Survey Shows Self Employed Are Happier with Their Jobs but Stress More About Finances

Are you considering opening your own business? If so, you just might be happier than the friends of yours who work for someone else - though at the same time, you might stress a bit more about your financial situation.

This comes from a survey conducted by Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends. Nearly four in ten of those self employed said they were completely satisfied with their jobs; only 28% of those salaried employees felt the same.

The self employed and salaried workers also have different needs when it comes to working, with 32% of those running their own business working because they want to and only 19% of salaried doing the same.

Salaries fall right about the same, with both making around $35,000, but even so those who are self employed say they feel more stressed financially than those who are not. This could be because those who are self employed are responsible for paying out money for health care benefits, or it might be due to the fact that money is never a guarantee when it comes to running a business the way it is if you know you are secure in the job you are holding. For those that are self employed, some weeks and months might be better than others, and if the clients stop coming, the paycheck goes away.

I wonder, too, if the reason those self employed are happier than those who are not is because they are able to do something they really want to do. Perhaps in these families, financial situations allow the self employed to branch out and start a company, while in certain homes in which the residents are holding down salaried positions they are doing so because they can't follow the self employment dream for one reason or the next.

Many of the friends I have who are stay at home or work at home moms had careers before they had children. Children came, and then they ventured into the world of staying at home. Some still are, while others have since returned to work. Many of the friends I have began looking at alternative ways to make money, though, and quite a few have opened their own businesses. This has worked because:

They weren't already working outside of the home.

The money they make is 'extra' since they have been living on one paycheck only.

They have extra time to 'see if it works' until they have to stop being self employed, if it doesn't, and return to a salaried position.

Therefore, they are definitely happy because they are pursuing a passion and the money situation is not as stressful because they have another paycheck to fall back on; at least, as long as they are not losing a lot of money in the process.This would be the reason in my case that my friends might be more stressed about money: they would be losing not just theirs but the families as well if the business fell through.

What are your thoughts on this? Why do you think the self employed are happier? Have you been both self employed and salaried, and which did you prefer?

You can view the entire survey here: https://pewsocialtrends.org/2009/09/17/take-this-job-and-love-it/#prc-jump