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This applies to everyone except for probably a few people out there.
How exactly do you know that a passion is going to remain a passion?
Let me give you a quick example. My friend used to think that artificial intelligence would be the most exciting thing to work on. He always obsessed over the concepts and what the future would look like. However, when he directly began to work with programming and design, he couldn't stand it and said he'd rather be doing something else. The bottom line is, there probably isn't the perfect career out there just waiting for you; if it's anything that pays decently and leads to a stable life it will require some degree of struggle and patience. A suitable analogy would be marriage. Many people desire good/great traits in their future spouse. However, they themselves are not willing to change if their spouse were to expect the same traits from them. Every job can be romanticized but when it comes to working at it 8+ hours a day, it won't be what you expected it to be. Nothing in life is easy, and not all is fun and games. Patience is the only way to get through life.
I think human can always rationalize anything to be a passion, for the same reason that they can rationalize anything to be a drudge.
You can manufacture your own challenges if you are stuck in a boring job. But the longer you do that job, the harder it gets to maintain that passion and enthusiasm. Eventually you just hit the wall and go through the motions. By that time you probably CAN perform your job well with your brain tied behind your back and no one will even notice. Sad. I think in the HR world they talk about engaged VS disengaged employees.
As you grow and age, chances are your interests and passions will change. If you are lucky, you may be able to aim your career in that direction/make changes. That's not always a viable option people can choose because of responsibilities or the economy. Sometimes the paycheck becomes more important than the job. If you want the freedom to change there's a price to pay. You have to shy away from the responsibilities that would make you too dependent on that paycheck.
Here's the voice of decades of experience. Almost any job becomes boring after a period of time.
I've always said if someone expected me to make love and eat chocolate cake 40 hours a week, eight hours a day, or else I'd have no money or health insurance or a roof over my head, I probably wouldn't enjoy said activities for long.
Passion and employment are great if you have a passion for something that is real employable. If you have a passion for Chinese interpretive dance, I think you're in big trouble.
I am of the baby boom "Do what you love and the money will follow" and I absolutely think it's crapola. Also, the time to figure out a payable passion is not when you're unemployed or behind in the rent and frantic. That's the time to "circle the airport" to give yourself some breathing room.
I still think passions are best left out of the employment loop, except for a very few driven and talented people (I am not one of these). I do think passions are best left to the volunteer world or avocation world, not money making.
I say this after a lot of years of considering these things and trying to make a living in areas that absolutely interest me and where I have no unusual talents whatsoever (or an anti-talent).
^ Did that saying really come from the baby boomers? I thought it came from Generation X or Y, but then again I'm part of Generation Y so I really wouldn't know.
I thought it was a boomer idea, along with everyone around you, saying, "Go for it!" when you go to do some crazy venture that they're unwilling to try themselves.
A lot of people have made money running seminars for middle-aged people (usually women) with the title, "Do what you love and the money will follow." I absolutely thought it came from baby boom times, but it's hardly a new idea. Wherever it came from, I still think it's airy-fairy dead wrong, or at least unlikely.
I don't need to love my job I just don't want to be stressed and stifled. I can be bored, and underappreciated as long as I am left to do a job in peace.
This applies to everyone except for probably a few people out there.
How exactly do you know that a passion is going to remain a passion?
Let me give you a quick example. My friend used to think that artificial intelligence would be the most exciting thing to work on. He always obsessed over the concepts and what the future would look like. However, when he directly began to work with programming and design, he couldn't stand it and said he'd rather be doing something else. The bottom line is, there probably isn't the perfect career out there just waiting for you; if it's anything that pays decently and leads to a stable life it will require some degree of struggle and patience. A suitable analogy would be marriage. Many people desire good/great traits in their future spouse. However, they themselves are not willing to change if their spouse were to expect the same traits from them. Every job can be romanticized but when it comes to working at it 8+ hours a day, it won't be what you expected it to be. Nothing in life is easy, and not all is fun and games. Patience is the only way to get through life.
I think human can always rationalize anything to be a passion, for the same reason that they can rationalize anything to be a drudge.
My passions in life wouldn't pay bupkus if they were a job. Sadly, I have to work at something I am not passionate about to pay the bills. My passions are left for my off-hours.
Kudos to anyone who can make a living following their passion.
This applies to everyone except for probably a few people out there.
How exactly do you know that a passion is going to remain a passion?
Let me give you a quick example. My friend used to think that artificial intelligence would be the most exciting thing to work on. He always obsessed over the concepts and what the future would look like. However, when he directly began to work with programming and design, he couldn't stand it and said he'd rather be doing something else. The bottom line is, there probably isn't the perfect career out there just waiting for you; if it's anything that pays decently and leads to a stable life it will require some degree of struggle and patience. A suitable analogy would be marriage. Many people desire good/great traits in their future spouse. However, they themselves are not willing to change if their spouse were to expect the same traits from them. Every job can be romanticized but when it comes to working at it 8+ hours a day, it won't be what you expected it to be. Nothing in life is easy, and not all is fun and games. Patience is the only way to get through life.
I think human can always rationalize anything to be a passion, for the same reason that they can rationalize anything to be a drudge.
I wonder if your friend had the right job related to artificial intelligence. Maybe he would have been a better fit marketing it or testing it, for example, rather than programming and designing it.
You know a person may have a passion for art but be a lousy artist. That doesn't mean they would make a lousy Museum curator or buyer.
In technical fields, testing is usually synonymous with programming/designing.
As for marketing, he would have to get a marketing degree... which is actually too roundabout for this situation, and can be considered a completely different interest.
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