The world and workforce had an eye opening last few years. We saw Zoom climb the app charts on every app store. We saw Slack notifications become normal noises in our homes. We learned how important being on mute can be in meetings. The world is changing and the workforce will slowly change alongside it.
Risks are something taken by every disruptor in every segment of the workforce. We as OSU students took a risk in enrolling in a post bacc completely online course in the middle of our busy lives. Add into that a global pandemic and your risk turns into possible insanity. Yet, through all of this we can learn and grow.
I am at a fork in the road in my life. I have been in retail for 17 years, more than enough to consider myself an expert. Technical work has been my passion for almost as long. From tinkering with legos as a kid to coding all new apps today. But what do I do now. The world is getting smaller so a remote job where I can code and still have a solid work life balance is very appealing. Do I work for a large tech company where I have to go to an office most days and work in a cubicle or flexible workspace?
Or do I take a bigger leap?
My experience in sales and retail has given me the ability to work with people and discover their needs in a fun and effective way. My technical abilities give me the chance to use Dart, Flutter, and OS specific SDKs to make businesses the apps they need to better connect with their customers or each other. The world is moving online faster than it was before the pandemic and now is the time for companies to look towards our phones as their new retail space.
So what do I do?
Do I take the risk and try to make my own company work? This has been a goal of mine for years and one of the main reasons I went to school. Being a consultant, making my own hours, being my own boss, and deciding on the strategy and the forward life of the company is very appealing to me. My past experience in Advertising and Design, Retail, and now Coding allow me to have a great entry into a very competitive market.
How do you balance a risk and the reward?
Sure, it sounds great to run your own company, but it’s all on you. How do you get insurance, how do you hire an accountant, and a lawyer. How many contracts and contractors do I need to finish a project, and where do I find them. How do I get clients? What happens if I fail?
These questions have been swirling around my head and I have answers to some and others lead to twenty more questions. But part of me sees the jump I’m about to make and sees the jump as a small hop with little risk, other days I see it as a cliff with no net or safety line.
I think the main thing is knowing what is possible, in a realistic sense, knowing how to get out or put out a safety net ahead of time, and have the support of those around you to understand your life might look different than theirs and that’s okay.
Don’t let other’s failures scare you, but rather learn from them, and don’t let other’s lives guide yours, we all have a different story.
