Never Get a ”Real„ Job Read Online Free Page B

certificate for being on time every morning? How about the corner office with a view or the “important” responsibilities?
     
    Where is your “A” for effort?
     
    Claustrophobic cubicles, stale coffee, monotone dress codes, idiot bosses, mind-numbing water cooler debates, migraine-inducing birthday celebrations, infantile office politics, futile reports, repetitive phone answering protocols . . . the only thing stopping you from running down the hallway screaming like a madman is the thought of being forced to attend the human resource department’s new multicultural anger management seminar.
     
    Truth be told, whether your collar is blue or white, your “real” job is probably everything you never wanted it to be—and you’re not alone. More people than ever are less than pleased with their current positions. In fact, according to a recent study conducted by the Conference Board, 45 percent of Americans hate their jobs, and—perhaps more shocking—73 percent of Americans under the age of 25 hate their jobs. If that many people are so completely miserable doing what they do on a daily basis . . . well, doesn’t that tell you something about how broken the system is? Despite the encouragement you received (and still receive) to get one, “real” jobs present a problem for the following reasons:
     
    Real jobs offer you a false sense of security . You’ve been conditioned to believe that a real job will offer you safety and security. However, the truth is that job security no longer exists—and it hasn’t for a long time.
     
    Consider the numerous corporations that went bankrupt in the 2000s where the decisions of the few greatly impacted the livelihoods of the many: Enron, Lehman Brothers, Circuit City, Linens ’N Things, General Motors, and so on. The list is frustratingly endless. Forget about gold watches and retirement lunches; in many cases, loyal employees didn’t even receive severance or a shred of their decimated retirement savings. And let’s not forget about the recession that has forced companies to lay off millions of employees—nearly 1 in 10, in some instances—just to maintain viability . . . and has caused the unemployment rate to escalate to levels that haven’t been seen since the Great Depression.
     
    Detractors may argue that employees benefit from more security than entrepreneurs do. Yet although entrepreneurs understand the risks they’re taking in terms of their financial security, they still maintain total control over its direction. People with “real” jobs have very little—if any—say over financial and job security. The list of factors that can send you packing will only grow as employers continue to perfect their “better, faster, cheaper” philosophy to keep stockholders happy or increase top-level executive pay. There is only one thing that will undoubtedly become more and more commonplace: pink slips.
     
    Real jobs render you powerless . Clueless management. Moronic colleagues. Tedious reports. Unrealistic deadlines. What do all of these things have in common? It’s simple: No one wants or cares about your opinion on any of them. Your job is to keep your head down and get whatever needs handling done—no questions asked.
     
    Don’t kid yourself. In most instances, you’re not a decision maker unless you are the decision maker—and chances are, you’re scared of whoever this truly is. In fact, according to a research poll conducted by workplace expert and BusinessWeek columnist Lynn Taylor, the average U.S. employee spends more than 19 hours each week worrying about what their boss will do or say. That hardly seems productive to the corporate bottom line.
     
    Unlike entrepreneurs who succeed or fail based on their own decisions, employees with “real” jobs must play the roles of obedient cogs in the machine tasked with performing X function Y amount of times to get Z result for the sole benefit of the mother ship. Deviation from the carefully