In defence of employment

The rhetoric these days revolves around self-employment. A lot of what we read or listen to seems to say “quit your job”, “have a side hustle”, “working for someone else will not make you rich” and many such sentiments. I have been blessed with a job since I left formal education, so maybe I am brainwashed but I would like to expound on the beauty of employment that you hardly hear anyone speak about.

First and foremost, employment is a blessing that so many long for. In a country with steadily rising rates of unemployment, I cannot take for granted the fact that I’ve had a steady income for the past so many years. It is a blessing I regularly thank God for.

Employment helps one learn a number of things that can be used if they eventually go into self-employment. Take for example the regularity of work hours. Having to rise at a set time every workday can condition one to this habit that they can then maintain even when they are their own boss.

Accountability, meeting deadlines and transparency are other things one can learn at their workplace that they can later use. Depending on one’s attitude towards these disciplines, they can either shun them as stressors or use them to grow into better versions of themselves.

One can also learn how to work with other people, whether peers, superiors or subordinates. One can study a hard boss and learn how not to treat their own employees. One can learn how to interact with all sorts of characters in a free environment.

The pay from employment can be saved for a rainy day or future investments. Salary can also be used to start and run a side hustle. Many people have business ideas but amassing starting capital is a challenge and an offset. Having a stream of income that can be channelled into a fledgling enterprise before it becomes self-sustaining can help it get up to speed faster.

Depending on the field of employment, one can have opportunities to build connections with influential people in their field that could prove useful if they eventually choose to strike out on their own.

All in all, employment is not the evil that some people paint it to be. It is a blessing that one can use to better themselves and the world around them if one uses it right.