Independence means more dependents.
When I was a full-time university faculty member, I had the feeling that my career would be doomed if the power-harassing elders around me didn't like me, but once I started writing books and taking analysis jobs on my own, I felt better and actually quit. I think this is a good example of how "independence means increasing the number of people on whom you depend.
On the other hand, power-harassers tend to tell young people to "focus on one thing," which is a rational thing to say in that it increases their influence if there is no escape route. At the very least, "one thing" should be a personal mission, not a position, and you can do any number of jobs that lead to that mission as long as they are within your capacity.
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