To work or not to work... which is the better option

[cookie_cola]

---

Hey guys... i'm not really sure i'm posting in the right section but still it pertains to business anyway, so here goes..

I'd like to ask your advice about something. I'm at this point in my life where I am stuck in a rut... that is, I feel like I'm not going anywhere. See, my parents each run their own businesses, businesses that I might inherit someday. I know I'm supposed to work for them but even though I do, I feel like I'm not growing professionally coz it doesn't feel like I'm really working (a typical day would probably be me just sitting in the office surfing the net or catering to my mom's whims.) Maybe it's because I'm the COO (child of owner) I'm not really entitled to really work and I'm not entitled to any pay except for a 100/day allowance. And that's where I get frustrated because I feel that I'm mentally downgrading and I'm still depending on my parents financially.

I'm considering going back to working in a callcenter... a friend of mine just did and I'm so jealous because you can really see the improvements. And I love the fact that you get to hone your English skills, get to meet and talk to different people, do challenging stuff. And it's nice to see that he's working for a company where he gets a lot of benefits and that in a sense, he's financially independent. But my entrepreneurial streak in me argues "just how far working in a call center would take me?" See, I used to work in a call center and I only lasted for about 4 mos coz I got burned out with the graveyard shift. I could look for a daytime job but there's not many job openings that suit my preferences and I know I'd ony feel trap if I have to work for a job that I don't like.

Or maybe I should just go back to studying. I've always wanted to take up baking, but couldn't though because I don't have the money for it and my parents don't like to shoulder the tuition on what they think is a waste of time. But I know that if I learn this skill, it's an investment because I could translate this skill into a business venture.

If I go back to working in a call center, I get to have money and be financially independent right away...for as long as I could work. If I opt to study, it's a better long-term goal than working but who knows exactly when I could earn money provided that I could even build a business out of it long enough for it to take off. Time would be my worst enemy and time is not really something we all have a lot of...

What about you guys... which do you think should I focus on? I wish I could say I could do both but I had a friend who did exactly that, and up to now I'm still thinking how he managed to go to work in a call center in the dead of the night then go to culinary school right after with barely less than a couple of hours to sleep in between... everyday.

[roybrian69]

time management...that's your solution... you can work and study at the same time if you know how to manage your time

[snussy]

mao rani akong ika suggest nimo kuya.. work in a call center and save money for your baking desires..hehehe
then kung enough na imong money then go dayon!!! =)

[menderouv]

think first whats your priority. then decide

[Balandido]

Go with your passion bro; find some ways to achieve it. If you have spare
time support your parents. That's one way to show that you care for them,
their business.

[Ronn926]

u cud study agen or work outside ur family's businesses. ul never grow mature or independent if u dont spread ur wings a little farther. ur parents will even be proud of u if u show them ur standing/surviving on ur own. dey wont admit it at 1st but dey really r, if u earn ur own expenses n never ask financial support from them.

[d`monyita]

You do not have to study in a culinary school tawn oi if you do not have the time nor the resources.

Caro and Marie and some other baking chuchu stores hold classes na tag-one session lang. So give that a try muna.

Barato ra sad... mga 500-3000 lang ang session....depende sa imo session na kuhaon.

Or do what I do.... read read read about different recipes...TRY TRY TRY to make them...then adjust then voila! You got a fool-proof way to make a certain cake or cookie.

[cookie_cola]

that's true.. i do try that during my spare time. The only downside to trying out recipes yourself though is that you tend to waste a lot of ingredients (and in that case, money) since they usually don't turn out right the first time. You've got to try the recipe out a few more times till you could get it right. And extra money to buy baking ingredients is not really something I have a lot of since working for my family usually means I don't get paid, and when I do usually depends on them. That's why I'm financially frustrated.

About going to short term classes like Caro and Marie, will you really learn to bake that way? Basically it's just the same thing as trying out a recipe for yourself right? Coz I heard that what they're going to do is basically a demo of a certain set of recipes. I'm really after the techniques and the logic of baking taught in culinary schools... that kind of stuff where you can understand how each method and ingredients work so that you could formulate your own recipe. That way I could invent a new food trend that would set my product apart from the rest; one that is really my own. I'm really interested in patisserie; unfortunately culinary schools offer that as second level, which means you really have to take this whole list of courses that amounts to around 35,000 pesos per course. Ouch.

Will that really be a feasible long-term goal? Maybe going back to working in a call center is more practical coz it's easy money every payday and if you get promoted, then your salary gets bigger. It's safe right? But that would be for as long as you could work. And wouldn't it be such a waste to throw your high paying job to chase something that may take quite a long time to make real, provided if you can even make it real? But if you could make it real then that would mean you're financially safe for the rest of your life because money is now working for you and not the other way around.

Would you be willing to sacrifice the comfort of your high paying job for a dream? For practical reasons such as financial?

[d`monyita]

Let me tell you something. I specialized. Wa dayon ko pagawas ug a variety of stuff nga mo-rival the choices of a bakery.

I knew I was very very good at making carrot cake. So good that I can do it half-asleep. So i bought 6 loaf pans and ingredients and packaging materials and went from there. (Wala pa gani ko ani palit ug handmixer ha) Total ko na-spend wala pa 500p. I made about 18 and sold to friends. The bought more ingredients and baked some more. Then sold around 24 more. Then I started to book via text pila kabuok ipa-deliver nila. Then looked for more clients and sold more. By the time it was Christmas aw sus ako na apas apas sa ako mga orders har har.

In a week nabawi ko na initial investment ko PLUS nakabili ako ng puwede ko i-trial sa next nako na offering which was butterscotch. Then started booking for both na. And so on and so forth. Why did I stop? I got pirated out of my backyard biz to work in the music industry har har. Then I got pirated again by another company 2 yrs later.

Now I opened another biz which is a sorta BPO he he. Do I still bake? Oh yeah. Do I book orders? Sometimes I accept orders....pinipili ko. I now have an assistant though...my 4-yr-old son who just loves to beat up eggs,etc with the electric mixer. He said he will open his bakery someday....yeah...sure...

[darkcrux]

Hi cookie_cola... this is something I can really relate to.. the feeling of going nowhere and what to do. Should I study? should I work? should I do business? I also faced that problem. I was really stressed that my job wasn't fulfilling my dreams. I didn't know what to do... I felt like I was at a deadlock. I did find a solution though. It might just work for you. I feel now that I can achieve my goals. Life changing I would say. This could probably solve your financial and time issues giving you more time to achieve your culinary dreams. Financial and dreams are suppose to go hand in hand. Let me share this with you. You might be interested. PM me. I would really like to talk to you.