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Tip Sheets
Self-Employment: A Career Option for You?
Are you persistent and resourceful?
Are you an optimistic, positive person?
Can you get along with most people?
Is achievement important to you?
Are you usually well-organized?
Are you enthusiastic and energetic?
Are you responsible?
Are you self-confident? |
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Do you enjoy solving problems?
Are you willing to take calculated risks?
Are you a hard worker?
Do you make decisions comfortably?
Do you value your independence?
Are you flexible or adaptable?
Can you "sell" products or ideas?
Are you in good health? |
If you answered "yes" to many of these questions, self-employment may be a career option worth considering.
Being your own boss has advantages and disadvantages. For example, self-employment might allow you to:
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set your own hours of work |
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work at home or in other settings of your choice |
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meet lots of people |
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travel |
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earn more money than you would working for someone else. |
On the other hand, it might also involve:
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working long hours to meet deadlines or deal with problems |
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competing with other businesses |
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working independently, without a support system of co-workers |
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investing and possibly risking your own money. |
Only you can decide if the advantages of self-employment would outweigh the disadvantages for you. A lot depends on:
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your personal circumstances (your financial resources and commitments, family responsibilities, personal support system, local labour market, etc.)
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your skills and knowledge (for help identifying your strengths, check out Do You Have the Skills Employers Want? in Other Relevant Tips)
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your willingness to work hard and take calculated risks (for help identifying your risk-taking styles, check out Risk-Taking and Career Decision in Other Relevant Tips). |
If you would like to become your own boss, the following tips will help you get started:
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Talk to people who are self-employed (e.g. computer consultants, insurance brokers, owners of hair salons, dry cleaning shops and other small businesses). Ask them how they got started, what they like and dislike about being self-employed, and what they would do differently if they were starting over. |
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Read as much as possible about how to set up a business, what the marketplace is like in your area, what products or services are currently in demand, and what trends are expected to influence demand for products or services in the future.
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Scan the business section of your local newspaper every day. Find out what is already happening in your area, and try to anticipate what products or services will be needed in the future.
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Visit the main branch of your local public library and talk to a reference librarian. Many libraries have business librarians who specialize in helping people find all kinds of the business-related information, including information on the Internet.
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Visit Alberta-Canada's website at www.alberta-canada.com and follow the Starting Your Business link to the Small Business Start-Up page. This web page is a gateway to a great deal of information about starting a small business. It includes contact information for Regional Development Branch offices throughout Alberta, information about how to obtain a series of small business guides and a number of small business profiles, and links to other key resources such as the Business Link website at www.cbsc.org/alberta in Edmonton and the Calgary Business Information Centre at www.canadabusiness.ca/alberta. For other links, click on Self-Employment in the Employment section of the Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) website at alis.alberta.ca |
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Take a course about how to start your own business. Many government agencies and business organizations offer training programs for potential entrepreneurs. Your local Regional Development branch office, library or Chamber of Commerce may be able to direct you to entrepreneur training programs, government advisors for potential entrepreneurs, or business "incubator" programs in your community. Continuing Education departments through local school boards and colleges often offer self-employment courses. For more information, Canadian residents can phone the Career Information Hotline toll-free at 1-800-661-3753 or 422-4266 in Edmonton. |
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Identify the knowledge, experience and skills you will need to succeed (e.g. organizational skills, time management skills, public speaking skills, bookkeeping knowledge). If you need to improve your skills but don't want to go back to school, check out Many Training Paths Develop Skills and Knowledge (see Other Relevant Tips). |
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download an online copy or order the publication from the Publications website at alis.alberta.ca/careershop |
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call the Alberta Career Information Hotline at 1-800-661-3753 toll-free or 780-422-4266 in Edmonton |
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visit your local Alberta Employment and Immigration service centre. To find the centre nearest you, call the Alberta Career Information Hotline. |
Last Updated: May 26, 2006
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