Discipline. Entrepreneurship. Freedom. While scrolling through social media, flashing headlines commonly diminish nine-to-five jobs, urging young people to pursue entrepreneurship and side hustles. The comments often second this opinion, glorifying financial freedom while looking down on conventional career paths.
Over the past century, society’s attitude towards corporate work has undergone a drastic change. In the mid-20th century, American society valued nine-to-five corporate jobs, placing a large emphasis on corporate loyalty and long-term employment with a single corporation. The influx of people in the workforce led to the rise of labor unions, advocating for fair hours and higher wages. It was seen as ideal to have a corporate job, as it indicated economic security and a balanced life.
Today, with the rising costs of living, stagnant wages and the financial detriments that events like the COVID-19 pandemic left, it has become increasingly difficult to live comfortably with an average desk job. The pandemic in particular displayed the underlying fragility of corporate jobs. Thousands of people lost their jobs overnight and many felt disillusioned with the idea of corporate stability. On the other hand, the rise of remote working and online platforms prompted people to explore entrepreneurship as an alternative source of income. This also led to a growing population of disillusioned workers. As a result, people began utilizing TikTok shop, Etsy and other platforms for financial support by selling various products.
As more people were exposed to hustle culture’s apparent benefits, entrepreneurship took off on social media. Creators took to platforms such as Instagram and TikTok to share their successful businesses and unique paths to success. Additionally, content related to self-improvement gained popularity alongside hustle culture, building a larger online community surrounding alternative lifestyles to corporate jobs.
That being said, not all content accurately reflected the lives of its creators. To capitalize on rising engagement, some influencers began performatively embellishing their successes. Teenagers became a target audience for this content due to their impressionability and tendency to follow online trends. Influencers began to sell a lifestyle teenagers eagerly pursued. Some teens even began posting about their own personal journeys, often replicating extreme lifestyle changes like cold plunges and 4 am routines.
While the rise of entrepreneurship encouraged many to seek financial independence, it also led to excessive demeaning of the nine-to-five corporate job. People labeled the pathway with internet phrases such as “corporate slavery,” and condemned those who pursued the route as having “signed away their life.” This narrative of corporate jobs is one sided, as it zooms in solely on the downsides of a stable job while focusing on all the positives of starting a small business. Many who critique nine-to-five jobs fail to acknowledge the stability and structure the job offers. Healthcare, retirement plans and paid time off are all benefits that entrepreneurship can’t offer. While these jobs cannot offer the independence and excitement that comes with running one’s own business, they offer a sense of security that many would rather choose in order to support themselves and their families.
Though a large portion of social media focuses on championing entrepreneurship, some creators have shifted their content to highlighting the beauty of an average nine-to-five lifestyle. Creator @hubslife on Instagram, for example, uses his page to document the positive aspects of his everyday life working a corporate job. By incorporating simplistic editing and visually appealing frames, his videos have amassed enormous audiences. His content resonated with viewers for his unique perspective on corporate work and his ability to make the mundane appear beautiful. He currently has 1.5 million followers on Instagram and countless views across multiple platforms.
Even so, not all have responded positively to this perspective. Many argue that corporate work, with its demanding schedules and rigor, leads to burnout. With various uncontrollable factors like stock, cost of living, sales and layoffs, the nine-to-five may no longer be the most practical way to sustain oneself. Many successful entrepreneurs claim this pattern encourages people to seek financial independence and earn income on their own terms.
While this is true to some extent, entrepreneurship is not a viable path for everyone. Most people cannot afford to go long periods without a stable source of income, or simply do not have the resources to pour into starting a side hustle. Additionally, pressure from family or relationships may prevent people from pursuing their ambitions. As a whole, corporate jobs still tend to offer more stability than the entrepreneur pathway, and belittling the nine-to-five fails to consider individuals’ unique circumstances. Doing so places excess pressure and feelings of inferiority on teens and young adults, often making them feel inadequate for choosing stability over risk.
The corporate job may not be considered perfect to all, but for millions, it has proven to be a stable path that enables self-sufficiency. To label the 9-5 lifestyle as “corporate slavery” is both false and ignorant, neglecting the specific conditions that many people live under. Ultimately, in a world where social media aims to box individuals under labels, compassion and understanding towards where people are in their careers is more crucial than ever.
