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Why it’s OK to be your own boss and work for “the Man”

There is a sense of pride associated with working for yourself. The idea that you’re self-reliant, self-made, and answer to no one is enticing. It’s a romantic notion. We’ve all heard and read about the successes of individuals who make it work, from rock stars to actors and from artists to, yes, welders. But for every triumphant headline there are nine failures that are never made public. Or if they do make it work, the cost is higher than the value of the reward. I’m not telling you to set aside your ambitions, just that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. There’s more than one way to follow your dreams.

People often ask me if running Brown Dog Welding and being an artist is a full-time job. I put full-time hours into BDW, or at least I did before the arm surgeries, but that’s not what they’re getting at. What they’re really asking is if I support myself and my family on my own, because the perception of living the American dream is the ability to call your own shots.

I also have friends that have tried to convince me to quit my day job for other reasons. They argue that you aren’t at your best or your most creative as an artist until you’re hungry; that you need desperation to push you to and maybe through your ceiling. It’s an idea I’ve seen pedaled by seemingly successful people through social media as well. As humans we have a difficult time being objective. We think that if a path worked for us, it’ll work for anyone. “You just need to work as hard as I did!” seems to be the notion.

But people are unique, and so are circumstances. I’m not going to call out any individuals, nor do I want to make absolute statements. I don’t want to say one way is wrong and the other right. I will, however, lay out my position—why it’s worked for me and why I’m going to continue working for “the Man” for the foreseeable future.

Working for the man

I’ve worked for some great employers over the years, the result of luck mixed with busting my ass. I’ve been a UAW member since November 2002 while collecting paychecks from Chrysler and General Dynamics Land Systems. Joint company and union training has been available to me and I’ve taken full advantage. This is an education I would simply not have been afforded working on my own. From going through an apprenticeship and becoming a millwright at Chrysler to my current job as a driver/mechanic at GDLS, the man has provided me with a steady paycheck, continuous training, and excellent benefits.

While health care has become mandatory over the last few years, good health care is still simply out of reach for most of my self-employed friends. So many of them have taken a huge risk and gone without health insurance, or they have made huge sacrifices to cover their spouse or their kids. For me, that isn’t an option.

Since 2013 the combined cost of my four major arm surgeries, the recovery time, and the medication has been well into the six figures, and that’s not considering the multiple sinus operations and constant thyroid monitoring my wife has endured in the same time frame. I see GoFundMe® campaigns and other fundraisers for self-employed artists and small-business owners that often come across as ironic when the person in need has been a proponent of self-reliance and outspoken against the 9-to-5 grind.

While I read a lot about those who never regret going all in and leaving their secure job, I often hear a different story when talking to people face to face. I’ve had a number of conversations with self-employed friends and acquaintances, and in some instances their families, who feel the sacrifices they’ve made have not given them freedom; self-employment has just bound them to different masters. These sacrifices include zero family time, the headaches of unreliable employees, clients that either don’t pay or need constant hounding to even put a dent in their ledger, and the resulting late or unpaid bills. Their health insurance, if they have any, has ridiculous deductibles so they end up ignoring illnesses or injuries until it’s time to go to the emergency room. And if it’s bad, there’s no recourse but to ask for donations.

The hunger and subsequent desperation that fuel output and push creativity for some also may serve as reasoning and justification to do things you’re not proud of. I’ve seen artists take on projects that cheapen their image because they need the money. I’ve also seen countless small-business owners screw over the people closest to them because of financial miscalculations or other unique money-related circumstances involved in running a business. I’ve seen families separate when an individual’s need to make it takes priority over their family.

Of course I’d love to be my own boss. I’ve had to pass on many unique opportunities for my personal work and travel because I’m tied down to a day job. I spend a lot of creative energy on tasks that aren’t my own, often toiling under management I don’t always see eye to eye with, and my life is unpredictable with the number of last-minute road trips I have to make for GDLS. While I mostly enjoy what I do, the people I work with, and the projects I work on, it does put a dent in what I’m able to accomplish. It’s not without its drawbacks.

Hedging your bets, however, isn’t the end of the world. More often than not, the people I know who’ve made it did not go all in, at least not from the jump. Respected artists oftentimes work in design and marketing for years if not decades until they have a steady following of collectors. Many metal fabricators have a day job and a side hustle. Once they’ve built their brand and client list and have had substantial experience in the industry, they can make the leap to full-time business owner and operator, if they so choose.

Writers and journalists put in crazy hours on top of their gigs as engineers, teachers, or gas station clerks to create a body of work attractive enough to get hired on as a full-time staff writer or a sought-after freelance author. It is possible to achieve a dream with a safety net, and in all honesty it often requires even more work and dedication than trying the all or nothing bit.

That being said, we’re all different. Maybe you need the threat of catastrophe to thrive. Just be aware that it’s a low-percentage play and can take its toll. Personally, I’ve never been someone who needs external forces to put out my best work. My ego won’t let me grow stale or produce work that I’m not satisfied with. And it doesn’t hurt that I’ve genuinely enjoyed my work as both a millwright and a driver/mechanic. I’ve never been afraid to put in whatever hours are necessary to make both sides of my work, work.

I also have a clear conscious and access to the best health care I can find. Both can be difficult to find and even harder to not take for granted. I don’t want to tell you to stop chasing a dream. Just don’t ignore reality to do it.

About the Author
Brown Dog Welding

Josh Welton

Owner, Brown Dog Welding

(586) 258-8255