5 answers
Indhu
Student
Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
5
Questions
Updated
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In a world where passion has been overtaken by gluttony, what do you think is important while finalizing a career choice, money or passion?
Being a indecisive person myself, how can I ensure I take calculated risks in a career I'm passionate about and acquire financial stability and independence. The bitter truth about my career choice is it's low income and I would like to have a perfect work life balance, so how can I make money and still persue my passion, or should I place one over the other? This is a general question and is open for all, regardless of career. I would like to hear different viewpoints and experiences of individuals. #JULY20 #life
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5 answers
Bill Simonson CIC AFIS
Underwriting - Property & Casualty Insurance
24
Answers
Palm Coast, Florida
Updated
Bill’s Answer
Great question, and as you've already figured out, a very tough one to answer. You need money to survive and do all the fun things in life. I don't care how much you make, going to a job on a daily basis that you don't like just to make a lot of money will have negative affects on your personal life and significantly off-set your work life balance. However, not everyone is able to find a job in their passion, perform it as a career and make a lot of money doing so. Those are few and far between. The majority of people find jobs that they are qualified to perform (not their life passion) and provide them with the financial freedom to enjoy their passion. It's a give / take relationship.
I'd suggest you make a list of likes and dislikes and start to look at job opportunities on the likes column and see if you can find one there that yo are qualified to perform and allows you to make a satisfactory income to live off. If nothing there pans out, then you need to re-evaluate your dislikes and categorize them from 1 to 10 with 10's being something you just won't do. Start looking at the 1's for job opportunities and see if you can find something there that might be acceptable.
One thing I can tell you from personal experience, doing the same job from one company to another can have drastically different outcomes when it comes to enjoying your work. I spent a lot of years at one company and enjoyed my work, but it was work, I did it as I was good at it and it paid well. However, when I left there after many years and went to another company doing similar work, I was amazed at how happy I was and energized to get up each day and go to work. It's the people who you work for, the people you work with and the mutual respect you give each other that changes your perception all together.
Good luck on weaving your way through all of the give and takes of being an adult has to provide. In the end you need to be true to yourself and while the job may not be your passion, it's a good compromise and it allows you the freedom to enjoy your passion outside of work.
Hope this helps.
Bill
I'd suggest you make a list of likes and dislikes and start to look at job opportunities on the likes column and see if you can find one there that yo are qualified to perform and allows you to make a satisfactory income to live off. If nothing there pans out, then you need to re-evaluate your dislikes and categorize them from 1 to 10 with 10's being something you just won't do. Start looking at the 1's for job opportunities and see if you can find something there that might be acceptable.
One thing I can tell you from personal experience, doing the same job from one company to another can have drastically different outcomes when it comes to enjoying your work. I spent a lot of years at one company and enjoyed my work, but it was work, I did it as I was good at it and it paid well. However, when I left there after many years and went to another company doing similar work, I was amazed at how happy I was and energized to get up each day and go to work. It's the people who you work for, the people you work with and the mutual respect you give each other that changes your perception all together.
Good luck on weaving your way through all of the give and takes of being an adult has to provide. In the end you need to be true to yourself and while the job may not be your passion, it's a good compromise and it allows you the freedom to enjoy your passion outside of work.
Hope this helps.
Bill
Thank you Mr. Bill for your insights on my questions, i found your answer interesting. :)
Indhu
Chris Kelly
3
Answers
Updated
Chris’s Answer
I can tell you that passion is an important element to your career. There can be so many distractions and potential negatives in the work force. Without a passion for what you are doing, it would be easy to give in to all of that. That said, your life balance may not be so relaxing if you are stressed about finances. Is this passion that you have something you could do in your spare time as a 'volunteer' or as a part time job? Otherwise, if you are truly not as gluttonous as others, you will have to manage and live within your means, but may have a happier life than those who have more.
Thank you Mr. Chris, I will take your answer into consideration
Indhu
Vinu Prasad
4
Answers
Updated
Vinu’s Answer
As others had mentioned this is one tough question to answer...I believe one way to approach this is to find the right balance of both for you.Some people can live a happy life with less money working on something they love,others are ready to work tirelessly and stays happy with a larger income, lucky ones get both.This balance in life is different for each individual and can only be known by actually trying it out.
Wayne Archibald
Cybersecurity Associate Director here to share knowledge!
221
Answers
Annapolis Junction, Maryland
Updated
Wayne’s Answer
Hi Indhu. You should always do what is right for you. For most people, money does not equal happiness. For some people, making a lot of money is very to them.
Sacrificing your passion for money would not make a difference at first, as the ample money and nice, shiny objects would be there to fill the hole in your heart. But remember, it is not an object you would be sacrificing, it is your life. Your career takes up 70% of your adult life. The average span of a career is 40 years, 70% of which would amount to 28 years spent at work.
28 years= 245280 hours= 14716800 minutes
That is a huge amount of time commitment to something that you dislike doing!
Pursuing your passion might not shower you with money or make you a top-of-the-line executive, what it will give you, however, is satisfaction. The satisfaction of working on something that is close to your heart, something that kindles your inner fire, and something you are good at. Finding such a passion in life, and following through with it, is worth any kind of difficulties you might face to pursue it. Isn’t a simple life pursuing your life’s calling, with enough money to keep satisfy your needs, better than a life with heaps of money, but with no meaning or purpose?
You need to ask yourself what is important for you. I believe that if you are doing something you are passionate about, money will not be a factor.
Remember this quote: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness s the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." -- Albert Schweitzer.
Good luck!
Sacrificing your passion for money would not make a difference at first, as the ample money and nice, shiny objects would be there to fill the hole in your heart. But remember, it is not an object you would be sacrificing, it is your life. Your career takes up 70% of your adult life. The average span of a career is 40 years, 70% of which would amount to 28 years spent at work.
28 years= 245280 hours= 14716800 minutes
That is a huge amount of time commitment to something that you dislike doing!
Pursuing your passion might not shower you with money or make you a top-of-the-line executive, what it will give you, however, is satisfaction. The satisfaction of working on something that is close to your heart, something that kindles your inner fire, and something you are good at. Finding such a passion in life, and following through with it, is worth any kind of difficulties you might face to pursue it. Isn’t a simple life pursuing your life’s calling, with enough money to keep satisfy your needs, better than a life with heaps of money, but with no meaning or purpose?
You need to ask yourself what is important for you. I believe that if you are doing something you are passionate about, money will not be a factor.
Remember this quote: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness s the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." -- Albert Schweitzer.
Good luck!
Nathalie Churchill
Program manager
7
Answers
Marlborough, Massachusetts
Updated
Nathalie’s Answer
Passion, hands down every time. We spend a major part of our life working, it is important to feel good about what we do, being happy at work leads to a better quality of life overall.
Finding a workplace that you can identify to, with Core values you relate to, is a first step. You can try different roles in a company until you find the one that makes you happy, and can be passionate about. Identify what your Core values are and the type of industry you are interested in, research the company website to review their employees programs, type of roles and community engagement; that is a good starting point.
Finding a workplace that you can identify to, with Core values you relate to
Review the roles you are interested in
Ask to speak with someone already in the role you are interested in, to get insights
Finding a workplace that you can identify to, with Core values you relate to, is a first step. You can try different roles in a company until you find the one that makes you happy, and can be passionate about. Identify what your Core values are and the type of industry you are interested in, research the company website to review their employees programs, type of roles and community engagement; that is a good starting point.
Nathalie recommends the following next steps:
Thank you, Ms.Nathalie, your tips were very useful!
Indhu