Entrepreneurship is “cool and sexy”…

December 11th, 2006

…says a December 8 USA Today article called “Gen Y makes a mark and their imprint is entrepreneurship.”

Check out this intro:

They’ve got the smarts and the confidence to get a job, but increasing numbers of the millennial generation — those in their mid-20s and younger — are deciding corporate America just doesn’t fit their needs.

So armed with a hefty dose of optimism, moxie and self-esteem, they are becoming entrepreneurs.

“People are realizing they don’t have to go to work in suits and ties and don’t have to talk about budgets every day,” says Ben Kaufman, 20, founder of a company that makes iPod accessories. “They can have a job they like. They can create a job for themselves.”

And behold this fascinating chart taken from an August 2006 study by the Pew Research Center, which finds that self-employed peeps are more satisfied with their jobs, excerpt of course when it comes to health and retirement benefits. (Personally, I find the job security category most interesting.)

I was also happy to see that the article doesn’t shy away from some of the harsh realities of working for oneself. For instance, Ellen Kossek, a Michigan State University professor who has spent 18 years researching workplace flexibility, offers these thoughts on twentysomethings striking out on their own in the workforce:

…”what they find out is that it’s not a way to get a work-life balance. When you have your own business, you’re working long hours, because if you don’t work, money doesn’t come in.”

I was surprised, though, to find that the entrepreneurs USA Today profiled were predominantly white guys. But better to have the article than not have it at all. And too bad trend pieces like this weren’t around 15 years ago when I was trying to explain to my parents why I quit my job to become a freelancer.

Entry Filed under: Balance,She's the boss