If you’ve ever picked up a personal finance book and felt like a loser for having a job, you’ve already met job shaming.

I’ve felt it, too.

I felt job shamed reading books like Rich Dad, Poor Dad that frame employees as people who “work for money” while the real winners are the business owners who make money “work for them.”

I felt job shamed by my own dad, who thought I should skip college and just start a business.

And I felt it as an intern, sitting in orientation, when HR was explaining our benefits and asked if we had any questions. I raised my hand and asked:

“What does the retirement package look like?”

Another intern laughed and basically said, “Retirement? Dude, this is just a job.”

Everybody chuckled.

I laughed it off in the moment, but it stuck with me. The message underneath was clear:

“If you’re treating this like a real step toward your future, you’re doing it wrong. It’s just a job. Don’t take it seriously.”

That’s job shaming in a nutshell—and it’s quietly wrecking people’s confidence and their wealth.

In this article, I want to flip the script on job shaming and show you:

• What job shaming really is

• Why it’s harmful (financially and emotionally)

• A healthier way to view your job

• Why, for most people, keeping a good job is the smartest wealth move

• How to start embracing your career and using it to build extraordinary wealth

What is job shaming?

Job shaming is making someone feel inferior, embarrassed, or “less than” because of the type of work they do—or because they have a job at all.

Sometimes it’s obvious:

• Mocking someone for working retail, fast food, or a “low‑status” job

• Insulting a mid‑career employee for “still being just an employee”

• Treating trades, service work, or admin roles as if they’re beneath you

Sometimes it’s sneakier:

• Personal finance gurus who imply that employees are suckers and only business owners are truly smart with money

• Hustle‑culture influencers who say, “If you’re serious, you’ll quit your job and go all in”

• Friends who act confused that you’d “settle” for a stable role instead of chasing a startup dream

And sometimes, the worst job shaming comes from inside our own heads.

For years, I job shamed myself:

• I compared myself to entrepreneurs and founders and always came up short

• I obsessed over “what if” scenarios—different mentors, different degree, different risk profile

• I felt like I was doing something wrong by having what looked like a normal career

At one office, I watched every single staff member eventually leave for another job. I became the most tenured person there, even though I was the youngest. Instead of seeing that as a sign of commitment and stability, I took it as evidence that I was failing.

“If I was really ambitious, I’d be gone too. What’s wrong with me that I’m still here?”

The truth? Staying there at that time was exactly the right decision for my family.

Job shaming made it hard to see that clearly.

Why is job shaming harmful?

Job shaming would be bad enough if it only hurt our feelings. But it does more than that. It quietly pushes people into financially destructive decisions.

Here are three big ways job shaming causes harm.

1. It makes people abandon good jobs for the wrong reasons

If you’re constantly told that “real” success means quitting your job, it’s only a matter of time before you feel pressured to prove yourself.

So people:

• Leave stable, well‑paying roles too early

• Jump into businesses they’re not prepared for

• Take on debt or risk they don’t fully understand

Not because the opportunity is actually better, but because they’re trying to escape the shame of being “just an employee.”

A good job—especially one that pays decently and respects your time—is incredibly valuable. Job shaming tricks people into seeing that asset as a burden.

2. It disguises survivorship bias and fake success

We hear a lot about entrepreneurial success stories.

We don’t hear as much about:

• The business owners who went bankrupt

• The ones who are quietly treading water, making less than they would in a job

• The people who look successful online but are barely holding it together financially

This is classic survivorship bias: the failures disappear from view, while the rare big successes are on podcasts, book covers, and panels.

There’s another layer, too: the fake success crowd.

Some people make more money teaching entrepreneurship than they ever did running a real business. High‑ticket courses, filtered Instagram feeds, and rented Lamborghinis create the illusion that entrepreneurship is a guaranteed upgrade from employment.

Job shaming plays into that illusion. It makes staying employed feel like cowardice when in reality, for most people, it’s the smarter economic choice.

3. It ignores how powerful the employment model really is

Employment isn’t just “what you do until you can start a real business.” It’s an incredibly efficient economic model that exists because it works.

As an employee, you:

• Specialize in what you do best

• Multiply your efforts by working with a team

• Get access to proprietary systems, information, and experienced colleagues you’d never have on your own

• Can start earning immediately—you can literally walk into a place, work, and leave with money in your pocket that day

That’s very close to magic.

Yes, there are drawbacks: employees are heavily taxed, and by definition, not everyone can be “rich” if most people are employees.

But that doesn’t mean your job is a dead end. It means you need a strategy that uses your job as part of a bigger wealth plan.

That’s where job shaming really hurts: it makes people ignore or underutilize one of the most powerful wealth‑building tools they already have: a steady paycheck.

A healthier way to view your job

So if job shaming is the lie, what’s the truth?

Here’s how I recommend you think about your job:

Your job is the current income arrangement you’ve agreed to right now.

That’s it.

It’s not your identity. It’s not your permanent destiny. It’s an agreement:

• You sell your time, skills, and energy

• Your employer pays you a certain amount in return

You are allowed, even encouraged, to keep looking for the best possible income arrangement:

• A higher‑paying role

• A different industry

• A promotion

• A side income stream

• Or, for some people, eventually a business of your own

But there is no shame in where you are today.

You are selling your labor to a buyer. You have every right to sell it to the highest bidder over time. That’s part of why I created my Paycheck‑to‑Passive™ framework: to help you systematically improve your situation instead of just feeling stuck.

The real purpose of a job in your wealth plan is simple:

A job is the most efficient way to earn an honest living and generate the cash you need to buy income‑producing assets.

Life is not free. You need income to pay for the things you have in life. Employment lets you:

• Start earning income right away

• Skip the months (or years) of building infrastructure, finding customers, and doing pre‑sales work

• Use part of your paycheck to buy assets that keep paying you long after you stop working

If we can learn to use part of our paycheck to build portfolios of income‑producing assets, we can eventually earn passive income that continues after we clock out.

That’s the real magic.

Why most people should keep their job (at least for now)

I’m not anti‑entrepreneurship.

We need entrepreneurs. Somebody has to build the companies, take the big swings, and create jobs for everyone else.

What I’m against is job shaming people into entrepreneurship they’re not equipped for, or don’t actually want.

Here’s the blunt truth as I see it:

• Entrepreneurship is required in society; it is not required for every individual.

• Most people will make more money (and keep more of their sanity) at a good job.

Why?

1. Employment multiplies your efforts.
   You benefit from teams, systems, and collaboration. The whole company’s engine supports your role and, in turn, your paycheck.

2. Entrepreneurship requires specific skills and natural tendencies.
   Managing risk, managing stress, organizing chaos, constant problem‑solving—these are not things everyone wants to do, even if they could.

3. A stable job lets you take smarter risks elsewhere.
   Plenty of successful companies started in “someone’s garage” while that person kept their day job. The paycheck funded experimentation without panic.

4. The tax issue is real, but not decisive.
   In the U.S. and many other countries, employment income is heavily taxed. Entrepreneurs have more tools to reduce their tax burden. But if you leave a solid job just to chase tax advantages, you may find you’re making less income overall as a business owner, even with lower taxes. Lower taxes on a much smaller pie is not an upgrade.

5. Entrepreneurship is optional. Wealth isn’t.
   Everyone needs a path to financial stability, breathing room, and eventually some level of passive income. For most people, the cleanest path is:

   • Keep a good job

   • Increase your income strategically

   • Control your spending

   • Invest consistently into income‑producing assets

You can do all of that without ever quitting your job.

How to embrace your career and start building extraordinary wealth

If you’ve felt job shamed—by others or by yourself—I want you to walk away from this feeling heard, validated, and less pressured.

Here’s how to turn that feeling into action over the next 30 days.

1. Stop apologizing for having a job

You don’t owe anyone an apology for choosing stability, a predictable schedule, or a paycheck that feeds your family. If you catch yourself thinking, “It’s just a job,” reframe it:

“This is my current income arrangement and I’m using it to fund my wealth plan.”

2. Get clear on what your job is doing for you

Write this out on paper:

• How much do you take home each month?

• What benefits do you get (healthcare, retirement match, PTO)?

• What skills, connections, or experience are you building that you couldn’t get alone?

Seeing this in black and white helps you appreciate the full value of your role—and decide where to improve it.

3. Look for your “next best income arrangement”

Being anti–job shaming doesn’t mean “never change.” It means making calm, strategic moves.

Ask yourself:

• Could I realistically negotiate a raise or promotion this year?

• Are there roles in my industry that would pay more for the same skills?

• Is there overtime, a bonus structure, or a certification that could boost my pay?

Your job is not a prison. You’re allowed to sell your time and talent to the highest bidder.

4. Use part of your paycheck to start (or grow) a portfolio

This is where my Paycheck‑to‑Passive™ framework comes in:

• First, create breathing room—a simple budget and an emergency fund so you’re not living on the edge.

• Next, learn how to sell your skills to the highest bidder and maximize your paycheck income.

• Then, use the extra cash to buy income‑producing assets:

  • Broad‑based index funds

  • Dividend‑paying stocks

  • Other assets that fit your risk tolerance

The exact mix depends on your situation, but the principle is the same:

A portion of every paycheck becomes ownership in things that pay you back.

Over time, that portfolio starts to generate real, measurable passive income. That’s how I went from growing up in poverty to building a $50,000/year passive‑income portfolio—while keeping a normal job and being a present dad.

5. Give yourself permission to be “just an employee” and wildly successful

You are allowed to:

• Work a normal 9–5

• Never start a business

• Take jobs that outsiders might see as “beneath” you if they’re right for your life right now

…and still build extraordinary wealth. That's what I did.

You’re also allowed to:

• Start a business on the side

• Transition out of your job when it truly makes sense

• Design a different income arrangement entirely

What you don’t have to do is shame yourself, or let anyone else job shame you into decisions that aren’t right for you or your family.

Flipping the script on job shaming

Job shaming says:

• “If you’re still an employee, you’re behind.”

• “If you’re not taking big risks, you’re playing small.”

• “If you treat your job like it matters, you’re weak.”

I disagree.

My entire brand—Cheatcode Wealth™ and the Paycheck‑to‑Passive™ journey—is built on a different belief:

You can live an ordinary life and build extraordinary wealth by respecting your job, protecting your family, and using your paycheck to buy assets.

No job shaming. No hustle guilt. Just a clear, honest plan.

If that resonates with you, you’re exactly who I created this work for.

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