So, when I bought this book by Lisa Kivirist, I didn’t actually realize it was published in 1998. I came across the title in The Anti-9-to-5 Guide (which was awesome) and it sounded like something that would be relevant to my recent pursuits (1.5 weeks to go before I’m fully self-employed!), so I snagged it on Amazon for less than $2 (plus shipping) and it wasn’t until I got it and saw the cover that my warning bells went off. I guess my first warning should have been that I couldn’t find an ebook version (hence my need to pay for shipping for a book, as in the dark ages), but no. Like the thick-skulled imbecile I am, I went ahead and clicked the “buy” button without doing any further research.
That being said, the book was actually awesome. Yes, there were some outdated terms (she really liked her fax machines, which is adorable), but for the most part, I think the book did a pretty good job of staying relevant regardless of the time period. She emphasizes that things are changing. The stable corporate jobs are no longer as stable as they once were, and even if we do find a company that will continue to pay us to give up half our lives, so what? Kivirist and I just don’t care about the McMansions, the fancy cars, and the 2.5 kids we’re all supposed to have. To us, that’s not living.
Technology, too, is changing. Possibly my favorite part of the book is at the end when she stresses the importance of a seven-year plan, if only for the sake of having a plan of action at all. Past seven years though (I would argue past two years) no one knows where we’ll be. Technology is evolving at such a rate that no one knows what we’ll be able to do from home by the next decade (most of the office equipment she recommends buying, can now be replaced with my computer and my phone).
She gives excellent advice on how to take the plunge from the corporate world to the world of self-employment. Everything from working up the guts to quit your job, to how to get started on your Life Outside the Corporate Track (LOCT). She even has a whole chapter devoted to dealing with friends and family who are less than supportive of your decision. Personally, I have been incredibly lucky in that my parents are (mostly) accepting and I have yet to tell a friend who hasn’t responded with “Good for you!” For those who are less fortunate, this book has some great tips on how to see things from another perspective.
Like The Anti-9-to-5 Guide, though, the book points out that you may still have to struggle with the difference between being home all the time and being free all the time. She has some advice for avoiding the couch potato syndrome that can hit so many people when they’re suddenly responsible for their own time. She also stresses the fact that different things work for different people. For example, I know I won’t be able to read or watch television first thing in the morning, because then that’s all I will do for the rest of the day. Other people might work best if they can start out slow before they get down to work.
All in all, it was a great read and super helpful, even if it is almost 20 years old.