With our political affairs being up in the air, it’s reassuring and cathartic for Britons to learn that employment rates are at their highest since forever. Those figures do include zero-hour contracts, mind you… But it’s a good thing, right? It is for the 12% of workers who happily enjoy their job, but perhaps not for the remaining 88%.

Dark Times for Workers

A recent study carried out by Sodexo Engage has claimed a colossal 88% of employees are discontent in their current work role. 23% of respondents claimed their needs are not considered in the workplace, and only a fifth declared they completely understand their employers’ business goals.

Perhaps unfulfilled potential is disengaging employees. The Graduate Outcomes Survey found that 43% of undergraduates who were employed full-time following university did not feel their qualification was important for their current employment. Their skills and education are not being fully utilised.

Economic Flaws

Stats reveal only 52% of creative art graduates are able to land full-time employment post university, as opposed to 97.2% of successful pharmacy graduates. A shortage of creative job opportunities — amongst other fields — in the labour market is influencing candidates and their uniquely wired brains, to seek unrelated work roles and compromise their mental wellbeing.

That being said, even the applicants with backgrounds in the more desirable fields aren’t guaranteed a position. The economy is controlled by companies, and if they don’t think your Facebook profile pictures scream dependable, then they may look for someone else.

What’s more, even roles which aren’t supposed to require qualifications or experience are asking for both. So, what’s an applicant supposed to do?

If You’re Going to be a Number, be Number One

If you’re willingly carrying out a role that does not exert your skill-set, unearth your potential, better your capability or credit your worth, then you should consider becoming an entrepreneur. Because why be someone else’s number when you can put number one first?

Reasons Why You Should Become an Entrepreneur

1. Because It’s Innate, according to Muhammad Yuna

Muhammad Yuna, a hugely celebrated social entrepreneur, civil society leader, economist and pioneer of microcredit and micro-finance, says everyone has the capacity to become an entrepreneur, it’s in our DNA.

He believes everyone is born with entrepreneurial qualities and the potential to independently succeed. It’s more instinctive for workers to carry out actions for their own self gain — derived from an innate survival nature — as opposed to working as a number.

“Human beings are not born to work for anybody else,” he says. “For the millions of years that we were on the planet, we never worked for anybody. We are go-getters. We are farmers. We are hunters. We lived in caves and we found our own food, we didn’t send job applications. So this is our tradition.”

The Bangladeshi society leader pushes for workers to stop contributing to the wealth and success of rich, global corporations and go at it alone. He proves that if you need and want something enough, it’s possible, after turning “illiterate rural women in the villages, in the mountains” into successful entrepreneurs.

2. You will live longer and be happier

Okinawa, the southernmost point of Japan, homes hundreds of centenarians and supercentenarians, whom not only possess diets rich in nutrients, but livelihoods rich in happiness. The secret? A concept called “ikigai”.

Ikigai, combines the Japanese words ikiru, meaning “to live” and kai, meaning “the realisation of what one hopes for”, which translates into a concept of having a purpose, or reason to live. When becoming an entrepreneur, business owners can ignite a spark of “ikigai” through finding their purpose, chasing their dreams, offering their skills to the universe, and fulfilling a demand or need.

It goes without saying that being an entrepreneur requires heaps of determination, perseverance and tenacity. But, as cliche as it sounds, you’ve the capabilities to do whatever you put your mind to.

So, scrap the 9-5 that’s giving you the blues, and strive for self-employment, not just for financial gains – although that’s a bonus – but for creative freedom, work satisfaction, sense of achievement and sheer happiness; perks of the job!