Self-employment and entrepreneurship have both advantages and disadvantages compared to typical full-time employment. I wanted to see what reasons people here had for taking the leap to self-employment.
Personally, after I graduated and made a series of attempts to begin the standard employee career path, I realised I just wasn't cut out for 9-to-5 life or office politics at all. I was so happy when I discovered Mustachianism half way through my first job, because that meant I could leave in 10 years rather than 50. But later, I realised that while I could play the part of the good employee initially, my burnout rate at a job was closer to 3 months than 10 years. So that was when I took a good look at my skill set and preferences and decided that I had to at least try self-employment. I decided to try freelance proofreading.
Now I'm self-employed, I'm already much happier. I still have a fledgling client base, so my income isn't that high yet, but I haven't had to set an alarm in months, I don't have to wear uncomfortable outfits or shoes, and I only have to put on my professionalism face if a client rings me or if I set up a meeting with one, rather than for 40 hours a week. Even if I end up "failing", I'll still have learned a lot from the experience, and I'll have gained valuable freedom during the prime of my life. But here's hoping I never have to go back to the office.
