The Career Choice Dilemma: Should You Pursue Passion or Paychecks?
A few of the main questions we’re faced with before we graduate high school and step into the adult world is whether we should try to make our passions a career, if that passion can even make enough money to support ourselves, or if we should find something else that we’re good at that’s profitable. Let’s explore the possibilities and weigh the options.
If you decide to pursue a passion, like something in the arts, then you’ll often feel more motivated, become more productive, be emotionally fulfilled, and have more freedom to be creative. It won’t feel like a job because you’re doing what you love and have always enjoyed; tasks don’t come with dread or procrastination because they feel like you’re doing something meaningful. Your work environment feels more comfortable, especially when you have coworkers who also share the same passion. Additionally, studies show that you’ll actually be happier overall when consistently doing something you love.
However, this unfortunately doesn’t come with financial stability. While some passions can be lucrative, a lot of them don’t start that way or stay as reliable forms of income. Additionally, by trying to turn your passion into a career, you might lose your love for it when it starts feeling like a job and feeling the pressure of needing to be successful. As you age and learn more about yourself, you may also discover new passions that you’d like to pursue.
If you decide to leave your passion as a hobby and just want a career that’s financially stable, you’ll achieve: comfort and a peace of mind from having a steady form of income, ensure a stable future with retirement plans, and have the ability to properly fund your life. Your sense of freedom will come from being able to support both your needs and wants. Lastly, your work and personal life can stay separated, allowing you to be fully present in both areas.
But what you open yourself up to is having to work long hours, not being in control of schedule or tasks, and feeling the pressure of maintaining or pursuing a higher position at work. You also will be putting more time into contributing to company goals instead of your own. Reportedly, this can increase your chances of burnout and feelings of unhappiness.
So what can you do? You should be able to achieve a future where you can feel happy and fulfilled while also financially stable, and fortunately, this is possible. Here are some ways to find that middle ground:
- Pursue a day job and a side hustle
- This way, you have a steady form of income and can make time for your passion
- Find a role where you can use your talents from your passion in a financially stable career path
- For example, say you have a passion for writing. You could pursue marketing or technical writing roles.
- Work and save up as much as possible to give yourself a financial cushion, then quit to fully pursue your passion without the financial worry.
- This may take you longer to achieve, but you can put your full focus on your passion and not have to worry so much about funding your life while you do.
- If you’re lucky, your passion is financially stable.
- Some people find that their passion is lucrative and in high demand so they’re guaranteed a paycheck.
Of course, the choice you make is all dependent on what you value more, what challenges you’d rather face, and what you want your future to look like. What the perfect balance of work and passion looks like for you is something you should definitely explore.
As you’re moving forward in deciding your career path, this and other things can be overwhelming to have to think about or plan for. If you’d like more personalized, one-on-one guidance to find your career path and excel in it, book a free consultation today with one of our ICF-certified career coaches: https://connexuscareers.org/services/coaches/
