I had always seen YouTube ads about how to quit your 9-5 job, because it is death to our soul, and the narrative that you can pursue your dreams by becoming an entrepreneur who earns six figures in dollars, is constantly sold to us. The typical ad is about a guy, who hates his 9-5 and eventually summons the courage to quit his 9-5 to chase his side hustle which has now become his main hustle, and after a short while he starts earning 6 figures. He is also trying to force the narrative that most of us watching the ad probably hate our jobs too and should be quitting to start making 6 figures, but to fully achieve this we need to click on some special link. 

One thing these people fail to mention in their ads is the amount of work and sacrifice that goes into creating your own business and being your boss and most times, it’s more than the amount of work that goes into a 9-5. They fail to mention that your business doesn’t just start off making money, but instead you might have to incur losses during the first few years of your business. You might have to invest all your savings and even end up being broke for a while before it eventually picks up (that’s if it picks up).

While this narrative might be true for some, I believe a 9–5 does in fact offer a substantial amount of perks that will help you if you eventually “quit your 9-5” to pursue your dream. 

It offers perks like learning to work in a team, it teaches you what a real work ethic looks like, it helps you in terms of financial benefits and personal growth, it teaches you how to be responsible and how to meet deadlines, and targets, it teaches you people skills, and how to navigate life and interact with people and also prepare you for the real world. No doubt that all of these things will help you when you start running your business. 

I am not against being your own boss and running several businesses (because I also have several businesses I run) but I’m saying we should give more credit to 9-5 and if you are living the 9–5 lifestyle at the moment use it as a learning opportunity for growth. 

Do you think you can reach your full potential by doing a 9-5 or would you rather ditch it and follow your passion?