Young Successful Entrepreneur

The results are in and it looks like according to Business Week, Ernst and Young is the best place to work at in 2008.  Check out the list for yourself and you’ll see the Big Four Accounting firms make up four of the top five places to work.  So why is accounting look so good?

“98% of eligible 2007 interns received full-time job offers

92% of interns with offers accepted”

I think that the quote above is the most compelling reason why accounting is looking so damn good this year.  In a time when the economy has gone to crap, and jobs everywhere are looking very unstable, you can depend on accounting firms to always be in very high demand, and more importantly, they’re super stable.  Ever since Sarbanes-Oxley, ANYBODY can get accepted into an accounting firm because the demand is that high.  Not only do accounting firms hire like crazy, but they take great care of you once you’re in their company.  There are so many company perks, company trips, company lunches and dinners, and company sports games; you are immersed into a family that is constantly trying to involve you with every aspect of your life.

So now I want to get into what this post is really about: Nearly 80% of my friends who have entered the accounting world get BORED of their job within the first 6 months.  Do you know why they get bored?  It’s because they’re not passionate about their job.  They took a job in accounting because it was the stable and smart thing to do.  And it is in this area that I want to change the world and help the Gen Y with.

We DON’t have to settle for a “stable job.”  We have it within our power to take our career into our own hands and become anything that we want to be.  Yes, this sounds cliche, but we are the generation that really CAN make it happen for us on our own terms.  Phrases like, “Grunt work” or “Pay your dues” make me sick because most people think that doing grunt work for the first 2 years is their only option.  I’m NOT saying that you should not work at an accounting firm; I’m saying that you should not settle for a company or industry that you are not passionate about.

Gary Vaynerchuk says it best at his Web 2.0 keynote: “If you for one second doubt what you are doing, get out of it and go start doing what you are deeply passionate about.”  There is a way to monetize everything!  My Dad once told me, “Son, money is littered across the street.  All you have to do is know how to pick it up.” You know what, he IS absolutely right.  There is a way to make money with anything.  And it all start with first building your personal brand and equity.  If you make yourself valuable, then people will eventually notice and people will pay you for your expertise.

I have no problem with the Big Four.  I just think too many people entering them are just settling on a career.   Your first step do leading a happy career life is to figure out what you’re deeply passionate about and what you can be the best in the world at.  Go look yourself in the mirror right now and ask yourself what is that one trait, skill, or ability that sets you apart from everyone else.  Figure that out, and I guarantee you that you can find a way to make money from it.

Let me know, and I’ll help you with your business model