If you are preparing for your final year of formal education, your mind will be focused on what lay ahead; it is, after all, an exciting time when you finally enter the world of adulthood, of which employment is just one aspect. Up until a few years ago, the only path a school-leaver could follow was to work for a local employer and undergo on the job training, yet today we all hear about the teenage millionaires; entrepreneurs who saw a need for something and set about supplying it.
With the current level of digital tech, there’s nothing to stop you from setting up your own business and if you are unsure which is the best path to take, here are a few aspects to take into account when thinking about a career or going freelance.
♦ Security – When you are directly employed, you do have a certain degree of job security, which brings with it a few benefits; getting a loan is much easier when you are in direct employment – if you are freelance, you would have to show business records to confirm your income. Employees receive super payments from their employer, while self-employed people have to take out a private pension. If security is important to you, perhaps direct employment is the best option.
♦ Opportunity – While you might have promotion possibilities as an employee, you have much more in terms of opportunity when you are your own boss. The sky’s the limit and if you’re an ambitious person, with the right plan in place, you could be a millionaire in your early twenties! Of course, you could work for a company for a few years until you gain that much-needed work experience and then set off on your own. Who knows, you could end up as one of Australia’s top industrial hose suppliers, keeping a range of industries online.
♦ Ability – Unless you have a burning desire to set up your own business, it should be a natural progression; if, for example, you are into web design, work for a local company for a couple of years until you fully understand the industry, then you are in a position to offer a range of services to the business world. If you would like to become an engineer, click here. One needs to be realistic about what one can and cannot do, without stifling ambition, if that is possible. There’s no real magic in freelancing; put together a good online package offering your services and you should be in business. If you understand supply and demand, you could try your hand at e-commerce as a part time thing and see where that leads.
♦ Follow your interest – If you have a passion for something, your career should start in a field that you enjoy. There are lots of free online resources regarding choosing a career, which are designed to help you make the right choices.
Choosing a career path requires a lot of research and making the wrong choices can result in wasted years.
