I believe that there are 2 paths. Either a successful job(a really high salary) or building your own business. Which do you prefer? I prefer to have my own business.

That's not a choice. If your only argument for doing a Business is avoiding Job Hardwork, you will fail.

@theabbie Captain Bloody Obvious here.

My approach:
High-paying job that provides seed capital for investing.

... Is that seriously an $8 bill?

I don't know, I kind of like having a reliable, stable source of income as a salaried employee.

The way I see it, a salary can be a great steps towards investing in stocks, or indeed a business. Starting a successful business is definitely the hardest path tbh. In such a case you gotta be prepared to pull 100 hour work weeks at times. It'll pay off in the end though.

"Building your own business" is not possible without having connections and the ability to lead. And not to mention, the capital required for even starting the said business. Most of us can't afford to start a business, with our level of knowledge and skills. Don't believe everything a motivational guru wants to sell you 😛
Although having your business may suit your pride and ego, you also have more responsibilities. If your business grows big enough, then you're responsible for your employees; not just their salary, but also their job safety, their physical and emotional safety, and their mental health while they're working for you. I know every kind of moron is a business owner nowadays, but owning a business has been known to cause enough stress for a heart attack.
So, maybe do a bit more thinking before encouraging others, who might as well be much more capable than you, to start a business. It's not everyone's cup of tea.

yeah.. why don't you start your own business with no employees then.. you don't want to trap others by paying them salaries right

If you prefer to set up and have your own business than good for you.
I'm sure you know that:
- investing a lot of your own money and time to get your business running,
- dealing with paperwork, paying all the kind of taxes the government want to you to pay,
- not having a stable income even if you're a good salesperson,
- having to wear multiple hats (even if you end up employing people which brings more risks),
- having a professional network is increasingly more important

It's nice being your own boss, but that's not for everyone and being a salaried employee isn't bad.

They are both hard. Work while building your own business. Also, have multiple sources of income even if other sources are just small. They all will pile up.

@Berkmann18 yes it is not for everyone. The 2 of them have both their pros and cons but being a business owner is really good in the long run. Employees don't have passive/residual income.

Employment is not bad but doing it for the rest of your life is wrong. I don't want to be in a rat race forever. Besides, companies like cheap developers. Eventually they'll replace you for a cheap one. Real talk.

@theabbie both of them have hard work.

@Devnergy Business is much harder, also because your being incompetent can destroy you. In Job, the Risk factor is much low.

@Devnergy > Employees don't have passive/residual income.

Plenty of employees do, obviously not all.
I've seen far more employees with passive income streams than business owners, not sure why one would be think it's a business owner privilege.

Problem is. Now I don’t have a job, not sure what the dream is?

Feels like with such thinking we're trying to avoid regrets and disappointment in the future.
As long as you are investigating your time/effort/money into something meaningful you will be immune to regrets. Therefore for me personally this is the only way.

I'm not saying it's as easy as it stands.

Satisfaction shouldn't be tied so closely to work. I don't dream of running a business, or buying stocks, or anything like that. My salary is not a trap because it's just a means to an end. A reliable source of income to fund whatever my actual dreams might be, since they have nothing to do with being a "self-made man" or whatever the latest entrepreneurial bullshit buzzwords might be.