self-employed or working for an oil company - which is better?