The New Career Model

Note: This is a Guest Post from Sean Ogle at Location 180.  I can honestly say that this site has had an impact on me over the past 2 months.  It has changed how I’m going about my life.  No, I’m not moving to Bali, but I’m trying to live more passionately.  So, Enjoy this great piece from Sean and absolutely check out his site. Brandon

**********************************************

The New Career Model

If you haven’t realized it yet, the business world doesn’t exactly work the way it used to.  Gone are the 30 years of service followed by a gold watch and a fat pension.  These days you’re lucky to last a fraction of that time at a single company.  Historically, security has always come in the form of a paycheck.  If you have a decent paycheck from a large corporation, you perceive that as more secure than if you’re doing something “risky”, like being an entrepreneur.

However, these days there is a new security model that is a more accurate representation of where the world is headed. No longer should you be relying on one entity to ensure that your daughter has food on the table at night.  The fact of the matter is that the barriers of entry are now so low, that it makes absolutely no sense not to have a little something on the side.

If you got laid off tomorrow, would you rather have to start over from scratch and rely on your alumni association to find a new gig, or already have a nice income stream and a legion of contacts to go to for support?

That’s what I thought.

I’m not suggesting you go out and create some massive global empire on the side (although many have), rather, I believe that there has never been a better time to start a small business around something you love.

Let’s use photography as an example since it’s such a popular hobby. There are a million ways to make money off of your love of photography.  You can sell your photos through a stock photo site for instance.  If your photographic chops aren’t up to par you can start a blog specializing in whatever aspect of the trade you find most compelling.  You can include ads, affiliate links, product sales, the options for creating an income are unlimited.

However, this isn’t even the most compelling part.

A large portion of the hour or two a day you put into the new venture will revolve around building your site and networking with like minded people.  You’ll be meeting people that you never would have known otherwise and forming relationships that both parties can benefit from somewhere down the line.

This forms the basis of the new career model and job security 2.0.

You create multiple income streams from something you enjoy, combined in tandem with meaningful relationships based off a shared interest. I’d take that over nothing but a traditional paycheck any day; and if you can have that and a paycheck, all the better.

All that said, entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be as risky as society makes it out to be.  You and your new business could be completely self sustaining after a few years (or less) of moonlighting.  Not only have you increased your income and security, but now you are able to do it doing something you’re passionate about.

I’d even go as far to say if you wanted to pursue the new job security model from a completely entrepreneurial perspective, you’d be better off as well.  Devoting ten hours a day to relationship and business building rather than just a couple will show results in much less time.   There are thousands of examples of success with this all over the internet.  Chris Guillebeau turned his love of travel into a business. Leo Babauta turned his passion for minimalism into one of the most successful blogs out there.

Point is, there’s never been a bigger opportunity than there is right now to give yourself real “job security”.

Passion and necessity breed action.  By forcing yourself to build and network, you’ll begin to do things you never thought possible, because you never had to think they were possible.  When you analyze your life from a different perspective, you realize just how many opportunities are out there.

Last year, I quit my job.  I wanted to do something I was passionate about, and refused to continue letting my boss control my life.  When I don’t even have the freedom to go get my oil changed or have a dentist appointment on a Tuesday morning you know something needs to change.

I started building a marketing business and blog on the side, and within six months I decided to take a chance.  Recently this has led me to the Manila, Bali, and Bangkok- my home for the last six months.  I have at least half a dozen small businesses that all revolve around things I love, and are growing every day. Believe me, if I can do it anyone can.  You can see exactly how far I’ve come by looking through the archives at my site Location 180.

Most importantly, I’ve met hundreds of people who are passionate about the same things I am.  I now work from wherever I want, and while I’m not making as much money as I once was as a financial analyst, I feel more secure than I ever have before.

How secure do you feel?  What Holds You Back From Doing what YOU Love?  What fears do you have?

photo credit: Abeeeer

PS.  Don’t forget to Check Sean out at Location 180.  While you are there, check out his bucketlist.