Don’t Crush My Millionaire Dreams

Last month I posted about feeling “trapped” in a lifetime of work. I got a number of comments on Brazen Careerist that really got me thinking. Smith+Fritzy  wrote, 

 ”When we look at our parents, we think ‘how could they work so long and be okay with [SIC]?’ It’s because they were working for something. Whether it was just for food, clothing, housing, the basics, or to raise their children, they had something that the money made a difference. For us, while everyone wants to make more money, we are pretty easily sustained with our work salaries to the point where money isn’t making a difference. You can say it does all you want, but keeping a roof over your head, having food on the table, etc. is much easier than it was for our parents. The amount of what we’ve been convinced what we need is much greater. The best computers, cars, houses, clothes, whatever… but these don’t translate into goals…”

So, it’s not so difficult for us to provide for ourselves at the most basic levels. Instead, people start striving for superfluous things – bigger apartments, higher salaries and flatter flat screens. 

 Jrandom 42 commented, ”Until you get to the top 1% in income, there isn’t much of a choice…And, unless you win the lottery or inherit a fortune, a lifetime of work is what we all have to look forward to.”

The part of this comment that caught my attention was only avoiding “a lifetime of work” if you win the lottery or inherit a fortune. Well, what if you start your own multi-million dollar business? (Hey, it happens.)

Lilit Marcus discusses one such millionaire (billionaire even?) 20-something in her post about the “Mark Zuckerberg Phenomenon,” which has got some wishful Gen Yers “thinking the only two possible career options are internet mogul or desolate middle manager who always gets passed over for a raise.” 

I’m not in the camp of believing those are the only two existing options, but I also don’t think it’s too far-fetched for Gen Yers to at least hopefor the a Zuckerberg-esque fate. Look at the examples we’ve seen over the last few years: Google buying YouTube for $1.65 billion and a College Humor co-founder purchasing a $1.9 million apartment earlier this year. 

I’m not going to expect to become a young billionaire entrepreneur in the immediate future, but that doesn’t mean I’m ruling out the possibility…

Rachel

p.s. If you’re looking for some inspiration, BusinessWeek did a report on the Best Young Entrepreneurs of Tech in April.