Over the years the pressure to figure out what career I am going to pursue has stacked up. “I’m going into nursing and I’ve already started a CNA program.” “I’m going to be an agricultural equipment salesman.” “I’m going to a technical college to become a welder.” All of these quotes are from my friends who knew exactly what career path they were headed down since junior year of high school. Unlike them, I did not have a clue what I would be doing for a living in the future. I always knew I would go into some job within the business field but I never knew which one was specific to me. That was until I looked to one of my biggest role models, my father. 

Independent, unconventional, freethinking. All qualities that apply to myself and my father who had and continues to own his own business he built from the ground up. He recently told me how he could never work for anybody other than himself which is why he started his own printing company. I thought deeply about his words and related them to how I think on a daily basis. If I couldn’t figure out a specific path to follow I would create my own, even if that meant going off the usual path.

My father once told me that, “ starting a business is a tough but rewarding endeavor.” This all sounded so intriguing to me as a person who’s always been taking risks. Even in class I would have a tough time paying attention to the teacher because I wanted to do things my own way. I have always been independent which is why the concept of being my own boss was so interesting to me. Being able to make the rules, direct others, and lead a team of workers to make a profit sounded like a challenge I wanted to take on. 

I already have a basic plan of my next few years layed out that will allow me to accomplish my goals of becoming a business owner. Firstly, I will graduate high school at the end of this year. I will then spend the next four years at the University of Georgia studying within the Terry College of Business to receive my bachelors degree. I then hope to work for multiple different small companies in order to understand how small businesses operate in the real world. Throughout this time I will brainstorm multiple business ideas and narrow it down to the one with the highest potential. After this I will start my entrepreneurial endeavor by receiving a loan from the bank, hiring employees, and creating a solid business foundation. 

Even though the risk of starting your own business is a roll of the dice, I am willing to take that risk if it means I would have my dream job. The world runs on small businesses and I’d like to contribute to that part of the economy. Although I do not know what the future holds, I would be proud to say that I run my own business and carry on my family’s history of successful business owners.