In my radical days as a "power to the people" college student, I always imagined myself in the middle of a village somewhere, organizing people to fight against The Man and teaching kids to read. Fast forward five years, and there I was in a blue suit and heels, creating Powerpoint presentations and using words like "employee engagement," "value metrics" and "alignment of initiatives."
In the long run, being an employee in Corporate America was not for me. But I would never trade my experience since I gained a truckload of skills, saved up a decent amount of money in my retirement account, and met some of my most dear friends. As a consultant, I have worked for many big-name companies. In every case, I have met some smart, capable and ethical people. I have also met a lot of schmucks, but that is certainly not unique to the corporate world.
So if you are still working inside a corporation, don’t fret it. Take advantage of the learning opportunities and great perks. When you are ready to break out and work for yourself, don’t burn your bridges. Your co-workers could be your best source of new business.