Compare hard work to a large windfall of money, and there seems to be no competition: ‘tis much better to receive than to earn. Shouldn’t self employment be….well, easy?
Who’s to say that pursuing game shoes isn’t a viable form of staying self employed? The idea of spending weeks, months and maybe even years trying to establish a resume, reputation and rolodex full of possible job contacts is all well and good…but the idea of receiving a large lump sum of easy money is much more compelling. When comparing working hard to receiving windfalls, who wouldn’t take the latter?
Is there such a thing as the easy route to self employment?
An Easy Route to Self Employment?
Forty-two out of 50 states in the US currently sponsor state lotteries, or plan to in the future (Florida will offer a statewide lottery beginning in 2009). Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands likewise offer district lotteries. States which do sponsor these games make millions of dollars each year - much more than what they give away to game winners. Often, it costs more money to play the lottery than winning tickets will pay out.
For almost all people, with only the occasional and very rare exception, this is not an easy route to self employment because it is not a viable route to financial freedom. …What is?
Game shows, reality shows and many aspects of the athletic and entertainment industries offer huge payouts for a rare few who can win at their own game. Even pursuing this path, however, may not be the easy route to self employment that it may seem. When looking for windfalls, large lump sums of cash, there’s still a good deal of work involved.
Working for Windfalls
Imagine a huge theatre, brimming with people. Now imagine that, of this crowd, perhaps one will be singled out for something extra-special. This offers a small inkling of what it’s like to be plucked from relative obscurity and placed into a televised competition, such as a game or reality show offering a large cash prize.
Many shows on television offer extraordinary sums - NBC’s Deal or No Deal promises a $1 million prize, while FOX gives away $500,00 on their Moment of Truth. In the first example, contestants only have to pick cases at random. In Moment, the host asks each competitor questions about their own life - all the answerer has to do is provide truthful information to the inquisition. Sound easy?
It’s not. Actually becoming a contestant on a televised show can be a very lengthy and even exhausting process - winning is a battle unto itself. Many shows offer very little information on how to even apply to become the next potential big winner, so that the entire process seems shrouded in mystery. Even when an application is submitted there is no guarantee of success - it’s more likely many weeks will go by with no communication whatsoever. Those who truly want to pursue a winning game or reality career should apply to more than one show - for every single season they continue to exist.
The application itself should be carefully planned and presented. Most shows require that would-be contestants submit a written application along with a brief video clip of themselves. In this clip, it’s important for potential game-winners to state their name, place of residence and all other interesting or pertinent facts. On the strength of this clip alone, would-be winners must compel television networks to see great potential and likeability so they can secure a highly-coveted spot against (literally) thousands and millions of other applicants.
In its way, working for windfalls can be every bit as difficult and time-consuming as…well, actual work.
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