Becoming the Master of Your Own Fate

                There are two types of people in this world: those who act and those who are acted upon. The former is a rare breed we know as entrepreneurs. Being an entrepreneur provides two major freedoms: the ability to locate wherever you desire and the ability to create something new. Starting your own venture truly does put the world in the palm of your hand.

                Most people struggle between being able to provide well for their families and maintaining the quality of life they desire; entrepreneurs enjoy both. USU professor and successful entrepreneur, Mike Glauser, has recently completed a cross-country bike tour, interviewing small-town business owners along the way (Buchanan, 2014). Glauser’s research found that not every successful entrepreneur needs to be a multi-millionaire. Rather, successful entrepreneurs simply meet a need in their community.

                People needed to be needed and entrepreneurs, by and large, are people who feel that they are defined by a purpose. More important to them than their bottom line is the ability to add value to the human experience (Evans, 2014). Investment bankers, doctors, lawyers, and many other professionals make a very comfortable living, but for me and other entrepreneurs, the purpose in life is found in creating something to make life a little more awesome than it was before.

                Startup life is definitely not for everyone. It is a high-risk, high-reward environment that many people don’t feel comfortable pursuing; however, I say, “Bring on the rollercoaster!” I believe that creating my own company will bring me greater satisfaction than any other alternative career because I will have the freedom to live where I want and to do what I want. Life comes with ups and downs no matter which path you choose to take; entrepreneurs just have a better view.

References

Buchanan, L. (2014, May 29). Inc.-Startup. Retrieved from Inc.: http://www.inc.com/leigh-buchanan/michael-glauser-bike-trip-entrepreneurship.html

Evans, L. (2014, August 23). Entrepreneur. Retrieved from Entrepreneur: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236747

Going Pro

Going Pro

                The professional employee is a rare breed. Across the board, company managers and executives are expressing their disdain for the lack of professionalism in their new employees fresh out of college. The blame can be placed on two major factors: how we, the rising generation, have been raised and how we utilize our access to technology.

                We must first understand how our parents were raised if we want to know why they raised us the way they did. Most baby boomers had parents who saw very difficult times. War, economic depression, and many other hardships instilled the golden generation with a very frugal (some may consider cheap) mindset. Most of our parents went without during their upbringing and promised themselves that they would have their own kids want for nothing (Slyder, 2013). So we got spoiled. We never learned to respect authority and now we are having to adapt in the professional field.

                If our grandparents grew up in our generation, cancer would be cured, global poverty would be obliterated, and world peace would be a feasibly attainable goal. Those people knew how to work with what they had. We have more technical skills than any other generation the world has ever seen, and we waste them by watching cat videos (Palmer, 2012). We are the video game age and have become conditioned to instant gratification. Our level of social commitment is inversely related to how technologically capable we are.

                We may not be the most professional generation, but that doesn’t mean those skills cannot be learned. We are disadvantaged due to our social conditioning, but we should not use that as an excuse. We must rise above our inhibitions and become the professional workforce the world needs.

References

Palmer, C. (2012, May 11). USA Today: College. Retrieved from USA Today: http://college.usatoday.com/2012/05/11/the-rise-of-the-tech-generation-2/

Slyder, J. R. (2013, June 4). Chicago Now. Retrieved from Chicago Now: http://www.chicagonow.com/lists-that-actually-matter/2013/06/7-reasons-baby-boomers-are-the-worst-generation/#image/1