Career Question. Practicality vs "Passion"

[FieldReportGuy7]

Would you rather pursue a job where ya think its going to be a so and so experience but you're going to have a comfortable lifestyle and make decent money or take a risk pursuing your passion knowing theres a chance you're going to end up broke in the streets?

Why or why not?

Lets hear some interesting perspective in here.

 

[Lion]

What do you want to do FRGuy7? What are you torn between?

 

[Colossus]

IMO the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Being passionate about what you do is important, but eating and staying above water financially is more important. There's this modern myth that is you pursue your passion blindly eventually you will make it and live the life you have always dreamed. Sorry, but that's not reality. How many aspiring pro ball players or singers or doctors do you think actually make it? Not many. If it was easy and accessible, everyone would be doing it. This doesn't mean settle into a mindless job that you hate, but you need to be able to realistically assess the viability of making a living at what you are most passionate about.

For example, one of my greatest passions in life is lifting weights. Always has been. And I'm making progress all the time, getting stronger. BUT----I realize that deadlifting 600 lbs is not going to put food on my table. I'm too smart to be a personal trainer and I have other interests that I can turn into a reliable and well-paying career. Problem is, many people dont realize that foolishly pursuing their life's dream is getting them nowhere until they are in tons of debt and have a family to care for. My sister wanted to be an actress--like many girls. But she is a single mom who lives in a mid-size town in the midwest, with no formal education or acting experience. How the hell is he going to get noticed? Move out to LA with the millions of other delusional people, scraping by? Luckily we talked her out of that. It's not that we don't think she has talent or motivation, but she is totally unrealistic sometimes.

I'm not saying don't go for whatever it is you want, because the one key trait of the successful is persistence....but don't be a fool either.

 

[mrRuckus]

I don't know of anything that would be a passion to me as far as making money.

So i might as well make money doing something tolerable and then have money to do stuff that's really fun during my time off.

It's a nice dream and all to love a job but if it were so great to do then they wouldn't pay you to do it.

 

[backbreaker]

you can find ways to make money off of your passions. the fact that you are passtionate about it will help you be creative enough to come up with ways to make money.

it's not even debatable IMHO.

my last job the company I sold, at the end of the day I cleared a little over 7 figures. But in the process I picked up an extremely nasty drug habit (Crack cocaine) to escape the reality that I hated my fcking life. i hated getting up, i hated going to work, I hated every aspect of what I did, but I enjoyed being looked at as successful.

becuase if you are anything like me, you can't half ass anything. If I am going to sale cars I'm going to work my way up to the fiance department (which I did). If I am going to build a company it's going to be successful. I can't put my heart and soul into something i do not have a passion for.

For example, one of my greatest passions in life is lifting weights. Always has been. And I'm making progress all the time, getting stronger. BUT----I realize that deadlifting 600 lbs is not going to put food on my table

why not? you are not thinking outside the box? if you can deadlift that much you can give lessons, you can write articles, you can teach people how to improve their technique, etc.. this is **** iw as able to come up with off the top of my head and I'm not passionate about it.

My passion is horse racing. when I say that, people think well you make money at the track and I do, but I have a 5 page list on my pc of ideas I have where I can capatilize off my passion that does not involve me making 1 wager.

if it's your passion, and you chase it, you have the best of both words. it comes down to what hill said in the laws of success, you need a definate cheif aim in life, something you are willing to put your heart and soul into and sacrifice alot beucase it's worth something to you.

 

[Colossus]

I see what you're saying Backbreaker, and it's very likely I will end up doing the things you suggested. And if it turns out I make great money doing that stuff, awesome. However, I know I cant rely on these things to bring me enough money or the lifestyle I want, and that's the kicker. With what I'm doing now, I'll be done with grad school by 30 and I will be licensed to practice anywhere in the US, at a good salary. I'm also genuinely interested in the field to boot. With this as my base, I can still pursue the other things I like without scraping by to make ends meet! One thing I've learned is that getting caught with your pants down---financially speaking--sucks. And I don't ever want to be in that place again. So I see it as an investment.

 

[AAAgent]

i'm pursuing my passion as well as finding a "so and so" position where i can make my money and survive. I'm currently writing my business plan and looking for capable people that can assist me. If i don't i'm still going to do what i set out to do. Just don't be reckless and pursue your passion with nothing to back you up if you fail. Don't end up homeless.

 

[roja]

Profit

Most Men do things based on Profitability

Would you rather pursue a job where ya think its going to be a so and so experience but you're going to have a comfortable lifestyle and make decent money or take a risk pursuing your passion knowing theres a chance you're going to end up broke in the streets?

Why or why not?

Lets hear some interesting perspective in here.

 

[speakeasy]

Tough call and hard to say without knowing what your desired career is. If you're going to tell me to be an A-list actor or NFL player, then maybe you should get real. Most people in this world work because they have to, not because they want to. I'm currently in a bit of a dilemma. I just don't feel passionate about anything work related. Maybe it's just laziness, but there's nothing I can think of right now that I truly want to do and contribute to the world. If I hit the jackpot tomorrow and had 100 million dollars and never had to work again, I'd probably just spend the rest of my life traveling and banging girls. I'm not one of those guys you see that wins and says he loves his job and will keep working.

 

[AAAgent]

if you like traveling and banging girls you could do that for a living.

it's really not hard to find creative ways to make money. actually implementing those idea's is hard though.

 

[ENIGMA16]

Find something you can do that you can support yourself with that you enjoy and then pursue your dreams. You have your whole life ahead of you to pursue your dreams; what's, say, two years of technical school, for example, to your entire life?

 

[sharkbeat]

I am a man who has always been pursuing what he enjoys. I had gotten a job doing what I loved. For the first few years, it was great, but I learned that all the fun goes away when you are employed. It's always fun doing what you want, but when you work for somebody else, you do what other people want -- and that takes the fun away from it.

For example, let's say you always enjoy cars. You can take a car apart and put them together and add horse powers to it. It was great and a fun thing to do on a weekend. But once you turn that into a career, you can't do that to every car you see. You have to listen to what the customers need, then there's the whole liability, deadlines, and all the bullcrap that comes with it.

I would recommend getting a job for practicality, and use the money to enjoy what you want.

 

[backbreaker]

I'm sorry but I just do not agree with a shread of what anyone is saying besides AAAgent. If you cannot find creative ways to make money doing whaty ou love, it's becuase you are 1. do not have a clear aim in life or 2. not trying hard enough or 3. a scared ***** to try something that might fail.

My GF who has been around me for 3 years now... loves horses as much as I does.

AT a race track, you always have horses that owners are trying to get rid of (Retirement). My GF does not like the slaughtering of horses, so in her spare time, she goes and "shops" for horses on the backstretch and finds buyers for the horses or new owners. the owners, just happy they dont' have to pay the 2 grand a month anymore in trainer fees for a horse who can't run, dont' ask for anything, and most people who want horses will spend a little getting one. nothing crazy but she actually makes about 2-3 grand a month working part time donig that. and she doesn't work, she does that becduase she loves it, and just puts the money in the bank and she feels good about herself beucase that's one less horse that gets slaughtered.

now she actually has trainers calling her asking her can she find a home for some horses, so her "business" is picking up. she even goes in and checks on the horses she sold. And the trainers/owners know she is not oging to let anything bad happen to the horses (passion). She even went and bought her a beat up pick up truck with her money to be able to haul the horses. you can't whipe the grin off her face she's so proud of herself. I"m proud of her.

i'm sorry some of you guys are just lazy and don't try.

then again I am wired differently than most people. I lived out of a car for 2 months when I was 21 becuase I would rather do what I wanted to do and live in a car and be broke than work a job I hate and be miserable.

once you hit the I now live out my car moment.. you know... you really aren't afraid of failure anymore. it doesn't get worse than livign out your car. I"ve seen it all.