Self or paid employment: Which would you choose?

Being your own boss and being on the nine-to-five grind has become food for thought for so many people who find the decision difficult to make. But which is a better option? LifeXtra finds out.

Self-employment is the state of working for oneself rather than an employer. In other words, those who are self-employed find their own work rather than being provided with work by an employer, earning income from a business or trade they operate.

Paid employment is the opposite of self-employment. It is the state of working for others to get paid for your services.

Everyone wants to earn a living and there have been various options to making that happen. Is it better being self-employed or opting for paid employment? LifeXtra spoke to some respondents.

Aliyu Ismaïl, a student, said he would opt for self-employment because “it improves one’s financial knowledge through the day-to-day running of the business/work.”

He added, “Self-employment allows for daily income and the issue of debt incurred when one is on paid employment will drastically reduce. With self-employment, the nation flourishes too as everyone contributes his/her quota to the gross national product (GNP).”

Ismail further stated that “with self-employment, unemployment would be chased out, social vices reduced and we’ll have an economy filled with the middle class.”

Nas Abdul, a data analyst, said “It depends.” When LifeXtra asked for clarification, he said “Between owning a small enterprise and working for Saudi Aramco, please move me to Saudi. But between owning a startup (like Facebook) and being a civil servant in Niger State, I choose self-employment.”

In response to Nas’ submission, Enitan Akinola, a project manager, said “fantastic submission. It’s all about perspective and the value that will be generated with respect to time.”

Kenechukwu Ogbuagu, a board game designer and entrepreneur, stated “I have always believed self-employment is about giving because you will have to be creating an enterprise that will pay at least one other person. That way, you are giving.”

Jummai Hassan, a civil servant, said “Self-employment is not as easy as people think it is, and it’s even harder if you are not a good manager because there is just so much decisions you need to make on a daily basis. So between being self-employed and doing a paid employment that I love and that pays well, I will choose paid-employment.

“However, if I have enough funding to run the ideas I have, I wouldn’t mind self-employment because I don’t like the situation where I will be running helter-skelter to pay basic bills.”

Victoria Oloniyo, a graduate, said “I prefer self-employment. A salary earner spends his salary; a business man/woman spends his profit. When you’re self-employed, it gives you room for creativity, expansion and profits, depending on your commitment. Salary to me is slavery. I’ll rather be an entrepreneur.”