Listen.
Jobs are weird.
Like… actually think about it for a second. You’re a grown adult. You have bills, a brain, maybe a dog that thinks you’re a genius, and yet you’re supposed to put on clothes you don’t normally wear, print out a little brag sheet about your life, and then walk into some beige room so a stranger can decide if you’re allowed to work.
Allowed. To. Work.
And the whole time you’re sitting there smiling politely, you already know you can do the thing. You’ve done the thing before. You’ve done harder things before. But no, we all agreed that first you have to pass this made-up obstacle course where someone “chooses” you like they’re picking teams in gym class.
Here’s the part no one’s saying.
The doors?
They’re not locked.
Half of them aren’t even real anymore. The building’s gone.
The internet blew the whole damn thing wide open.
Need an audience? Post.
Need a product? Make it.
Need a client? DM them and tell them how you can help.
No HR department. No permission slips. No “we’ll get back to you in 4–6 weeks.”
And here’s the little plot twist that most people won’t say out loud because it’s uncomfortable. When you remove the gatekeepers… you also remove your excuses.
Yeah. That part stings.
Because suddenly it’s not “I’m waiting for a callback” anymore, it’s “I decide if I’m ready” and deciding you’re ready is terrifying because then there’s no one else to blame if it flops, there’s no “they didn’t see my potential,” it’s just you, with your thing, in the wild, and maybe people love it, maybe they ignore it, maybe some guy named Gary leaves a weird comment about your logo, but either way, it’s yours.
And yeah, the first tries will be ugly. Messy. Embarrassing even. You will cringe later. That’s fine.
Because then… it happens.
The first stranger buys from you.
Without permission from anyone.
Just you, making a thing, and someone giving you money for it.
And after that?
You’re done.
Ruined for corporate life.
Because once you know you can walk into the world without asking first, you can’t unknow it. You can’t go back to the lines, the beige rooms, the polite smiles, the waiting for someone else to decide if you’re allowed to do the work you already know you can do.
So stop waiting.
The gatekeepers are gone.
Build your own damn gate.
And maybe a moat. Just for fun.
There’s worlds of truth in this. But there’s also a little bit of warning.
Because unless the thing you’re good at involves some elements of posting, audience-building, and/or business strategy, you’re not gonna have any idea how to make it work yourself.
Established businesses are a bit like social networks in that regard. They’re not something you own, but they do give you the basics to ply your trade (assuming you pass their “test”).
I’m all for folks breaking out in their own. I did it over five years ago and it’s been fantastic for me. I just want people to understand that if it doesn’t work immediately it could be due to a whole host of skills they’ve never had to develop before. And if they’re not willing to? Then continue chasing employment.
You know the game is broken when they don't even allow you to stock the shelves in the supermarket although you've stocked your own pantry longer than that store existed. But yeah, a 16 year old will be better at this....