Career Options Magazine

Editorial

October 9th, 2012

By Paul D. Smith

To our readers,

In this issue of Career Options High School Edition we celebrate entrepreneurs, those people who create a successful business from their imagination and effort. Starting your own business is a very real option for new grads, and there are lots of success stories, a few of which we present here. And there are plenty of resources available to help you get started, some of which are also introduced here. For example, experience is a great teacher, and franchise opportunities offer resources and mentors to help you get started. If you think you might enjoy working for yourself, then read on—there is something inside for you. And if you’re not sure about working for yourself, then you should read on, too. The first question any entrepreneur must answer is “Am I cut out for this?” The answer to that question is the most important piece of information you will need.

Success of the type that creates jobs for other people is exceptional, and must, by definition, require an exceptional path. Graduation followed by employment with a large corporation or government department is a worthy accomplishment, and it is a well-travelled road that offers established rewards. Those who seek a different kind of success must take a different road, and leave behind the comfort of the crowd. Doing so introduces an element of enhanced risk, as any innovative effort must, but it also offers enhanced reward. Being your own boss offers the freedom to do what you want, and the thrill of making an impact on your own terms. However, these perks come at a price: the risk of failure. Balancing this equation is the challenge all entrepreneurs must face—how much risk will they tolerate to collect their reward?

If entrepreneurs are indeed different, perhaps it is their willingness to take on risk that makes them so. In fact, that is one of the theories explaining why some people are willing to gamble with their money (or their family’s) and their time. But others disagree, pointing to studies that show entrepreneurs don’t see risk as others do. They believe so strongly on their idea that they simply can’t imagine it will fail. So be it a gambler’s heart or the faith of the believer, something drives these exceptional people to make their own way. Statistics Canada reports that the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector is the largest employer of Canadians, and it stands to reason that a good number of those SMEs are owned and run by entrepreneurs. Canadians owe a great deal of our prosperity to the individuals who take the risk to start their own companies, and that is not likely to change.

Enjoy the issue!

 

Paul D. Smith is the Executive Director of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers and Editor-in-Chief of Career Options magazine. Email Paul at [email protected].

 

For more information, visit: cacee.com, careeroptionsmagazine.com