oliviatamccue

Much has been said FIRE (Financial Independence and Retire Early).  There is a difference between retiring early from the corporate workplace and retiring early from life when you become financially independent. I hope most are interested in the former, and no-one is interested in retiring early from life. 

Corporate workplace may be where we spend more time than anything else, in our career years. The corporate career is not the totality of life. The dream of retiring early comes across as more the desire to retire from the corporate workplace. 

In a way, corporate workspace is a new and luxurious form of modern slavery, quite full of shackles. The  modern workplace shackles take on familiar forms. 

• We need to live with the bi-annual or annual performance evaluation system. It is the game to play along for survival, for good compensation and promotion. 
  
• When the job market is bad, no one would risk their careers to counter their boss’ ideas.  The one-liner asks of the company executives become the gospel and you cannot apply critical thinking about the asks. You cannot doubt the organizational strategy, product directions and OKRs.
  
• When your coworkers kiss up, it is still better to play along. If your ideas become the boss’ idea, it is the great idea of the boss. If your boss has bad ideas, it is an effort to shut up.

Career freedom means at least

• You can speak what you have in mind without worrying about the subtle but legitimate implications.
  
• You can apply critical thinking to what your job is about, what your boss is asking, where the company is going.

• You can leave your job the next day and not be stressed about it.

Earning career freedom in corporate workplace requires hard work.  What can you do to earn it?

• Start early to save and invest, work hard towards financial independence.
  
• Learn new skills that the world needs all the time. 
  
• Stay open to new opportunities. Even if you are happy with your company, you need to know what the markets are for you.

With career freedom, you choose to work in a corporate workplace, you choose to stay or retire from it. The choice brings more job satisfaction and you can bring more meaningful impact. And if corporate workplace is not your cup of tea, you can create a career your way.

May all the salaried workers find their path to career freedom.

Posted in Career Management, Dear Diary, Misc.

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