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Should you study what you enjoy or do what makes more money?
I'm always thinking about the future and I want to be financially stable but also work on what I enjoy doing. #salary
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5 answers
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Adam’s Answer
This is always a difficult question. Let me offer some things to think about.
If you do something that you love, you may not make the money that is appropriate in the current market. This could cause stress at home, your personal life and potentially affect your health. In turn, a job that pays a lot of money can do the same thing as you are more likely to work more, have more stress and you might not be focusing on skills as these types of jobs generally make you focus on an already developed skillset. Working in a job that you love, would in turn help you work on all different kinds of skillsets as you are always investigating ways to do a job better or more efficiently.
The old phrase: "Love what you do and you will never work a day in your life" is basically true, but remember, a job is still a job and you have tasks that need to be completed.
Money is a big motivator but it can't be the only one. Doing what you love, sounds phenomenal and we all should do that, but we also need to support ourselves. Most times, we have to find a happy medium that comes from making a decision, trying it out and then changing course as our passions change or we just want to do something different.
So, I recommend doing what you love, but be prepared to make changes as appropriate should the need arise.
Good luck!
If you do something that you love, you may not make the money that is appropriate in the current market. This could cause stress at home, your personal life and potentially affect your health. In turn, a job that pays a lot of money can do the same thing as you are more likely to work more, have more stress and you might not be focusing on skills as these types of jobs generally make you focus on an already developed skillset. Working in a job that you love, would in turn help you work on all different kinds of skillsets as you are always investigating ways to do a job better or more efficiently.
The old phrase: "Love what you do and you will never work a day in your life" is basically true, but remember, a job is still a job and you have tasks that need to be completed.
Money is a big motivator but it can't be the only one. Doing what you love, sounds phenomenal and we all should do that, but we also need to support ourselves. Most times, we have to find a happy medium that comes from making a decision, trying it out and then changing course as our passions change or we just want to do something different.
So, I recommend doing what you love, but be prepared to make changes as appropriate should the need arise.
Good luck!
Updated
Maria’s Answer
You have to balance both and find an intersection. So how do you find that intersection?
A few things you might want to think through
- what kinds of problems do you like working on?
- what kinds of activities do you do where you lose track of time?
- what impact do you want your work to have (ex. something that enables a team? something that makes your community better? something that improves our environment?)
A last thought - this will evolve and change over many years. There isn't 'one' path and you can make choices to make it work for you.
A few things you might want to think through
- what kinds of problems do you like working on?
- what kinds of activities do you do where you lose track of time?
- what impact do you want your work to have (ex. something that enables a team? something that makes your community better? something that improves our environment?)
A last thought - this will evolve and change over many years. There isn't 'one' path and you can make choices to make it work for you.
Updated
Nicole’s Answer
You should study what you enjoy. If you pursue a degree in a subject you are not interested in it makes it very hard to stay motivated to want to work in that field.
Updated
Lindsay’s Answer
You should study what you enjoy. You can always find additional ways to make money, whether that be through another job, stocks, etc. But life might get miserable if you're doing something ONLY for the money. Yes, it's important to find a career that can keep you financially stable, but I think if you can find a job that incorporates what you love, that's the best option.
Updated
Jill’s Answer
You have to balance both. Find the intersections between the work you enjoy, what adds value to communities and people around you, and what can support you financially. And this will shift during you career.