Making Web Comics & refusing to get a real job

I keep getting asked by family and friends what my current job situation is.  When I tell them I am creating a web comic they respond with, “Oh, that’s nice, but what are you doing for a “real job”.

I hate having a real job

I haven’t worked a full time job in my life.  I have always worked part time while running one side business or another.  The reality is, I have hated every job that I have had.  I had one or two I could stand (Teen Center Attendant, Camp Counselor, & Delivery Boy for a Farm Animal Feed Store) but most I hated with a passion.

Some of those jobs:

• Carnival Worker
• Maintenance Crew for Golf Course
• Substitute teacher
• Library Page

People assume jobs are a requirement to survive and being happy, but this is not the case.  A lot of the things that society has told people about jobs is wrong.

Here are the 3 main reasons why I (and maybe you) should never get a real job.

1) Real jobs offer you a false sense of security

People assume if they have a job they have financial security and peace of mind.  The reality: being an employee can be as risky as owning a business.

For example, I worked as a care giver for a residential Psych Ward for several years (part time).  I had worked my way up to Facility Administrative Officer (still part time).  The pay was better and job was easier than care giver.  I was actually considering switching to full time for that position, but three months later a new CEO moves in and get’s ride of the position.  I was demoted!!!

That opened my eyes to the reality of careers.  If I can make a name for myself on my own terms in comics, animation, and/or design; I can live forever off that.  I can get a job, I can do freelance, or I could open my own company utilizing my name/brand.

Making Web Comics is an opportunity that is better then getting a “Real Job”.

2) Bureaucracy Kills the Soul

I hate bureaucracy!  Hate it, Hate it, Hate it!  I have seen people in the job market get promotions because they are related to people in the office, I have seen hard workers get yelled at for doing their jobs, companies following protocol even if it would hurt the company and everyone involved, etc, etc, etc.

Some of you may work for a company or organization that doesn’t have bureaucracy, but I have yet to experience a job without it.  When you work for yourself or own your own company, you create or alleviate the bureaucracy yourself.

3) Pay per hour AKA Value of your life

If you figure out your yearly salary (lets say $30,000) divide that by the number of work hours plus commute (a guess would be 2,150 hours) = $13.954 per hour.

Now let’s see how much 1 year of your life is worth.

1 year = 8765.81 hours x 13.954 = $122,318.113 is what I can buy 1 year of your life for.

According to usmagazine.com in 2008 Oprah Winfrey made $385 million dollars that year or in other words she can buy 3,147.5 years of your life.  If you live 100 years she could afford 31.4 of your life times…. How depressing!

This doesn’t mean I want to make the same amount of money as Oprah does.  This means I want to live life on my terms, doing what I love, with the people I love (my wife), for the people I love (you).  Instead of selling my soul at wholesale prices, I would rather live poor and create comics!

Conclusion

DO WHAT YOU LOVE!