Over the past few years, most companies allowed their employees to work from home.
Originally, this was to ensure safety during the pandemic.
Now that infection rates are trending down, many workers are finding ways to be prosperous on their own.
If you struggle to find the motivation to go to work every day, you may be looking for a different way to make a living.
And you’re not alone!
Many people have found a way to work for themselves.
Once you know how to get out of the rat race, you’ll never want to go back!
What Is the Rat Race?
The rat race is a term coined to describe the unpleasant way of life many people have to endure to have a successful career.
If you hate your job, you’re probably longing to get out of this lifestyle.
Competing with others to have higher salaries, promotions, bonuses, and power can wear on a person over time.
It is comparable to rats in a maze during laboratory experiments.
Can I Escape the Rat Race?
Experts agree that living most of your life doing a job you hate is not good for your health.
Fortunately, there are ways to get out of the 9-5 routine of most jobs.
However, leaving a job can be a life-changing decision.
We live in an economy that is becoming more accepting of contract work, gigs, side hustles, and self-employment.
There are many ways to earn a living without reporting to an office every day, and finding one to suit you is the only thing standing in your way from escaping your stifling schedule.
Taking steps to work for yourself can lead to great contentment with your work.
What Does Escaping the Rat Race Mean?
When someone says they are getting out of the rat race, it means they are looking for a change of pace in their professional life.
For many people, this can mean going into business for themselves or starting a small company.
For others, it can mean finding a way to make a living doing something they enjoy doing.
One of the main benefits of the gig economy is that there are many unique jobs that most people didn’t know they could do to make a living.
Many people find out they enjoy writing or making art more than they knew they did when they can live off of it.
What Makes the Rat Race So Unbearable?
What is it about the rat race that is so depressing and makes people want to start their careers all over?
People often hear about what to do to get a leg up in their careers.
By the time they discover another way to do things, they have already lived by the rules for so long that it becomes hard to escape.
Why do people want to escape from the rat race if that’s how most of our society functions today?
Here are just a few reasons.
Student Debt
One of the biggest struggles people face today is paying their student debt.
They take out tens of thousands of dollars in loans to get the college degree they need to be successful.
They inevitably find themselves paying that debt for the majority of their lives.
Accepting Low Pay
People who are fresh out of college often take low-paying jobs to get their foot in the door with the company they want to work for.
Many companies offer unpaid internships to allow entry-level workers to gain experience, saying that is an equivalent exchange for their work.
Time Away From Family
When people want to move up in a company, or compete for a promotion or raise, they will do almost anything to earn favor with their supervisors or managers.
This can mean volunteering for extra work without any additional compensation or working late hours or weekends.
That kind of schedule can be crippling to relationships with friends and family outside of work.
Over 60% of people reported being unhappy with their work in 2021 and a very likely cause of this dissatisfaction is the lack of a work/life balance.
How To Escape the Rat Race
There is a way to get out of working 9-5 in hopes of future wealth or power.
Many people are discovering the possibilities of gig work, side hustles, or working in a field because of their passion.
Here are some things to do if you are thinking about getting out of the rat race.
1. Identify What You Can Do
You might be able to find your passion in different types of work.
You can find a restaurant willing to take a chance on someone with little experience.
Many of them were in the same boat at one point.
The main thing is to figure out what you are good at that you can work on to make yourself even better.
2. Determine If You Can Work Without a Regular Paycheck
Gig workers do not get paid twice a month or have two weeks of paid vacation.
If that safety net is something you need, it will hold you back from advancing in the gig economy.
Commission artists, web designers, and freelance photographers get paid for each job.
You may be able to charge more per gig, but you can’t expect to have a regular job.
3. Accept Side Hustles
If you want to make a name for yourself in a particular field or want to start your own business, you may have to do something on the side to help make ends meet.
Many people turn to food delivery services, rideshare companies, and other side hustles to help supplement their income while they grow their brands.
These companies typically pay every day and are not hard to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the questions that people often ask when wondering how to get out of the rat race.
Why do they call it the rat race?
It is endless and pointless, much like rats in a lab maze.
Rats run around for laboratory experiments and the only reward they get is a small piece of cheese when it is over.
How do you know if you’re in the rat race?
If you spend most of your life either at work or thinking about your job, or if your work is causing negative changes in your energy and health, you are doing a rat race job.
What is the opposite of the rat race?
Living an essential life where you work to earn a living and not because of a goal to attain more wealth and power is the opposite of the rat race.
That is the life that people look for when they leave their 9-5 jobs for something more.
Wrapping Up
If you are in a job that makes you feel stuck, or if you find that your job is the biggest part of your life, you are stuck in the rat race.
Many people have found a way to escape from the rat race by finding a way to make a living doing things that give them purpose in their lives.
If you want to stop competing for a chance to move up the corporate ladder and begin enjoying going to work, looking into one of the avenues out of the rat race could allow you to live your essential life.
