A Job Pays the Bills, but It Will Never Buy You Freedom

[Jatiluhung]

In this day and age, we really can't just rely on income from our main job alone. We must become people who can generate income outside of our main job, such as side income from online side jobs. Whether it's being a trader or a freelancer, it doesn't matter as long as we earn extra money from it. And if we can manage our finances well, we can save and invest for a better future, such as achieving financial freedom before retirement age.

The problem is that we live in an economy were jobs are underpaid, apart from wanting to create your own wealth, jobs are supposed to provide every basic necessity, with more to save and store value for retirement, i mean not all jobs but certain professional jobs, based on how terrible the economy is, things no longer go that way.

My reason of trying to create multiple source of income is for my generation, the further time goes the more difficult it becomes to create long lasting wealth, i want a situation my generation has something established already on their behalf, long line of wealth.

The challenges we face today are indeed quite daunting. especially with all the global economic uncertainty. everything is moving so fast, and it seems like everyone is racing to build their financial strength, which has led to fierce competition. This is not only true when we are building a company or business, but also when looking for work and sharing expertise. There are many media platforms we can use to generate income, but the challenge is the competition itself. for example, if we want to try the current trend of becoming a content creator as a side job, we have to be able to compete and stand out from the crowd.

Currently, there are many opportunities to earn money, but the competition is much tougher. Added to that is inflation, which is actually growing faster than what we can see from the raw data available. Even the currency in my country seems to be weakening compared to the dollar. And this usually triggers a surge in market prices for goods from abroad. Meanwhile, everyone's salaries remain the same as in previous years. Creating a sustainable source of income is everyone's dream, but achieving it is by no means easy.

[Pablo-wood]

Though it is good to have multiple sources of income, but then again, not everyone can handle it. Some people just value their peace of mind or health in some cases, over another job to earn more.

True not every one is ready to face the stress that comes with having multiple streams of income. Some persons are much more comfortable with their jobs as long it settles their bills and guarantees them pension after service. But for this can of situation it won't be a bad idea to partner with people who have the ability and own a share in the establishment instead of depending solely on on source of income.

Many are now aware of the importance of having a business rather than having a job. However, there is a start to everything. For you to have a business, it must gather capital. A job can be a good way to stack capital for your business. 15 years is the maximum time I give for anyone under a job payroll to set themselves free. Within those years, it is enough to gather funds for a good business or trade, and at the same time, learn what they want to go into before starting it. Job is good for starters, to be financially free is for those who strecth their hands into other source of making money.

15 years ah. Don't forget everyone are not on the same payroll, some earn high, others earn low and a few others average. Running a business isn't as easy as it sounds. One needs experience, marketing strategy and convincing attitude to make it through business. Nevertheless I still choose business over working for anyone but when the capital isn't feasible a job should come in then overtime they can establish slowly with consistent follow ups to ensure it grows and becomes their dream establishment.

[Josefjix]

What matters most here is free time, whatever you do either jobs, businesses or trading, that takes your whole time is not yet freedom. If a worker gets to the point of relaxing while the source prints money every time, every day, that's absolutely freedom. I don't care if it's job or business or trading, whatever way such person can manipulate it's way into becoming free of time. That's pure freedom.

[boyptc]

A job helps you survive, but business or trading gives you the opportunity to be free.

Why it's always the regular employees have been pushed for this that they always need to do business and other sort of it when they're not for it?

Let's not belittle the regular employees because salaries are not the same for each of us. If you're a highly skilled person, do you think that you'll not have a better life continuing with it?

I don't think so, there are high paying jobs and that's based on how good you are not only with skills but also in negotiating.

While I agree about having businesses, doing investments and other financial moves. But remember that it's not for everyone and there are employees that can also become rich from the jobs they work on based on the responsibility they cover.

[Alone055]

A job is never a mistake. A job brings dignity and security. But in today’s world, relying only on a job makes it very hard to achieve financial freedom a truth very few people openly talk about. Yes, the salary comes at the end of the month, but the time never comes back. Dreams slowly get postponed to  next month. That’s why, alongside a job, it’s important to build something of your own whether it’s trading or a business. Maybe the next five years will be difficult, but the following fifty years can be lived in freedom. Not to become big overnight, but to slowly build a solid foundation for yourself.

A job helps you survive, but business or trading gives you the opportunity to be free. Of course, there is risk—but not blind risk. Learning, understanding, and moving forward step by step is the wise approach. Because real freedom comes only when your income does not depend on a single source.

Well, you are not wrong in saying that the majority in this world working jobs don't get paid enough to have financial freedom because if you are going paycheck to paycheck, you can't even save money since you don't get to have anything left at the end of the month because of the expenses, inflation, and your salary being average. It is true that there are jobs that pay very high, but not everyone can have those jobs, so the majority will still be doing normal jobs and getting average salaries.

However, it's not possible for everyone to either build a business or start making investments or even start trading, because to do any of those things, you need to have a capital, and imagine if someone isn't able to save any money from what they are getting paid, how can they put together a capital that they can use for either starting a business or making investments? These things are resource-intensive, and someone with a full-time job and not a big income cannot possibly do any of those things, which is the reason why most people are simply just grinding in the corporate cycle.

[Maslate]

Having a stable job makes your stepping stone towards creating a new source of income. Gain more side hustles or just save and invest, so that when times get tough in your working place, you know you have other source of income to rely on.

However, some still settle on their job even for lifetime, and that's also their choice. But if you are thinking to establish your finances and acquire wealth so you can leave something for your children, do not set limits to the different opportunities around.

Get a job, explore other sources of income and invest. When there's a will, there's a way. Just trust yourself and trust the process.

[livingfree]

Because real freedom comes only when your income does not depend on a single source.

And before reaching that freedom and having multiple source of income, you'll have to work yourself almost 24/7 for you to be in that state.

Because you'll have to generate cash, and that cash for investing and establishing a business. It's not a magic that it will build on its own.

While in words it sounds so easy. Going to that success and freedom will push yourself to your limit.

[Findingnemo]

Dreams, goals, passion, career and everything else can wait, but a hungry stomach can't this is why even if most people know that they are not going to get financially better with the job and salary they still choose to do it, and they settle for an average life with secured income rather than achieving big.

It is not wrong either because we can't expect everyone to become rich and povery just vanish, that will never happen but one who wants to achieve the financial success need to take the risk and instead of fized salary they should start dealing with profits and loss whether it is from trading, business or any kind of revenue generation method.

[retreat]

You seem to be saying that people who rely on their jobs can't achieve a better life. So many professionals have successfully built stable lives solely through their jobs - doctors, engineers, technicians, etc - many of them are professionals who have built their lives and even achieved financial freedom solely through their disciplines, without needing to trade or build a business, as you mentioned.

So, it's not really about whether you need a side hustle like trading or building a new business to achieve a better life. The key isn't that, but rather your mindset. If you have a good mindset and a sound financial strategy, you can build a better life and even achieve financial freedom.

[batang_bitcoin]

Dreams, goals, passion, career and everything else can wait, but a hungry stomach can't this is why even if most people know that they are not going to get financially better with the job and salary they still choose to do it, and they settle for an average life with secured income rather than achieving big.

This is the reality of life. You can still pursue the best job of your dreams but when an opportunity is there and you're in a situation that you have no option to choose but to take it, you'll realize that nothing is important with an empty stomach but to fill that with any job that's already in front of you. I think that the hardship that a person goes through is also going to help with future better choices. From life, jobs, opportunities and it goes with the investments as well and it's what happen to most of the holders from the forum when we've been stuck into the rat race.

[Sanitough]

In reality, there's no job that will buy you freedom, except if you are involved in money laundering, that will surely lead to get rich instantly.

A job will satisfy our present needs and wants, but it will never guarantee our future necessities in life. So that's why we need to expand our horizon and enter valuable investments. But it won't make you instant successful then, you need to study and analyze the nature of your investment well before diving in.

You need to assess yourself if you can do proper risk management, otherwise ignore investing if you can't.

[Yamifoud]

There's no doubt that investing or trading creates bigger opportunities to get rich and achieve financial freedom and security in the long run, however not everyone is capable or skillful to succeed in an investment or trading activity, that's why some just resort into staying on their job even if the income remains limited.

In the end, where a person will remain at ease and comfortable of living, he will not leave there. Even if the first job is done, he will get into the next job for survival, and will never invest because he think he's not good enough there.

[Vaculin]

Freedom is achieved if you don't just focus on your job alone, nor on your investment alone. Freedom is achieved when you have both.

So let's stop normalizing leaving your job for the sake of investment. But, get a job to finance your investment, without prioritizing only one.

And when you are seeing bigger income opportunities from your investment, then invest more or trade more, and leave only your job when you have multiple sources of income, when you can no longer manage your time working on your job.

[LastKiss]

A job is never a mistake. A job brings dignity and security. ~snip~

Well, we can aim for financial freedom but first we need to find a way to earn money to fulfill our daily expenses, which means getting a job first. At the same time, we should make a plan and learn more skills to unlock more upportunities. With that we will start to see progress and be able to take the next step. However, this progress often make us become impatient. Also many people lack discipline and end up working until old age. Some people are impatient when it comes to saving money to build a business. Some people are impatient waiting for their investments to grow. Some people are too lazy to learn new skills that could give them more opportunities.

[MarjorieZimmermanGinger]

This is the reality of life. You can still pursue the best job of your dreams but when an opportunity is there and you're in a situation that you have no option to choose but to take it, you'll realize that nothing is important with an empty stomach but to fill that with any job that's already in front of you. I think that the hardship that a person goes through is also going to help with future better choices. From life, jobs, opportunities and it goes with the investments as well and it's what happen to most of the holders from the forum when we've been stuck into the rat race.

We certainly feel this and perhaps for most of us with family responsibilities, nothing is more important than filling an empty stomach, even though we have to struggle hard to earn an income by working beyond our capabilities. In this aspect, we only see things based on what we can produce and it can be difficult to think ahead to achieve investment or build a business because we are essentially constrained by our responsibilities and the small salary we receive. I've been in a situation like this and although I was ultimately able to overcome the financial pressure, looking back it can be quite difficult, even if we sometimes don't give up trying to find a solution.

[Ocham]

It also depends on what type of job you are currently in. If you are working on a high paying job for years, then it could establish your finances soon and give you financial stability and freedom in the long run.

But if you stay working as a minimum wage earner, even if you work for how many decade, you will only survive from those daily financial challenges but you will never achieve financial independence in the end. The best option is to find a good business or investment that will help you build your financial stability, without leaving your current job. It may be difficult at first, but you will reap the maximum benefits once your investment or business starts paying off.

Another financial freedom goal. Well, it's not bad to dream of this and hope it will be achieved one day. However, we need to be realistic here. Not everyone has the capacity to run their own business or handle investments successfully. Sometimes, more than one job can be too much for a person, but that one job might be well compensated, not only to pay bills but also to have excess for leisure. To make it short, not all jobs pay only for survival every day. There are many high-paying jobs, but only a select few can potentially achieve them.

Though it is good to have multiple sources of income, but then again, not everyone can handle it. Some people just value their peace of mind or health in some cases, over another job to earn more.

[Solodoski]

Having a job helps you secure your present and helps you pay your bills, but you are definitely not free, because you spend of your time working for someone else and earning salary, but investment is one sure way to freedom,  it's not an easy task because it comes with its own risk, but it pays off at the long run. When you have your own business and investment,  you tend to learn with time and you can only improve in what you do if you are consistent and also willing to learn.
Most people prefer to work for someone else and just earn salary, because they don't want to take risk or start little, but I think it's not a good decision to just depend on salary,  but rather you can merge it with investment, so you can have your freedom in time to come.

[batang_bitcoin]

This is the reality of life. You can still pursue the best job of your dreams but when an opportunity is there and you're in a situation that you have no option to choose but to take it, you'll realize that nothing is important with an empty stomach but to fill that with any job that's already in front of you. I think that the hardship that a person goes through is also going to help with future better choices. From life, jobs, opportunities and it goes with the investments as well and it's what happen to most of the holders from the forum when we've been stuck into the rat race.

We certainly feel this and perhaps for most of us with family responsibilities, nothing is more important than filling an empty stomach, even though we have to struggle hard to earn an income by working beyond our capabilities. In this aspect, we only see things based on what we can produce and it can be difficult to think ahead to achieve investment or build a business because we are essentially constrained by our responsibilities and the small salary we receive. I've been in a situation like this and although I was ultimately able to overcome the financial pressure, looking back it can be quite difficult, even if we sometimes don't give up trying to find a solution.

I think that many have been into this situation from the members of the forum. We can speak for ourselves of how hard it is to work with a job that you're only staying because it provides you provision for yourself and for your family. But never stop dreaming because the time will come that enough is enough and you're going to put yourself into priority to pursue your dreams without compromising what you're providing for your family.

[Findingnemo]

Dreams, goals, passion, career and everything else can wait, but a hungry stomach can't this is why even if most people know that they are not going to get financially better with the job and salary they still choose to do it, and they settle for an average life with secured income rather than achieving big.

This is the reality of life. You can still pursue the best job of your dreams but when an opportunity is there and you're in a situation that you have no option to choose but to take it, you'll realize that nothing is important with an empty stomach but to fill that with any job that's already in front of you. I think that the hardship that a person goes through is also going to help with future better choices. From life, jobs, opportunities and it goes with the investments as well and it's what happen to most of the holders from the forum when we've been stuck into the rat race.

This is the reality of this cruel and unfair world, not everyone who is skillful in particular field will reach the job but someone who did at the right time be the one. So if someone can't really take risks because the are not financially stable then finding the job should be the priority since we can do thins later too for that we need to be there now and that is what the job does but over the time people will just accept it as their fate and just remain in the race forever.

[Shadiq]

Human needs are unlimited, so no matter how much you earn, you will never achieve financial freedom. So never be dissatisfied with your position, keep trying to achieve something big.

No job allows you to be independent. Is money the key to freedom? Which freedom are you referring to? Freedom in purchasing? Or freedom in real life?

Always remember, money is the main cause of dependence. If you look at the richest people in the world, you will see a common problem among them, which is lack of time. When they have a lot of money, they do not have time to spend that money, they are dependent on money. Having little money means that your purchasing power is low but you are free. At the end of the day, we can eat simple food and sleep peacefully. So it is better to earn as much as you need. If you cannot enjoy earning money, that money is of no value.