I chased money for years and what I got was a bunch of stuff that I didnt even really care about and a lot less time with my family and a ton of stress and sleepless nights. Now I am in my mid 30's and I have a job I enjoy with no overtime ever. We did lose about 400 bucks a week but that's all fine with my family and I, there is actually more potential where I am at now anyway. We paid the one car off and paid cash this summer for a 2nd, paid our bills down to a very low monthly total and now we actually have more spending money and time together. Much happier.
Career decision (read post before voting)
- Thread starter Pyramid_Party
- Start date
I voted passion. I can tell you from experience to always pick a passion to earn a living from, nothing worse than being stuck in a job you hate. Rich and miserable doesn't appeal to me.
I would much rather be happy and satisfied at the end of a work day and earn a bit less than loaded and unhappy which WILL, no doubt about it, cause misery to any future relationships because you will always come home tired, dissatisfied and grumpy because you hate your job or wish you had tried the one you love.
When you put your 2nd choice as "kinda like" it sounds as though you are trying to convince yourself that it isn't such a bad choice which says to me you need to pick your passion, if you aren't convinced then you will probably end up hating.
I am going to assume you are quite young seeing as this question is still a dilemma for you, it is usually only people young or new to the work place that ask because older people or people with decent amounts of life experience work it out soon enough. On the assumption of being young I would say live a little and do a job your are very passionate about because there will be time for you to get a 2nd career.
The only time kinda like would get in the way is if following your passion would not even be enough to scrape by on.
If you pick the career you kinda like but won't love then you will only be filled with "what if's?".
In the end the choice is yours, kinda like or passion is not a hard one for me.
I would much rather be happy and satisfied at the end of a work day and earn a bit less than loaded and unhappy which WILL, no doubt about it, cause misery to any future relationships because you will always come home tired, dissatisfied and grumpy because you hate your job or wish you had tried the one you love.
When you put your 2nd choice as "kinda like" it sounds as though you are trying to convince yourself that it isn't such a bad choice which says to me you need to pick your passion, if you aren't convinced then you will probably end up hating.
I am going to assume you are quite young seeing as this question is still a dilemma for you, it is usually only people young or new to the work place that ask because older people or people with decent amounts of life experience work it out soon enough. On the assumption of being young I would say live a little and do a job your are very passionate about because there will be time for you to get a 2nd career.
The only time kinda like would get in the way is if following your passion would not even be enough to scrape by on.
If you pick the career you kinda like but won't love then you will only be filled with "what if's?".
In the end the choice is yours, kinda like or passion is not a hard one for me.
Years ago, when I was a kid, I wanted to be an orca trainer at SeaWorld. It became a dream instead, since there are hundreds of people applying for a spot that opens once a generation.
So I switched gears. I volunteered at a local zoo while I worked on my biology degree, and before I finished it, I was hired as a zookeeper. And I loved it.
For about a year. Then I realized if I stayed, and kept with the schooling, I would be hugely in debt, and still be working for under 10 bucks an hour. Yes. Even the highest paid keeper was under 15 an hour, and she worked with and helped raise baby tigers.
It became a matter of, sadly, logic and practicality: was I prepared to work for this much for years, trying to finish my degree, and hope for a raise after? Was I prepared to go onto social services and welfare to afford basic food? There was a time when my hours were cut, and my boss told me that I would never starve, as he would look the other way if I decided to raid the food prep area and take home a few dozen eggs and fruits for myself.
I ended up with a retail job. And it was never my dream job, but amazingly it helped me pay the bills and afford some nice fish. Had I stayed at the zoo I probably would have ended up hating fishkeeping, if only due to the fact I couldn't even afford nice feeder fish.
Following your dreams is a good idea, but not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up. Plan accordingly and be prepared with a backup plan. Sometimes a dream job exists only in dreams.
So I switched gears. I volunteered at a local zoo while I worked on my biology degree, and before I finished it, I was hired as a zookeeper. And I loved it.
For about a year. Then I realized if I stayed, and kept with the schooling, I would be hugely in debt, and still be working for under 10 bucks an hour. Yes. Even the highest paid keeper was under 15 an hour, and she worked with and helped raise baby tigers.
It became a matter of, sadly, logic and practicality: was I prepared to work for this much for years, trying to finish my degree, and hope for a raise after? Was I prepared to go onto social services and welfare to afford basic food? There was a time when my hours were cut, and my boss told me that I would never starve, as he would look the other way if I decided to raid the food prep area and take home a few dozen eggs and fruits for myself.
I ended up with a retail job. And it was never my dream job, but amazingly it helped me pay the bills and afford some nice fish. Had I stayed at the zoo I probably would have ended up hating fishkeeping, if only due to the fact I couldn't even afford nice feeder fish.
Following your dreams is a good idea, but not everyone gets to be an astronaut when they grow up. Plan accordingly and be prepared with a backup plan. Sometimes a dream job exists only in dreams.
I voted for the practical....too many times we want to take the things that we love and twist them in to some way of making money. By the time you are fully into it sometimes you can forget what or why you loved it in the first place. I am not saying it can't be done because it does and has. For me, a job is not what defines who you are, or where you find your happiness. My job pays the bills and at the end of the day I go home to my wife and kids. Spending time with them, working on my tanks, and working on my music is where I find my happiness.
No matter what, you have to do what is right for you. Dreams can be risky, but sometimes they pay off!!! Good luck to you in your future endeavors.
No matter what, you have to do what is right for you. Dreams can be risky, but sometimes they pay off!!! Good luck to you in your future endeavors.
Best advice ever. Education will always do you right. I went to the Coast Guard Academy because I LOVE being on the water, but while I was there I got a degree in civil engineering because it mildly interested me. When I graduated I figured I was never gonna get out of the service and use my degree... But it turns out I don't enjoy working on the water nearly as much as just mucking about in my lil sailboat. Reminds me of a passage Mark Twain wrote about being a Steamboat Captain, something to the effect of how he used to look and the river and just enjoy watching it swirl past, but now he could read every swirl and eddy and know if it was a submerged log or rock, basically ruining his love of the river, but I digress...
Now I'm out and got a job as an engineer, which is ok (i.e. I don't dread going to work, but I don't love it either) and it pays well enough and lets me enjoy the hobbies and things in life that I love...
For the "passion" voters, it seemed like some of the responses zeroed in on HATING your job, which definitely isn't worth it but also doesn't sound like its what you meant for option 2... So go for the balance, try to find something you enjoy/can stand doing for work and love the rest of your life.
Not really so young. Probably more around your age. Here is the thing though, I have been working all kinds of jobs for the last 10 years I never really liked. Part of the reason for this is never knowing what I liked, and also just being clueless how the world works. My health and how I feel at the end of the day is a big priority to me. I also would like to have more financial independence and stability. I'll be honest I am still struggling with what I really like. I am not sure what are my passions.
I like how someone in this thread said it is good to have a marketable skill. Having a degree or a skill and not being able to use it, or the jobs are few and far between would just be too stressful for me. I want to one day be able to buy a house. That is really my main goal. I am the type of guy I don't have big needs. I save money a lot, I don't need all these flashy gadgets, I am fine with just my basic needs met. And to have a little cash on the side to enjoy my hobbies.
I know the importance of having a job/career that is something you find satisfaction in, or that it is not something you hate because keeping my stress down is number 1. This is the whole reason I am evaluating my decisions now because I would like a better future.
