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Should I get a job?

Topics relating to managing people and relationships

Raúl Gallegos

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Hello everyone! I would like some piece of advise.

I have been struggling to turn my ideas into fastlane. I have learnt web and apps development, I am no expert but i have made some projects.Right now I am helping a friend with the web page of his father business while I work in my app idea.

The problem is that I still live in my parents house(26 years old), my parents are sidewalkers with high-salary jobs and inherited some millions and a big house where we are living. Unfortunately, those millions have already been spent. So, everytime they have financial problems ( usually at the end of the month) they use me as their scapegoat.

My expenses are not even 10% of what they earn, but they still blame me. There is a constant pressure of them to make me get a job. Even though I have been working all this time, learning from my failures, they still think I am just wasting time in the computer all day. Everytime i try to explain to them what i am doing and what I want to do in my life, they do not want to understand.

If I say I dont want to get a job and I want to be an entrepenuer and that I am working everyday to achieve this, they react like if I just said that i wanted to be a drug dealer. And they are constantly asking to friends and family to give me a job. Last week, some uncles that are in the oil industry as employes came to my house and tried to convince me that working in the oil industry is the best and that I am going to travel all around the world and in some years i will have a huge salary. When i told them what i wanted, they started with the "do you remember your uncle Manuel?, he was thinking the same as you and now he is 44 and still living with his parents because he didnt want the high paying job that his father offered to him when he was at your age"

So, ranting a little bit and giving you some context. What would you recommend me to do?

I have been thinking of being a freelancer and create some web pages or apps so i earn some money and at the same time hone my progamming abilities.All of this, while I work in my ideas.

I live in a poor and unsafe city in Mexico where web developing is almost non existent, people around here only use facebook and instagram. My goal is to get the hell out of here even moving to europe or the USA. Mexico is a difficult place for small and medium business. Kidnapping, racketeering and blackmailing are way too common, thats why I decided some time ago that programming was the way to go.

and the other option is to get a job while I work in my ideas. Taking into account that getting a job will only pay for food, not enough to live alone.

Dont get me wrong, is not the job that i dont want. I just do not want to give 10-12 hours daily in something that i do not see myself in some years, i prefer to invest those hours to programming.

I dont know how difficult is to be a freelancer nowadays especially if you are not from a developed country. I have enough money to survive without my parents aid till January.

So in a nutshell what should you advice me to do? Tolerate my parents pressure to get a job, while i keep doing what i want to do(freelancing + executing my idea to move abroad) or get a job and dissipate the job pressure.
 
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Charnell

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Yeah, you should get a job.

You're in no position to worry about your parent's financials when you're freeloading at 26 years old. You call them sidewalkers when you're a parasite feeding off their resources and giving nothing in return. Just because you read the book doesn't make you any better of a person.

You're struggling to turn your ideas into "fastlane?" Get a job.
Your goal is to get out of Mexico but can't because lack of money? Get a job.

Cut the umbilical cord.
 

NursingTn

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It isn't about getting a job. It's about making an income to support yourself and whoever else while you're working on your business.

If that means you need to get a job, then get a job. If it means you need to freelance, then freelance. If it means flipping patties, going on UpWork, flipping items on Craiglist, then do it.

Don't just sit around thinking about working on your business while you aren't making an income.
 

zoeyallen6

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Why shouldn't it be? Must do. For how long you will be dependent on your parents' salary. I would like to apologize, imagine if you do not live in this world one day, what will you do? Even then you will have to run your expenses and at that time your precious time will also be wasted. Then a lot of problems will arise for you. So from now on, make a habit of doing the job and spend it yourself.
 
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Kevin88660

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Hello everyone! I would like some piece of advise.

I have been struggling to turn my ideas into fastlane. I have learnt web and apps development, I am no expert but i have made some projects.Righnt now I am helping a friend with the web page of his father business while I work in my app idea.

The problem is that I still live in my parents house(26 years old), my parents are sidewalkers with high-salary jobs and inherited some millions and a big house where we are living. Unfortunately, those millions have already been spent. So, everytime they have financial problems ( usually at the end of the month) they use me as their scapegoat.

My expenses are not even 10% of what they earn, but they still blame me. There is a constant pressure of them to make me get a job. Even though I have been working all this time, learning from my failures, they still think I am just wasting time in the computer all day. Everytime i try to explain to them what i am doing and what I want to do in my life, they do not want to understand.

If I say I dont want to get a job and I want to be an entrepenuer and that I am working everyday to achieve this, they react like if I just said that i wanted to be a drug dealer. And they are constantly asking to friends and family to give me a job. Last week, some uncles that are in the oil industry as employes came to my house and tried to convince me that working in the oil industry is the best and that I am going to travel all around the world and in some years i will have a huge salary. When i told them what i wanted, they started with the "do you remember your uncle Manuel?, he was thinking the same as you and now he is 44 and still living with his parents because he didnt want the high paying job that his father offered to him when he was at your age"

So, ranting a little bit and giving you some context. What would you recommend me to do?

I have been thinking of being a freelancer and create some web pages or apps so i earn some money and at the same time hone my progamming abilities.All of this, while I work in my ideas.

I live in a poor and unsafe city in Mexico where web developing is almost non existent, people around here only use facebook and instagram. My goal is to get the hell out of here even moving to europe or the USA. Mexico is a difficult place for small and medium business. Kidnapping, racketeering and blackmailing are way too common, thats why I decided some time ago that programming was the way to go.

and the other option is to get a job while I work in my ideas. Taking into account that getting a job will only pay for food, not enough to live alone.

Dont get me wrong, is not the job that i dont want. I just do not want to give 10-12 hours daily in something that i do not see myself in some years, i prefer to invest those hours to programming.

I dont know how difficult is to be a freelancer nowadays especially if you are not from a developed country. I have enough money to survive without my parents aid till January.

So in a nutshell what should you advice me to do? Tolerate my parents pressure to get a job, while i keep doing what i want to do(freelancing + executing my idea to move abroad) or get a job and dissipate the job pressure.
Why do your parents have cash flow issue despite having high pay? What do they spend on?

You can consider sales job if your own business does not work out for you. That’s what it did for me and it worked out to be well.

There is more flexibility in hours but I have to put in more hours than a 9-5.
 

Devampre

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A job isn't a life sentence. If I were you, I'd find something to do as a means to an end. If the first job is unbearable, look for a different one and switch when you can. You'll still have time to do all your entrepreneurial things and possibly do them more effectively due to Parkinson's law.

Protip on a job interview: If they ask something like "where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?" It's a trick question and they want to hear that you'll still be working for them. Don't be honest about any entrepreneurial/investment plans, these can be seen as red flags from the hiring manager.
 
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Ninjakid

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If you're living with your parents at 26, you should be covering, or at last largely contributing to your own expenses.

I don't think your parents would care whether you had a job or not if you were making enough to support yourself.

Sorry, but you can't just expect the world to wait on you while you figure out entrepreneurship. Everyone has to work, and that includes you.
 

Ninjakid

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And I see where your parents are coming from. If you're teaching yourself entrepreneurship all day, and not supporting yourself, you might as well just be wasting time on the computer all day.
 

Raúl Gallegos

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Yeah, you should get a job.

You're in no position to worry about your parent's financials when you're freeloading at 26 years old. You call them sidewalkers when you're a parasite feeding off their resources and giving nothing in return. Just because you read the book doesn't make you any better of a person.

You're struggling to turn your ideas into "fastlane?" Get a job.
Your goal is to get out of Mexico but can't because lack of money? Get a job.

Cut the umbilical cord.

Do not assume things. I didnt use the term "sidewalker" as an insult, i wanted to give you a general idea of my parents financial strategy and I never said i was better than them.

Nevertheless after all the "advice with insults added" you gave me, i thank you for it.
 
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Raúl Gallegos

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Why do your parents have cash flow issue despite having high pay? What do they spend on?

You can consider sales job if your own business does not work out for you. That’s what it did for me and it worked out to be well.

There is more flexibility in hours but I have to put in more hours than a 9-5.
They like to spend money in flashy gadgets, expensive restaurants, new car every two years, designer clothes, you name it.

my goal was to teach them not to be sidewalkers, but thats almost impossible. In fact, maybe I do not have the right to do so.

So, taking the advice to get a job. I should be independent.
 

Raúl Gallegos

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A job isn't a life sentence. If I were you, I'd find something to do as a means to an end. If the first job is unbearable, look for a different one and switch when you can. You'll still have time to do all your entrepreneurial things and possibly do them more effectively due to Parkinson's law.

Protip on a job interview: If they ask something like "where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?" It's a trick question and they want to hear that you'll still be working for them. Don't be honest about any entrepreneurial/investment plans, these can be seen as red flags from the hiring manager.
Thank you very much for the advice, in fact I have already had that situation. When i told them i wanted to have my own enterprise, they looked at me like if i had just said that i will just work for 20 days.
 
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Hai

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Do whatever you want. You are the only one who will trust yourself the most and who believes in yourself. No one else. Own it. Others will set stones on your road constantly.
However if your parents are struggling financially you should at least contribute to your expenses.
If you have easy access to a job you can invest that money into your business. You seem green behind the ears. Job experience can teach a lot. Not to say you should take the job offer or whatever.
 

Smuggo

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If you are into programming can't you get job as a dev? Or freelance?

I'm 25, had to move to my parents because I've lost the job, chased my entrepreneurship dreams for 9 months, nothing worked so far and I know I can't rely on my parents all the time... So I got a job but 4/5 time. Previously I was full backend dev but I want to do the web design as freelance so with my previous experience I went on full-stack(learned HTML, CSS and Js by myself). Not the same as full frontend but the payment is nice and I learn webdesign and they are paying for it. Also I have 3 free full days to do whatever I want. Now I can pay for myself, my parents are more relaxed, and I can move out.

I must say we have almost the same situation, although my father is trying to run a business to get to fastlane (but almost 0 profit so far), so he is not against my entrepreneurship but still expects me to earn money. And I fully understand it. I'm not 16 anymore.
 
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RichOC

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I understand where you're coming from. Work sucks, I know. I can completely see why you want to move away from where you are now.

I'd recommend you continue with your entrepreneurial pursuits and get a normie job. Imagine you had no parents to live with, what would you do then? It's honestly best to get a job and feel like a real grown up man. I know how infuriating it is to only be able to work on your true passion in the minimal time you have outside of work, but entrepreneurship can, and likely will take a loooooooong time to work out.

You'll never be 26 again. Experience life from all the angles you can. A job out there in the real world doesn't have to terrible in every aspect, and in some ways it might even help you along your journey.

Best of luck
 

Invictus

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You mentioned your parents aren't respecting the work you do.

This is because of one of three reasons:

1) You're not really working. You're spinning your wheels, half-starting, reading too much, or any number of things. They're right.

2) You ARE really working You're either making money or creating a system that, once launched, will start paying off. You (may) be right.
Note: I think this is the most unlikely scenario.

3) Either of the above is true but you don't help out around the house. You're living in a nice house and having groceries paid for, all free. Your a$$ better be mowing the lawn, washing dishes, and offering to help anywhere they need.

If you are making enough money to live on your own, then it's time to move out. Otherwise, proceed with the next plan:

The Next Plan:
Step One: Get any 'real' job. This means no remote work, no freelancing, none of that. It can take time for those to take off and your parents are tired of you playing on the computer enough as it is. You need something more reliable.

Flip burgers if you have to. It's fine if it's part time, maybe even better. Your point is to show your parents, who are feeding and housing you, that you are willing to work.

Step Two: In your spare time, keep plugging away. Whether it's freelancing, e-commerce, creating a system, whatever, keep at it. Your work doesn't end when you clock out at your 'real' job.

Step Three: Save the money you earn from Step One.

Step Four: With that money (feasibly supplemented with something from Step Two) move into the cheapest apartment you can. Get a roommate. Now your parents don't have to pay for you anymore (thus, cannot say anything). Remember to visit often.

Step Five: Pay bills with money from Step One. Start business via resources/knowledge from Step Two.
 

Johnny boy

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1. Move out and go somewhere that has opportunity

2. Your parents suck. Do what makes you happy. Do you know why they want you to get a job? So they can look good to the other parents that their son isn't a "failure". That's THEIR insecurity. F*ck them. They're not concerned with your happiness and that's f*cked up.

3. Live your life. Nobody else is going to hold your hand and take you to what makes you happy. You have to live for yourself and no one else. Be an awesome programmer. Work at burger king to make ends meet. Then start freelancing. Then grow a business. Even if it takes 10 years, you'll enjoy it if you love programming. Do what makes you happy. Your parents will change their tune when it works out. Getting a job you hate will never work out.
 

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