There's always the trade off between a guaranteed pay check versus having skills that allow you to be self-employed.
Face it folks, we live in a global economy. Our standard of living is higher than most other countries and we consume like no one else. What passes for poor in this country is considered middle class or rich in other countries. We demand more and more for our dollars and we certainly like the idea of our 401K growing in value. What are companies supposed to do but keep costs down?
Well, self-employment is not for everyone. And paycheck is not guaranteed either, at least when one is not a tenured professor or a government bureaucrat. Saving/investment route has much lower entry barriers.
Has it occured to you that savings come from a paycheck ? And that is why the savings rate is so critically low ?