One of my online friends, Bob Buskirk, made a very interesting post on his blog. It was about getting a ‘real’ job. It links to an extremely popular Sitepoint thread, which can be viewed here. Hundreds of Sitepoint members voiced their opinions on working for a business, or owning a business. Many of them went through hard times, having to deal with unsupportive parents, spouses or friends. Many of them were or still are on the wrong end of belittling comments like “you just play on the computer all day” or “you won’t make any money online” or “since you’re not doing anything can you help me”.

The web business owner doesn’t get the respect that he or she deserves. It seems like people only accept it as a legitimate job when you show them a fat check. That makes it extremely difficult for the struggling web entrepreneur or the ones who are just starting out, like me. We put in tons of hours and hard work to build websites that will eventually be profitable. We don’t have instant results to show spouses or family members that doubt us.

I am lucky enough to have a supportive family and girlfriend. My parents understand that I want to own my own business, preferably an online one. My girlfriend hounds me from time to time saying I spend too much time on the computer, but that is understandable. Owning websites is like an addiction and if you aren’t careful with it, you can alienate yourself from the people who matter most to you. My girlfriend gives me a hard time every now and then, but ultimately I think she realizes that this is my passion and that one day it will support us financially.

Everyday I get closer and closer to day I can quit my job and work for myself. It is a dream of mine. It is important to have inspiration and support around you everyday. If you are feeling down or want to read other people’s stories, then please read the Sitepoint post I linked to above. It’s always nice to hear a success story.