Is "do what you love" bad advice?

PingO_O

I'm just wondering is the ideal career a myth? I remember reading a thread somewhere a while ago about how trying to make a career out of your passion can kill that passion.

I'm sure many people here know all too well the pressure of picking the right college course and hence the right career path and the stress involved.

So could you be happy in a job you found just interesting if you had a great life overall? Or do you feel the same pressure I do?

My opinion is that it's the same as thinking we all have one soulmate when really there are many people that could make us happy.

Unfortunately though I still can't seem to pick a path to follow, so what's your take?

_Whimsical_

It depends what you love .

Mr. Rager

No one advises me to do what I love after they found those images on my hard drive

Call Me Jimmy

If you love ridin', I think becoming a prostitute might take some of the gloss off it (and put it on your face).

squod

''Do what you love'' is the kind of crap spoken by people who have it too handy.

Work at something and do what you love afterwards.

Call Me Jimmy

Seriously though, life is an absolute farce so unless you are already tied down with a money-hole (read: female I KID I KID) I don't understand why you would do anything else.

Stheno

I love the area I work in, fell into it by accident, and discovered I really really enjoy it.

Makes a big difference to my personal life being happy at work

kfallon

Stheno wrote: »

Makes a big difference to my personal life being happy at work

tbh my work and personal life are 2 seperate entities and are mutually exclusive. Being happy/unhappy in work does not affect my homelife. 5pm I am out the gate and not thinking about work til the alarm goes off the next morning

Strawberry Fields

Well that's why I became a footballer

daenerysstormborn3

I absolutely love what I do. It is really interesting and varied. I have met some amazing people, people respected all over the world and somewhat "famous" in their fields. I absolutely hate my workplace and my employers. So I am doing what I love but I don't know how much longer I can work for people and have my days filled with so much hatred for them. The only silver lining is that the other people I work with (there's 7 of us excluding our employers) are great and that goes some way to making the day more bearable.

1ZRed

I've heard the "do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life" saying quite a bit from teachers over the years but I think it's very much easier said than done.

Go for what interests you because why settle in the grand scheme of things? But I think doing what you love could kill your passion for it, that's understandable considering it is work after all, not for recreation.

Same reason why I'm not going to peruse a more creative career path even though I've been told numerous times it's what is for me and I should do it. I recon if I go for what interests me and compromise a bit instead of going for what I love, I'll be decently happy with it and that'll be enough.

Larianne

Are you trying to pick your CAO course?

Stheno

kfallon wrote: »

tbh my work and personal life are 2 seperate entities and are mutually exclusive. Being happy/unhappy in work does not affect my homelife. 5pm I am out the gate and not thinking about work til the alarm goes off the next morning

That suggests you are happy with your work.

Just check the work and jobs forum for people having nausea on a Sunday at the thoughts of going into work.

My work is not stricly 9-5 and if I didn't love it, I'd truly hate the impact it has on my personal life

PingO_O

Larianne wrote: »

Are you trying to pick your CAO course?

No, but I could have written the op when I was choosing a CAO course, I picked engineering and being honest I hadn't a clue what it really was or what the course really entailed, at that age I didn't know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life and I don't know now either which is why I'm wondering does it matter in the long run?

I got hooked on computers as a hobby, such as messing with them and building new ones. Took up a job in IT and now I don't like it so much, but I don't mind going to work either.

So it's a yes and a no from me, you might lose interest a little but it still beats working in a job you hate.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

I had an interest in something and put my all my efforts into it. Still my passion, still my career, still very happy.

If you want something then go for it. If you fail or it doesn't work out, at least you went for it.

Canard

I don't think it's bad advice. I love languages so I'm doing them in college, and even if translating and/or teaching ends up being a bit dull, it'll forever beat what I almost did - Business with French. I felt like doing business just for the sake of it, that would've been awful.

But if your interests are things that would really just qualify as a hobby then there mightn't be much point doing it in college either.

Maximus Alexander

kfallon wrote: »

tbh my work and personal life are 2 seperate entities and are mutually exclusive. Being happy/unhappy in work does not affect my homelife. 5pm I am out the gate and not thinking about work til the alarm goes off the next morning

That's great, but it's not the case for a lot of people. If you work a 40 hour week then you spend more than 1/3 of your waking life at work. That doesn't include commuting or preparation for the work day / week.

People in salaried jobs are generally expected to work beyond 40 hours when necessary and in some cases are never really off work, with phone calls for emergencies or weekend work always a possibility.

So, if you dislike what you do for a living, it's not realistic to say that you can keep it separate and mutually exclusive from your personal life.

I don't think people should ever willingly settle for doing a job they don't like. You'll never be as good at it as the people who love it, and you'll spend a decent chunk of your life unfulfilled. Of course, most of the time reality takes the choice away from you and you have to settle.

Meangadh

Very few people I know absolutely love their job. Most of us love certain things about the job, but certainly don't love everything about it.

I think you're very lucky if you get up every morning really happy and excited about going to work. I like my job, and I have a lot of really nice colleagues, which makes coming to work far easier. But no doubt if I won a decent amount in the lotto, I'd be out the door asap.

It's important to like what you do though, or at the very least like who you work with, otherwise getting up every day is horrible.

I would say though OP, whatever you do, make sure you work to live and not live to work. Life is waaaay too short to spend ridiculous amounts of time working, even if you do enjoy it- make time for friends, family and hobbies.

Maximus Alexander

Stealth Recce wrote: »

I had an interest in something and put my all my efforts into it. Still my passion, still my career, still very happy.

If you want something then go for it. If you fail or it doesn't work out, at least you went for it.

I reckon a lot of people are afraid to try and fail, not because of the consequences, but because then they lose their dream. Even if it never becomes a reality, the thought that it's possible keeps a lot of people relatively happy.

Praetorian Saighdiuir

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

I reckon a lot of people are afraid to try and fail, not because of the consequences, but because then they lose their dream. Even if it never becomes a reality, the thought that it's possible keeps a lot of people relatively happy.

Very good point.

cantdecide

The owner of my local motorbike shop told me just yesterday, and I quote "Never do what you love. Bikes used to be my passion before I opened this place and no I feel as if I've deprived myself of my passion in life by turning it into my work".

Stheno

cantdecide wrote: »

The owner of my local motorbike shop told me just yesterday, and I quote "Never do what you love. Bikes used to be my passion before I opened this place and no I feel as if I've deprived myself of my passion in life by turning it into my work".

I love what I work at, absolutely adore it and am quite passionate about it.

I've made friends worldwide as a result, talk to people through social media I'd never get to otherwise and get support and advice from them

Myself and a colleague were caught arguing some fine point of what we cover one day and were called nerds

I'd be a lessor person in my work if I disliked it and feedback from my clients suggests that

I've several clients who refuse to work with anyone but me.

Kinski

Depends. If it's an area that so many other people also love so much that they're willing to do long unpaid internships just to get their foot in the door, then IMO forget about it.

But don't do something you hate, either.

B.A._Baracus

Op, It's all about money.

Many people have entered professions out of a passion or interest. As time went by, passion/interest was lost, but the idea of making the money remained.

But speaking from a personal view I wouldnt mind learning a skill tomorrow and if in 15 years I hate my job? who cares. As long as that job gave me money and provided for my family ... I honestly wouldn't care. Especially if my chosen skill paid well.

No one is defined by a 9 to 5 too

Call Me Jimmy

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

I reckon a lot of people are afraid to try and fail, not because of the consequences, but because then they lose their dream. Even if it never becomes a reality, the thought that it's possible keeps a lot of people relatively happy.

That is the **** right there.

Pilotdude5

Over the last few months I've been pondering this as I cant find work as a Pilot. I loved flying from an early age and I have invested a lot of time and money into it since I was 16. Now I'm watching guys and girls younger than me walk straight into Jobs as their parents paid for them. (Lookup "paid Type-ratings")
This is really killing me and I just feel that the industry is full of rich "posers" I think I might have been better off doing the Mech Eng course I was offered and kept flying as a hobby.

I obviously can't comment on whether I like the day to day aspect of the job yet but I certainly hate the Industry as it is today.

Marsden

Its about balance at the end of the day, doing what you love can make your job more bearable but it will always be work. You might lose your passion for it but it'll still be better than working somehwere in a profession you cant stand.

Rubber_Soul

Not really, if you can make a living doing something you love, or have the opportunity to do so, then go for it. Life's short and when you're lying on your deathbed you're not going to be wishing you had spent more time at the office.

You have to be prepared to fail though because the problem is that for the mast vast majority of us it's unrealistic, we can't all be actors or astronauts and live the life we dream of.

For example my little brother wants to be an actor. He's actually quite talented and the family really supports him, but under the condition that he finishes a business degree first. He'll only be 21 by the time he's finished and then he can go off and follow what he loves with something of a safety net in case things don't work out.

Darius.Tr

I think it really depends on the dream. Some dreams are easier to achieve than others. Also having something to fall back on is a really good idea as It's never too late to change a career or get back to college.

FueledbyCoffee

If you can find work that you don't mind doing then you're laughing - if it pays the bills and is not too stressful go for it.

I think a lot of pressure is put on people to have the greatest career ever but I've seen both sides of that coin. I have worked my way up in companies rising to manager level, enjoyed it and did my job well but it was not without it's sacrifices and stresses.

When my mother died I came to understand that sometimes at work you are only a number. Things change as do circumstances so I've gone from no kids to 2 of my own and 2 that I'm guardian to - I'm now a bit more relaxed about the whole career thing but am starting my own business. Instead of doing it for others I'm doing it for myself.

Long story short - if it makes you happy go ahead but don't be putting pressure on yourself to be perfect, life can get in the way. If it keeps a roof over your head and pays the bills -happy days, I think you are more than your job title anyway

Valentina

If you can make money for what you need and are happy then go for it. Why not?

I always wanted to be like Kim Deal but it just didn't happen for me, I had to get a "real" job

beks101

There's loving what you do and then dealing with the harsh reality of the industry you have to do it in, the competition of other more qualified, more talented, more ruthless people who also love to do what you want to do, the often ****ty conditions, long hours, poor pay, life sacrifices that may involve putting your personal life on hold for the sake of the overtime required to become a promotable master at what you love to do so you can earn a fatter pay check.

So yeah, do what you love to do. But don't expect it to be plain sailing.

holystungun9

Stheno wrote: »

I love the area I work in, fell into it by accident, and discovered I really really enjoy it.

Makes a big difference to my personal life being happy at work

Miner?

Shenshen

I think the better advice would be "Love what you do".

Teyla Emmagan

**** that, pick something you could come to love that will give you a financially secure future and go with that. Go in with your eyes open. There is no point training to be a nurse if you can't accept that the wages will always be ****. Being happy often means accepting you will be poor.

CruelCoin

Everything has pros and cons, the "ideal job" idea kind of assumes there are no downsides.

Example: My dream job would be to work as a scuba instructor (have trained for it and all) in the carribean. I decided not to do it though, as the average pay is a bit above local minimum wage, which in the carribean is piss.

I would like to retire to a non-****hole house, so i decided against...

No, I don't think it's bad advice, but in most cases, doing what you love is not going to make you rich. It's up to you to decide what's more important.

I'm an English language teacher and I quite enjoy my job, but there are so many downsides. Crap money, no holiday pay, very few secure jobs, some students are horrible and disrespectful. For me, it beats sitting in an office all day, but a lot of the people who tell me how lucky I am wouldn't hack my job in a million years. I can certainly see what a lot of people just go for the secure, well-paid job and put up with the office politics and boredom. I'll probably end up doing it myself at some point.

pickarooney

Very few people would make a decent living doing what they love. A lot of people struggle to get by doing what they hate as it is. It's naive bull**** to think everyone can be happy at work.

seamus

As said, it depends on what it actually is that you love. The problem is not so much that your passion will fade over time, but that in order to keep a roof over your head, your passion may bring along a whole pile of bull**** with it that wrecks your head.

So if your passion is woodturning, then you can turn wood all day and have fun. But if you want a roof over your head, then you have to sell your work. Which means dealing with customers. Which is a headache that will suck the fun and creativity out of your woodturning until you're sick of it.

In order to enjoy what it is that you do, then you need to either be one of the best at what you do, selling stuff that you make (rather than making stuff to sell), or have an indepedent pot of money available to you so that you don't need to sell your stuff.

There are however a few good professions which you can be passionate about and work at without hating it. Typically these are vocational positions where you don't need to sell anything, like a nurse or an animal rescuer, etc. If money is your goal though, these often aren't the best way to proceed.

Sarky

As a result of doing what I love, I have a fun job, a couple of fun hobbies that may end up making me money some time, a black belt in karate, several degrees and I've made a metric f*cktonne of friends from across the world.

By all means do what you love. Just make sure that if it's not making you money you also do something that does.

Zillah

There are a shocking number of people who seem to have accepted that to live is to work and to work is to suffer. In my mind I only have so much time on this earth, and some people seem to think that I should accept that the vast majority of that time should be spent in dreary drudgery to earn a pay check.

There is a big difference between being in a difficult spot, trying to pay the bills, doing what you have to do, and accepting that that is the way life should be and arguing that others not doing that should climb onboard the misery train. Not every dream can be a career, and not everyone has the talent to turn their dream into a career, but if you can, if you have a plan, then fuck the ones who had died inside already and want to drag you down with them (brrraaaains), give it a shot.

I'm not quite there, but I'm giving it a shot. All those authors, filmmakers, painters, entrepreneurs, jewelry makers, photographers...whatever...all of them had people in their life telling them to get a real job for years before they pulled it off. Small minds, small horizons.

pickarooney

pickarooney wrote: »

Very few people would make a decent living doing what they love. A lot of people struggle to get by doing what they hate as it is. It's naive bull**** to think everyone can be happy at work.

At the same time, I think a lot of people resign themselves to the fact that they're always going to hate work without even trying other options. I know quite a few people with jobs they love and some of them are making decent money as well. I think a lot of people just accept a 2-hour commute and eight hours in an office with people they hate as 'normal'. It really doesn't have to be like that.

pickarooney

Emilio Sharp Vet wrote: »

At the same time, I think a lot of people resign themselves to the fact that they're always going to hate work without even trying other options. I know quite a few people with jobs they love and some of them are making decent money as well. I think a lot of people just accept a 2-hour commute and eight hours in an office with people they hate as 'normal'. It really doesn't have to be like that.

If you make all the right decisions when you can afford to make mistakes, no, but once you need to have a regular income to survive it can be nearly impossible to jack that in and follow your dreams.

MaxSteele

A good friend of mine has just realized this recently. He's dropping out of his Engineering course in college after realizing he can't hack the banality of what he's learning and also that the course is full of posh, annoying twats and negative lecturers.

I'm doing a degree in IT at the moment and so far I guess I wouldn't really mind working as a Network/Database admin, Web developer, programmer or Tech support. But then again, If I could go back, I probably would have just done an apprenticeship instead of choosing a field where I thought that I would be more well off than the average joe.

At this stage I just want to finish this course, get my degree next year and live reasonably comfortably.

donegal_road

you've got to watch this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nif01WZ9aI

PingO_O

donegal_road wrote: »

you've got to watch this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nif01WZ9aI

Nice video, inspired and terrified me at the same time! Really interesting points everyone, feel a little relieved for now

languagenerd

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, because I'm in my final year of a degree and I've realised that I just don't feel drawn to any of the careers that people normally do with this degree. On the other hand, I have a part-time job in another field entirely and at the moment, I'm enjoying that more than college. Who knows what I'll think in a year, though?

"Doing what you love" is a gamble, because it could either turn out to be the best job ever, or it could kill your passion for it. It might be better to say "Do whatever makes you happy" - most people have more than one interest, so even if you're not working in whatever your main passion is, you can still work in something that you enjoy. Sometimes making a career of what you love isn't realistic (music, etc.), but you can always get another job that you're happy in and use the money you earn from that to fund your hobby/interest.

I think life's too short to waste 40+ hours a week in a job you despise - though, sometimes people have no option as they need the money. If I had a job I hated, I'd stick it out for as long as I had to, but I'd be looking to move to a different one as soon as I possibly could.

I suppose it depends what you want out of life - sometimes you have to compromise. If you want to be rich, you mightn't be able to work with your interests. I've never been a big career person, I don't necessarily want to be rich (financially stable/comfortable, yes but really rich, no), so my plan for now is to work at whatever I feel happy with. When I'm older and I have more responsibilities, I might think different. But I think you have to at least give it a try!

Fox_In_Socks

donegal_road wrote: »

you've got to watch this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nif01WZ9aI

What if you're like me and don't desire much, if anything?

I dislike work, but it's the reason I get up in the morning.

UCDVet

I think it's terrible advice.

If you are REALLY GOOD at something or happen to enjoy something that is relatively well paying (IE you LOVE practicing law or running a business); it's horrible advice.

I love sitting on my arse, playing video games, getting drunk, watching tele and playing guitar.

None of those things are viable career paths because I'm not good at any of them. And even if I *COULD* become good enough to turn them into a career...I'd have to force myself to train/practice/prioritize/give up other things which would make me 'not love' it.

Much better to find a viable trade-off between things you enjoy and what you can reasonably expect to earn. Drastically increases the odds of being relatively happy in life.

IMHO 'do what you love' is like taking all of your money and betting it on a single roulette number. If you hit it, you win BIG - 35x the original amount. But most people who try are going to lose. They walk away with nothing. I had friends that were going to be rock stars and actors and pretty much every one ended up miserable (from what I can gather from their Facebook pages). But all of the most successful people seem to take that risk and 'win big'. People who drop out of top-universities and go on to start companies like Google or Facebook or to be a rich movie star in Hollywood. Huge risk, huge payout.

Of all the people I knew personally who decided to 'do what they loved' the only one who really seemed to excel was some guy who just loved to lift weights. And it took him nearly a decade to get anywhere with it. He was dirt poor for most of that decade, before he managed to open up his own gym. Then it took him three years before he had his first profitable year. Now things are starting to pick up and he's in a great position where he does exactly what he loves, he is his own boss, he runs his own business, he's making money and if things go well, he's got an amazing earning potential.

But he seems to be the rare exception.

The alternative is you are pretty much guaranteed to have a very comfortable life. You won't like all aspects of your job. You probably won't be rich. But you'll be 'well to do', you'll have nice cars and a nice house and money to spend.

donegal_road

at the same time, there are too many people out there who are tolerating what they do for a living because it pays well enough, they get good time off, they can retire early etc. If you are doing what you love, you will never retire.

You only get one crack at life, and as the clip says, it is better to have a short life doing things you love, rather than a long life spent in a miserable way.

This would be a very poor way to go