“I work a 9 to 5 job.” This line used to hold some weight in the 20th century considering the fact that education systems and technologies were simple back in the day. But say that line or hear someone else say that in the 21st century, and our reaction would probably be a pouty face and an unpleasant look. Today, while some accept the notion of working a 9 to 5 job, there are still some, perhaps the majority of our world population, who believe that working 9 to 5 is just a paradox and that we may have a greater purpose in life.
I, for one, and so many others firmly believe that working a 9 to 5 is a vintage idea. Just like how our education systems and technologies have evolved, corporate culture has also seen a significant change over the years, and looking at this from a broader and futuristic perspective, we may potentially see the end of corporate life, or to put it in better words, a reduction and possible end of employment opportunities, thanks to how current education systems around the world are shaping our minds and how technologies have created a much smaller world with infinite possibilities. The number of things we can do with the internet is something we cannot truly fathom.
Now let’s just admit one simple thing. We all do wish that money just grew on trees or fell from the sky like rain. Making money easily within a short span of time has been one of our greatest desires. We know how hard it is to work a 9 to 5 to be able to make ends meet. It is a sacrifice we make every five or six days a week because we know we have to do it and we might not have any other way around, unless and until we have a plan to do something bigger and better. We spend most of our valuable time, looking at successful entrepreneurs and contemplating how they did it and came out into the world as their own bosses running an empire. But the fact of the matter is that only those bosses know and have kept a count on how many all-nighters they pulled, how much time they lost, the number of friends and family they distanced themselves from in order to follow their hearts, fulfil their dreams, give something to the world, and even also to stay away from working a 9 to 5 job, where they’d have to take orders from superiors and always hold accountability for every action in the organization.
Looking at the example of an entrepreneur, it can be understood that working a 9 to 5 is not just about the time being spent on our work to earn our pay check, but it is after all, about the things we can do by ourselves, utilizing whatever resources we have at our disposal. Due to rapid technological advancements, we now have come to the realization that 9 to 5 is not the only way anymore. Right now, anyone in the world, be it, men, women, or children, can be entrepreneurs, and there are other things we can do on the internet to realize our true potential and capitalize on that. With the internet advancing, 9 to 5 jobs may become irrelevant in the near future.
Today’s millennials strongly believe in flexible working hours and a good work-life balance. Articles have reported that the youth of today would rather do something they love and work for themselves rather than “slaving” to another man or woman to be able to make a standard and modest living. They would rather explore their interests and share them with the world. With the advent of YouTube content creation, we have seen the rise in the number of YouTubers who create unique content in various genres. Being a Stock market investor used to be a pipe dream back in the 1900s, but now, even teenagers are making good money and are constantly learning from it. Some people sell their talents as services through freelancing, and given the proper niche, blogging has become popular to an extent now. Even with some dark sides to it, the spirit of entrepreneurship is still alive within Generation Y, as we have witnessed the rise in the number of start-ups in major cities around the world.
In conclusion, as we look further into our career prospects ahead, we know that 9 to 5 jobs are indeed a vintage idea, and there is so much more we could do beyond that, unlike the olden days. We have the power to carve our own path ahead and thanks to the technology we have been gifted with today, we are able to foresee what we may become in the future. By all means, this is not a diss against a 9 to 5 working system, as there are several advantages that we can reap from it, such as a consistent salary, a good network of people, and a vast amount of knowledge we could gain from that. But the bottom line is that now it does not sit well with most people, especially millennials of today when they know there are better opportunities and alternatives out there that will boost their interests and help them build a self-made career.
Note from author:
Currently pursuing my MBA in Finance. I am just a guy who loves to pick up the pen and run through pages with all my assorted thoughts, stories, and perceptions of life, because it is after all, how we truly find our inner selves and connect with the world.
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