Become an entrepreneur or slug it out in the corporate world?

Which path is “better”? Both paths have their own pitfalls and benefits.

The corporate slugger:
Pitfalls:
Unless you are the CEO, you are still just an employee. That means. ..
-you could be laid off
-you could be fired
-you still have to play ball & deal with all the office politics
-hard work alone will not ensure a promotion (again…office politics will come into play here)
-what are the chances for promotion if you are a woman, are black, etc, etc…
Advantages:
-You’ll get a salary every month
-You’ll get good benefits (depending on your position)
-You’ll be able to afford a decent life

The Entrepreneur:
The pitfalls:
-risky, risky, risky
-if you fail, you could be ruined financially
- If you fail, people may think your a ‘loser’ or ‘failure’ (what? your not wearing a 3 piece suit to work anymore? you don’t work out of an “office” in a high rise building?)
Advantages:
-if you succeed, you will be your own boss
-You will never be fired or laid off
-You don’t have to worry about office politics
- you’ll never have to kiss anyone’s ass to move ahead

Now, if your making a very good salary or you’re in upper management (however you define it) your just not going to have time to pursue a business idea on the side. The more you make, the higher up you are, the harder you have to work. I have found that people who fall into this category are either working long hours or they have very hectic travel schedules that leave them with very little free time. If you fall into this category, the only choice you have is to quit that high paying job and go full force into entrepreneurship. You can’t do both. The time just isn’t there.

However, they are many people who work a straight 8 hour day. By 5 p.m. they are done with their “official” work day. These one’s have more leeway to do both (keep the day job & start something on the side) since they have more free time. For these people, the question then becomes whether they should try and move up in the corporate world, which may give them less free time to pursue any entrepreneurial dreams or whether they should dampen their ambitions so that they have more free time to pursue an entrepreneurial idea.

This is the dilemma that befalls most of us wage slaves. How much ass are you willing to kiss in order to move up that ladder?

I’m going to assume that it’s easier for professionals in Kenya to move up simply because your in your own country and your dealing with people who look like you, talk like you and understand you better (but maybe it’s not)

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