Two Ultimate Decisions

In the next few years, I would have finished college and would soon need to earn a living to support myself and maybe the family I intend to have. Given this scenario, I will be deciding between two options: whether I would be maintaining my own business or if I would rather be employed by a big company. Having my own business sounds appealing. I would be working at my own hours and at my own pace. I have full control of my time. I can do whatever I would like to do. Nobody can tell me what I should accomplish first and what should I do last. All I have to do is to keep committed in making my business grow and expand. Whatever I do and however I do it, it will all be up to me. I decide if I wanted to start the day early, or if I should stay up late working. I determine my own hours. I pay my own wage. Maintaining a business is going to be a very challenging feat for me. I would be using my intellectual strength and my innate marketing talents to succeed. I can establish my own success. I will thrive because of my own hard work and nobody else’s. My achievements will be because I did so well and I made the right decisions. I will be responsible for whatever happens, and I only have myself to account for. Managing my own business means I could also be helping others. I will have the ability to employ people; and as my business gets bigger, more people will be needed so more people will be hired. I will be able to make a lot of people’s lives better, and I can undoubtedly contribute to the economy at that. Indeed, starting a business proposes to be a good decision at this point. However, the call of being a part of a much bigger company is deafening as well. If I decide to get a job with a corporation bigwig, I can be able to earn easily through the monthly wage they will be paying me. I would be able to utilize all my learning and my stuck knowledge. I will be a part of an institution and would carry its pride as well. I will be able to meet big and influential people; and even become friends with each of them. I will start as a normal employee aiming toward the top position of the company, and this sure mean a real test of wits and endurance. I will be engaging in a friendly and worthwhile competition with my fellow co-workers who are also aspiring to be a top-notch executive like me. And with proper strength and staying power, I believe I will be able to reach it. If I do my job well enough, I will be promoted in just a matter of several months. I will then be the head of my own department. I will be enjoying my job as I enjoy the company of my colleagues which are also my comrades. I can also become a mentor, thus I will be able to share and transfer my knowledge to my apprentices. As I leave my position to one of my subordinates, I will be going up the ladder into the executive world. I will have the ability to become one of the most respected people in the company; and I can do it the shortest time possible. Furthermore, I will make critical company decisions which could change the whole company. I will be instrumental in the company’s failure or success, and that is because I will become the best executive, a senior manager whose opinion is always sought and is well-considered. I will be a very powerful person both in and out of the corporate world. And because I have this ability to become powerful, being rich and famous will soon follow. I will become rich because I will be fully compensated by the company I belong to. And I will become famous because as I become the company’s leader, I would need to attend business conferences as well as business lunches and parties. Right now, working for a top company seems to be a good decision for me too. Considering each of these points, it is equally advantageous holding down a job and managing a business. Although it is possible to do both, I would still need to make a decision, as to which of the two should be my primary career path. Given the points and my own personality, I believe that I will be more productive if I start off as a regular employee in a regular position, and then slowly take myself towards the top, through diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The time that is going to be required to achieve this is going to be less in a company setup. A few years should be enough to hoist myself up the corporate ladder. Being in a part of a corporation does not require that much capital either. I would only need to invest in myself, and that is not going to be too much. The risks involved in a business are also unpredictable. A business is like a gamble, you win some and you lose some. You really cannot accurately forecast the feasibility of your business decision unless the market is virtually stable, and that doesn’t really happen. The market does change, and in a volatile manner at that. If one is in a corporate setup, on the other hand, things are more constant. One knows what he is up against, and being so, one can easily devise strategies as to how to overcome it. The corporate world may have its own share of politics, but that is part of the game. I am considering that just as one of the risks that come with any of my choices. At this point, I believe that my decision will be to work for the corporate bigwigs. Its benefits weigh far too heavy than the benefits of being in the business world.