Stable job that allows travel vs. self employed personal freedom?

Nursing is a pretty good gig. More male nurses are needed too...

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I said High School. K-6 teachers make like $22,000 starting out. Why on earth anyone would wanna do that for so little is beyond me...

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Were in fiscal crisis too btw...

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I know several teachers. ranging from K thru high school, they all pull down big money, one makes a bit more than I do as an engineer. The others are probably close to me.

But to answer the original question I would LOVE to have my own business, but I have no idea what on earth I'd do. I don't know a skill/trade and I'm not passionate about anything that could actually make me money.

 

If you're considering being self employed to have more "free time", don't quit your day job. Its a lot of sunup to sundown days and very stressfull. You either make it happen or....... well.... you don't eat lol. I've been self employed for close to 20 years. I can't see doing anything different, having a boss or working in some type of system. I'm not even sure what a sick day or vacation day means. I usually eat my lunch on the fly going to whatever I'm doing next. I'm my own union. Yes having "freedom" so to speak does have some advantages. But it's certainly not all sunshine and rainbows owning a business. Matter of fact sometimes I say I'm the one that has it backwards and should've got a public sector kind of job. Guarantee check, sick days, 9 to 5, don't take work home, vacation days, union, etc.... Sometimes sounds good, but I'll never be able to do it. As much as I ***** and complain and how hard it is sometimes, I still love it and can't see myself doing anything different.

 

Pretty much sums it up for me. Running a business is extremely hard, even when you're not physically at work you are still thinking, planning, worrying or something. I'm a contractor and a few years ago when the country quit building it was really hard - assets had to be sold, loans had to be restructured and employees had to be let go. It was hell on earth for about a year, luckily we weathered the storm and things are improving. Bottom line is you have to be mentally prepared to run a business, it will change you into a different person.

 

I would only have my own business if it was something that I absolutely had a passion for, such as a brewery or restaurant. Having your own business requires a lot of commitment if you want it to be successful. With that said, the only truly rich people I know, all own their own business.

 

If the goal is time and $$$ to travel, owning a business is not the best way to do it from any business owner I've seen. With that said, I'd take owning my own business over working for someone else any day of the week.

 

Maybe they should pay firefighters less not only due to the fiscal crisis, but also due to the fact you all have a lot of dead time on the job.

 

Lots of interesting responses so far. Sorry it took so long, I was busy raking in all of the $$$ teaching. Just now sitting down, eating, posting here, grading projects, and then website submissions for our regional TSA competition...all on my lunch. I have it made.

In all seriousness, teaching is not the secure, high paying job that most perceive it to be. There are pockets of good paying positions (need to take into account years of service and education level as well), but overall, it's not competitive with the private market. But I digress...this thread isn't about teaching.

I think I'm along the lines of Hooker. I don't see myself starting a business for the sake of starting a business. I think it's a given that starting your own business requires a lot of sweat equity on your part for many years. I don't think I would enjoy that unless it was focused around something I already spend a lot of sweat equity on as a hobby.

The time off as a teacher is nice, I won't lie, but at the same time, it's not flexible. That means no spur of the moment trips, not hunting trips, etc., that many of you can take.

 

HUH.... I'd have figured you for a clothing line

 

If you knew how much the firefighters in our county make you wouldn't be saying that.

 

It's not enough for the job you guys do.

 

I do know how much they make, I work along side them everyday at work. They are on the same payscale as police officers in my county, as they should be. They are a great group of people. I made that comment based on your brothers constant negative comments about teachers.

 

I guess I fall somewhere in between. Spring and summers are pretty much out for me as far as vacationing goes. But that's OK. The resort has to make hay.

The good news is the work load tapers off in the fall and I live in my hunting spot. The resort is pretty much dead from the end of Oct through Christmas. I can hunt/vacation all I want. Then winter business picks up (mainly on weekends) until early March. There's a bit of a slowdown until the snow melts, then it's crazy getting the resort out of hibernation and ready for another summer.

It can suck when trying to make weddings or summer get togethers, but we knew what we were in for when we signed up.

 

I don't know guys, after reading some of the posts here, I think I fall somehwere in the middle of being employed by someone, but yet being my own boss. I'm in the outside sales game and have been with my present employer for almost 24 years now. I work straight commission, which means if I don't sell, I don't make any money !! However, I've been at the same game for close to 35 years and have built up enought relationships with my customers so that I don't really have to bust my butt to get the sales I need to live comfortably. Now straight commission is not for everyone, and there have been feast or famine times in past years, even for people who have been in this business for a while, the 2009 economy collapse is a good example...I always wonder how I made it thru ! But now I can take time off, let some of the inside people take care of my business while I can relax a little, enjoy life, but yet not be tied down if I owned my own business. My present boss always told me that I could do anything I wanted to do, go hunting, go fishing, go on a vacation whenever I wanted....just that I know what I have to do to make a living to do all these things. I think I amy have the best of two sides here !

 

You must not be able to see my Avatar, or sense my sarcasm directed at the OP.

Roughly $60,000 a year and 3 months off in the summer and he wants a better paying job with more time off? LOL

 

My wife and I own 4 businesses that definitely keep us busy. But, if we decide tomorrow that we want to take the afternoon off or take a long week-end, we usually can. We also have weeks that we work 80 or more hours. Not because we necessarily have to, but becuse we want to so that we dont have to work for very many more years. By 55 we should be in a position to kick back and be able to go and do anything we want. We decided that taking the big risk of being self-employed business owners was the only way we were going to have a chance at early retirement and the best chance at building serious wealth. I really dont think I could work for someone and be very happy. A lot of people that go bankrupt are self employed and most of the people that are very wealthy are self employed. Its a risk/reward thing. Too bad so many people want to tax those that succeed into oblivion.

 

I know I'm just stirring the pot a little trust me I don't have what it takes to be a teacher. My brother and I work full time EMS and do fire on the side.

 

Sweet...$60k? Am I getting a raise?