Quote:
Originally Posted by pkbab5
I will be teaching my kids that a career is about cash first, passion second. In other words, choose a career that may not be your most favorite thing in the world to do, but is your most enjoyable thing that makes enough money to have a safe, secure, and healthy lifestyle.
After you accomplish that, then take your favorite thing in the world and make it your hobby. That you fund with the cash from your career.
And that, my friends, is the secret to having both passion and cash.  |
This will be the same lesson I teach my kids. I fully expect them to show me a good return on investment as well for their chosen studies in college or vocational studies.
In addition, I will also teach them to always keep an open mind for other opportunities. Many very successful people ended up where they are unexpectedly. A very talented software developer I used to work with started out teaching secondary school math for example. If you follow you passion or intended career choice blindly, you just may pass up other opportunities along the way.
I dug up this quote from Mike Rowe (who actually started singing and theater before hosting shows) that seems appropriate to this topic.
Quote:
Like all bad advice, “Follow Your Passion” is routinely dispensed as though it’s wisdom were both incontrovertible and equally applicable to all. It’s not. Just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you won’t suck at it. And just because you’re determined to improve doesn’t mean that you will. Does that mean you shouldn’t pursue a thing you’re passionate about?” Of course not. The question is, for how long, and to what end?
When it comes to earning a living and being a productive member of society – I don’t think people should limit their options to those vocations they feel passionate towards. I met a lot of people on Dirty Jobs who really loved their work. But very few of them dreamed of having the career they ultimately chose. I remember a very successful septic tank cleaner who told me his secret of success. “I looked around to see where everyone else was headed, and then I went the opposite way,” he said. “Then I got good at my work. Then I found a way to love it. Then I got rich.” …
… We would surely be worse off without the likes of Bill Gates and Thomas Edison and all the other innovators and Captains of Industry. But from my perspective, I don’t see a shortage of people who are willing to dream big. I see people struggling because their reach has exceeded their grasp.
- Mike Rowe, 2014
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As for me, I didn't really have much of a choice.... I always pursued cash to support my family (we struggled for a while) I did take into consideration whether or not I can "live" with the job on a daily basis. No one wants to be miserable day to day.... in doing so, I ended up in a good paying job that isn't too painful to show up daily, pays the bills, and leaves a little more to enjoy.
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