Why Would Seth Godin Say "Don't Try to Get a Job."?

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Seth Godin recommends Poop Scooping as a Career

Over at GL Hoffman's site WhatWouldDadSay, guest Seth Godin writes about career opportunity and why it might be better to get laid off not to go out and look for a regular paycheck right now.

Get your pens out and open up your Never-Thought-of-That-Career- Tip notebook for this WWDS-pearl.

DON’T TRY TO GET A JOB

Don’t you dare.

There are a few reasons for this. The first is that the act of trying to get a job corrupts you. It pushes you to be average, to fit in and to do what you’re told.

The second is that this act moves the responsibility from you to that guy who didn’t hire you. It’s his fault. As soon as you start spending your day trying to please the guy, you’ve blown it.

The third is that the economy is terrible and the best jobs you’re going to get are lousy.

So, what should you do?

Today, right now, while the opportunity costs (look it up on Wikipedia) are the lowest they will ever be, go start something.

Start a business. A tiny one.

Train people in social media. Run an eBay selling business. Sell coffee from a truck every morning at the train station. Run spring break tours by bus for other college students. Start a newsstand on campus. Run a birthday cake delivery service. Train executives in public speaking. Start a dog poop shoveling business.

Start something. Run it. Be responsible.

1. You’ll probably make more money

2. You’ll certainly learn more

3. If you’re good at it, people will offer you a job

and

4. If you’re not, then why on earth would someone actually hire you? Go get good at it.

Have fun. No whining. This is your moment, go make a difference.

You can thank me later.

by Seth Godin, exclusively for WWDS

So in a nutshell, what Seth is advocating is that people should use this crappy economy to their advantage

• Make lemonade from lemons
• Carpe diem
  
• Manifest your own reality
• Don't live cautiously, live to your fullest

I agree. If enough people did it, it would turn the economy on its ear. I am trying to figure out how to take Seth's advice for myself.

I'll thank him later!

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