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What's the best balance between what you enjoy and what makes money?

I want to do what I love, but I also want to be able to make a living. Tips on how to achieve both of those things? #science #music #art #money #careers

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Ellen’s Answer

Good question, Ella. I understand; you want to do something that you love, but you also want to be comfortable in your lifestyle. I found my best balance in teaching. I have always loved art from a young age, and I knew that art would be part of my life in some way. I studied art history in college, and then I attended art school for fine art. Both experiences were enriching artistically, but, as a starving artist doing temp office work as a "day job", I was unhappy with my lack of money for basic things....rent in a nicer and safer part of town, health benefits, vacations, savings for the future, and so on. I started to substitute teach in the local school system, and discovered I really liked it, so I got a masters in art education, and I became an art teacher. For me teaching was a good balance since I got to share my enthusiasm about art, and see kids make art on a regular basis. I also had time during my summers to make my own art. I did not get rich being an art teacher, but I had a decent salary and health benefits.

So, this was my experience, which worked for me. I hope you can get some other insights from other responders.


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Vic’s Answer

I think that the balance is innately subjective to who the person is and what they value. I urge you to spend some time analyzing the following:

1. What your values are in you professional and personal life
2. What your interests are
3. What your strengths and weaknesses are
4. What recruiting is done at your school

By doing some reflection here you'll have more of an idea of what you are looking for.
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Jacob’s Answer

Hi, Ella,


Finding that balance is very difficult. I think Ellen makes a lot of good points in her answer but I want to provide another resource for you to look at. I know this answer is not timely, but I want to share this career guide with you even if there is only a small chance that you might find it useful. I have struggled to find the right balance between what I enjoy and earning a comfortable salary. The guide I linked below has provided a framework for me to find a career in which I can help solve an important problem and also make me happy. I hope it helps you - it is definitely worth the read.


Good luck!

Jacob recommends the following next steps:

https://80000hours.org/career-guide/job-satisfaction/
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Nir’s Answer

It totally depends on the person. Some people don't feel like they need a work-life balance if they truly love their jobs. I know musicians who are in the studio 13-14 hours a day but they don't mind because they love being in the studio. For me I found that I want to be able to work normal hours and still make decent money so I chose a career that does that in software engineering. Career choice is big in that. You can't expect to work decent hours as a lawyer, doctor, or investment banker. If you are unsure of the workload of a career I highly recommend setting up some meetups with current professionals and ask them.
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