Occupation or Incarceration? The Unsettling Similarities Between Your Job and Being Imprisoned
And a better way to live the employed life and push forward with your solopreneurship cause
Most people would think their job was a secure and stable way to make a living.
But one day, they’ll realize how much it is holding them back — how much it resembles a prison. It will suck the life out of you if you allow it to take control of every fiber of your being.
I am not against having a job. Far from it. Later on in this post, I will tell you why having a job can be a great asset for you as a solopreneur.
But we must see it as it really is and not get delusional by thinking it will give us a great life.
Let me tell you about a few of the things about a job that will either open your eyes (if they aren’t already) or make you angrier.
You don’t know this but the dungeon’s doors open during the application process
It all starts with the ridiculous job application and interview process.
The scripted questions from interviewers are superficial at best, providing no real insight into your capabilities or value. It’s always a one-way street where they don’t care about what you hold dear.
After an initial screening, you’ll be given absurd aptitude and skills tests. For us in the tech industry, there are always going to be algorithm questions. As if those algorithms are often used in the actual tasks you’ll do on the job. A lot of times, I want to spit at the screen at the sight of those silly problems that were made for the ultra-nerds.
Then there’s the “stupefy me some more muthafreaka” salary negotiation step. They ask you how much you expect to make but then tell you it’s not within their budget for the position.
A-holes, why ask if you don’t think you can give it?
If you’re lucky to make it through this crap bath then you are in for a world of hurt.
The warden shuts the door. Say bye bye to life — the corporate jailhouse welcomes you
Every day, you’ll feel like you have to “conform” to a specific culture, one that doesn’t necessarily align with your values or your true self.
It is like putting on a mask, pretending to be someone you aren’t just to fit in. The constant need to have your boss’s opinion favor you will be exhausting as if you were a puppet dancing to someone else’s tune.
You will never have control over your time; your job dictates what time you should wake up, what to wear, what time to eat, what time to poop, and where to poop.
The situation will be so bad you will want to piss all over the floor but even that is forbidden.
Many of these jobs fool you into thinking the schedule is flexible. The work setup is flexible — work wherever you want. But then when the boss feels lonely in the office they’ll suddenly tell you there’s value in working face-to-face.
Never mind that you live hundreds of miles away from the office. They expect you to show up like an obedient little monkey ready to swallow the boss’ huge banana.
But perhaps the most suffocating aspect of it all is the fact that your job holds you by the balls.
Your very sustenance depends on it. You can’t afford to leave even when you know it is slowly crushing your spirit and your dreams.
You stop calling yourself by your name but by your prisoner number
More often than not, your identity gets attached to what your job is.
“What do you do?”, your answer is always your job title — as if that is the sole measure of your worth. Sometimes you answer short of saying you’re an ass-kisser.
Because at the bottom of it all, all jobs require you to be an ass-kisser to move upwards.
You watch as people judge your success or failure based on how far you have climbed the corporate ladder and not by how lovely your family is or how great a friend you are.
Your life is designed around a schedule dictated by your employer.
You are trapped in a never-ending cycle. To be executed through decapitation would be better than serving this 40-year sentence.
Most employers are still stuck in the “industrial age”
Even in this era of technological advancement, most employers — yes, even tech companies — are still stuck in the industrial age.
They measure your productivity by the number of hours you work, not the results you create.
They claim to care about your work-life balance, but in reality, they expect you to work like they were a possessive beau looking to hump you every minute, always on call, and always available.
In my experience, employers may claim to care about your well-being, but when push comes to shove, they expect you to sacrifice your sleep, your health, and your sanity to fix a problem or meet a deadline.
This is especially true in software companies where late-night crisis management a lot of times is the norm.
You need to perform or they cut off your air supply. Creativity will be shoved up your behind
Jobs often come with immense pressure to perform.
Deadlines, targets, and expectations can create a constant state of anxiety, leaving you with little room to breathe.
This pressure, coupled with the fear of failure, can stifle your creativity, causing you to play it safe and avoid taking risks.
Instead of exploring new ideas and pushing boundaries, you find yourself trapped in a cycle of monotony, doing the same tasks day in and day out.
Even if your role should have a creative aspect to it. Guess what? Your boss will always find a way to override whatever awesomeness you produce. They are the wardens, remember?
It’s not just a prison. Remember the Hunger Games? That’s how being in a job is like
Then there are your fellow inmates.
The workplace is rife with politics, backstabbing, and the struggle for recognition.
It will always feel like a never-ending battle to stay ahead of your colleagues, to show your boss you’re the sweetest ass-kisser just to be promoted to prisoner level 2 and a salary increase that gets whacked by inflation.
Shoot. Did nobody tell you? Since you’ve got a salary increase you now have 10x more work!
You may make a few friends here and there. But the constant competition and lack of genuine camaraderie will often leave you feeling isolated and emotionally drained.
They advertise an environment that fosters collaboration, support, and mutual respect. But when you’re around other inmates and their very survival is dependent on making sure others lose the hunger game? Guess where camaraderie will go.
But you say you love your job and everything I just told you are just tales of doom and gloom?
You may not consciously be experiencing everything I just said. Even in those jobs that feel like heaven, hell is just waiting to show its ugly face.
At the end of the day, a job should be considered just a stepping stone to a better plan.
Don’t get suckered into thinking that it’s going to give you the life of your dreams. A job exists for one thing and one thing only, in the eyes of your employer — to pay you as little as possible for the value you can provide. Not to help you achieve your life’s most meaningful goals.
Now are you ready to hear the escape plan friend? Sssh, don’t tell, the boss might hear
Instead of allowing your job to be a prison, use it as a tool and a resource.
Transfer to a better prison cell where you can work out your solopreneur muscles
If it’s impossible in your current job, then I recommend you start pumping up the Linkedin game and find better jobs where you can have as much freedom as is feasible in order for you to work on your side hustle and move towards financial freedom.
Let the labor camp be your training ground
Seek out projects and tasks that will most align with the skills you need in order to succeed as a solopreneur.
For example, in my case, I work as much as possible on software projects that allow me to be good at resolving major bugs.
One day, when I start my Micro-SaaS solopreneur business those skills and experience will come in handy.
Network like crazy — never relent. Solopreneurship requires connections
Network with colleagues, clients, and partners, as they may become valuable contacts in your entrepreneurial journey.
However, don’t be a jerk. Don’t make friends just because one day you’ll need something from them.
Be a genuinely great person for them. Scratch their backs even if it seems they cannot scratch yours.
Sooner or later when you least expect, they’ll save the day when you’re in a situation where all hope seems lost.
Let your employer fund your solopreneur education.
Some prison establishments, err, employers, pay for premium courses for their employees.
For example, in my case, a few years ago, the company I used to work for paid for me and others to undergo Dale Carnegie Training.
Through that training, I learned to become a better public speaker. I learned how to “make friends and influence people” and how to overcome stress and worry.
Indeed that training became very valuable in my first foray into business and in my overcoming the depression caused by the subsequent failure.
Take as much as you can from them.
They’re taking all they can from you. Don’t allow those silly shareholders to keep getting rich out of your sweat and tears.
Take your piece of the pie.
Or put another way, create your own pie leveraging on the skills you gain from being in their jail cells.
DISCLAIMER: I am not suggesting you steal resources or time from your employer.
In no way will you ever succeed in life by being dishonorable and a thief. What I mean in this section is you use whatever you learn from your job as a tool for your side hustle.
Use your salary as your working capital
Suck it up.
Being in a job may not be the rosiest position to be in. But the other side is much worse.
The first time I jumped into solopreneurship my ego was sky-high and I thought I’d survive the wild. I left my job to go full-time in the business.
Being within the walls of the dungeon was way better.
I ended up in deep debt. My mother got hospitalized and I didn’t have any money to contribute.
Life was shittier than pretending I was happily working for my boss.
In another post, I will share some personal finance tips but for now, let me tell you that your salary is your working capital.
The beautiful thing about having a job while building a side hustle is you can commit mistakes and not go hungry.
Set aside a portion of your salary to invest in
- Training and courses
- Ebooks
- Tools
- Marketing costs
With the three-phase Two Comma Plan I developed, you don’t even need a huge amount of money to gain momentum.
You don’t see the world as it is. You see the world as you are
You are not your job.
You are a great person with a lot of potential to succeed.
Your job is just a three to five-year sentence so you can become an even better solopreneur. Don’t let it extend beyond that.
Start today by investing time and a bit of money into your side hustle.
Free yourself from the shackles of employment. Be the one that decides how to live your days and not some random clown called a boss.
Please share your thoughts in the comments.
This post originally appeared on the Visionary Solopreneur Substack. To get freshly baked solopreneurship articles straight to your inbox you should visit and subscribe here
