Every year thousands of young people head off to their first year at university, excited at the prospect that it will lead to a job after three years (although we all know this is by no means guaranteed in the current climate). But the question you should be asking yourself is why does this prospect excite them? When did the aspirations of young people become reduced to the hope of working 40+ hours a week for a mediocre amount of money to help make somebody else rich? By following the conveyer belt of higher education in to a job, this is exactly what young people are doing. Below I’ve listed 6 reasons why you really don’t want to spend your life working as somebody else’s employee.

There is only one of you, and even if you never slept, you can only work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As an employee you are selling your time for a wage. This is a huge limiting factor.

The company you are working for was conceived by and is owned by someone else. All of the hard work that you put in only serves to help make their dream a reality. Why not create your own dream?

Working for someone else means you will always work by their rules. Even if they don’t make sense. As an entrepreneur you have the freedom to create your own rules and business culture.

Instead of working at your own pace, you will always be limited to progressing at the speed that your manager wants you to. And believe it or not, managers rarely have your best interests at heart.

When you sign a contract of employment, you have effectively given someone else the ability to dictate how the majority of your waking hours are spent. Don’t you think that you are better placed to decide how your own time is spent?

As an employee, 100% of your income is controlled by your employer. What happens when you are made redundant, or you lose your job? As an entrepreneur your income comes from multiple customers and sources, and as such is far more secure in the long run.