🤔 Is My Job Worth It? Calculator
This is the question behind every 2 a.m. career search: if I started something, how long until it pays what the job pays? Put in honest numbers and see the crossover month and the 5 year totals side by side.
Nights and weekends count. Most employed founders start with 10 to 20.
Be conservative. Service businesses often earn $50 to $150 an hour once established; use the low end of your idea's range.
How long until your business hours actually earn that rate. 12 to 24 months is realistic for most first businesses.
Months until the business matches your paycheck
17.7 months
Business income per month at full speed
$5,521
5 year job income (3% raises)
$345,094
5 year business income at these hours
$284,319
At 15 hours a week, your business matches your paycheck in about 18 months. Over 5 years the job pays $345,094 and the business pays $284,319 at these part-time hours. The difference: the job's number is the ceiling, the business number is the floor you build from.
Estimates for planning, not financial advice. Your real numbers will vary; that is exactly why you track them.
Does this resonate?
The math works when the idea fits
The income-per-hour number is decided by WHICH business you pick. Answer a few questions and get matched to ideas where your skills already command the high end of the range.
Find the business that fits you →Good questions about this math
Is the income-per-hour number realistic?
It depends entirely on the business. Freelance services and consulting commonly earn $50 to $150 an hour once established. Products and content earn less per hour early and more later because they scale past your hours. Use a number from real people in the business you want, not a hope.
Why does the job sometimes win the 5 year total?
Because this compares a full-time salary against part-time business hours. That is the honest early picture. The business column changes character when you add hours, raise rates, or hire; the salary column only changes when someone else decides it does.
What does 'months to reach full speed' mean?
No business earns its mature rate on day one. The ramp is the learning-and-audience-building period where each hour earns less than it eventually will. Most first businesses take 12 to 24 months to reach steady earning speed.