The "Choosing a Career based on Passion" Illusion

College Confidential Community
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<p>This applies to everyone except for probably a few people out there.
How exactly do you know that a passion is going to remain a passion?</p>

<p>Let me give you a quick example. My friend used to think that artificial intelligence would be the most exciting thing to work on. He always obsessed over the concepts and what the future would look like. However, when he directly began to work with programming and design, he couldn’t stand it and said he’d rather be doing something else. The bottom line is, there probably isn’t the perfect career out there just waiting for you; if it’s anything that pays decently and leads to a stable life it will require some degree of struggle and patience. A suitable analogy would be marriage. Many people desire good/great traits in their future spouse. However, they themselves are not willing to change if their spouse were to expect the same traits from them. Every job can be romanticized but when it comes to working at it 8+ hours a day, it won’t be what you expected it to be. Nothing in life is easy, and not all is fun and games. Patience is the only way to get through life.</p>

<p>edit: I think human can always rationalize anything to be a passion, for the same reason that they can rationalize anything to be a drudge.</p>

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<p>Interesting question. I think there is a big difference between following your interests and what turns your crank, and holding the illusion that all paths to that career, or all facets of that career are rosy and happy times.</p>

<p>To use your marriage analogy, one tends to marry someone they love who as the best set of traits (for them), yet recognize that person is not perfect and nor will the marriage always be like the honeymoon. Careers should and can be the same way.</p>

<p>I was able to follow my heart into a career that I love. It is what I will never retire from if I can help it. It’s what I would do even if I wasn’t being paid to do it. It’s what I like to do when I have some spare time. I love to work and days sometimes go by too fast because I’m so immersed in what I’m doing. I feel like it uses my unique abilities and I have a chance to make a difference in a way that matters to me. I don’t work for the money even though the money is great, but I work because it fulfills me. </p>

<p>I know a lot of adults who found their first career a terrible burden and had to switch. I know others who are counting the years, then the months and even the days until they can finally retire and ‘start living’. I know many who had so few choices as they had to support a family and had no means to much of an education…they took what they had to take. If you are blessed to have all the choice in the world, you don’t have to be those people. </p>

<p>For those that do have choices, I think moving toward what excites you is valuable and important. You need to make a living, but if you choose the career based solely on income and status, I don’t think you will be nearly as happy 50 hours plus a week of your life (we satiate on money and status…they do nothing for us after we get used to it).</p>

<p>It’s hard to find your passion and maybe that word is unrealistic, it has too many expectations associated with it. Maybe for some, they never feel passion, about anything. So lets say, through a lot of exposure and experience and exploration, if you have the luxury of choice, you owe it to yourself to gravitate to that which gives you the most joy and is realistic as a career choice. </p>

<p>And for students who have no idea what I’m talking about above, and what it means to have a terrible job, or who think they can rationalize liking almost anything, I have two thoughts:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Have you ever had to actually work in a terrible job? Spend a summer cleaning fish? Spend relentless monotonous slow hours standing on your feet as a security guard? Being yelled at by your boss because you are two minutes late because you couldn’t find your itchy polyester uniform? If not, you need this experience first so you can see what a living hell it can be. </p></li>
<li><p>If you have done those horrible jobs above and you still think you can rationalize any job, I envy you! You might just be blessed to be a very happy person with a great perspective. We need talented bright people doing jobs that are not very pleasant so this is also a good thing.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>I think it’s easier to find a “not passion.” After working in a butcher shop for a year, I got a new job as a grunt office worker. It felt like I had found my dream career, even though I was just making spreadsheets and fixing the network that stopped working every day.</p>

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<p>Noo, his problem started when he began working in programming. I don’t think I’ve met a single happy programmer lol. It does things to your head.</p>

<p>You’re right though, everything’s a struggle. But if enjoying the general idea of what you’re doing is enough to get you out of bed, you’ve succeeded, in a way.</p>

<p>Besides, the only other options are either doing things for the money or doing things you hate or have no feelings for.</p>

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<p>^ But enjoying things always has a spectrum. For instance, you could “passionately” enjoy something or you could just mildly enjoy something.</p>

<p>I’m under the conviction that you can always bring yourself up to “mildly” enjoying something as long as you train yourself to believe that you like what you are doing. The only things I “passionately” enjoy doing are probably playing the violin, and playing video games… but neither of those passions will get me enough money to sustain myself unfortunately.</p>

<p>Thus I choose CS/engineering because I know I’m pretty good at math and programming, and with a lot of effort it will probably keep me in the job market (or at least better choice than other 4-year degrees). It isn’t something I’d always hop out of bed for, but it’s at least enjoyable for me to a certain extent. I’ll pursue my real passions during my free time.</p>

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<p>Who are you trying to convince here?</p>

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<p>I’m trying to see how sound my argument is before I go spend loads of money on the colleges I am looking at.</p>

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<p>He’s trying to convince himself. </p>

<p>No one cares if you can make a sound argument about something. This isn’t philosophy class. Millions of people love their jobs and are passionate about them. Stop trying to put them down because of your own lack of self-knowledge.</p>

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<p>Another thing I’d like to add: I have absolutely no idea what my “passion” is. I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time searching and researching for a good career. The difference between me and you is this: at least I’m looking. You’ve already given up.</p>

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<p>^ bruv, all I can say is try lighten up and smile -----> like this :)))))))))))
*edit. you obviously haven’t read the original post from what you replied…</p>

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<p>I need to lighten up? Hahahaha…</p>

<p>You’re the one who’s already given up on life. Enjoy your 9-5 monotonous job. I’ll be out living life.</p>

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<p>Student01, I think we’ve been unfair to your generation telling them all about this whole passion thing. Its very hard to find, and maybe impossible. I mean ‘passion’ is a BIG hurdle! Not to mention, maybe very hard to know it when you are still a student! First because you are still going to change a LOT. And second, you have been exposed to very few things that can tell you about what career you’d enjoy the most. And its near impossible for you to judge if you will like the job of say engineer when you are basing it on how much you like math or programming for example. Even being an engineering student is very very different than being an engineer. This is partly why so many schools do not let you even declare a major until you’ve taken a lot of courses, and why most schools have breadth requirements, and why a huge percentage of students change majors. (and relatively few adults have careers that involve what they majored in). </p>

<p>So don’t beat yourself up. For now your only task is to choose say between Arts and Science or X in terms of interests; and maybe with an idea of which type of area you may go into from that degree. But let yourself see what you like when you get there and follow that path of LIKE. And keep following the LIKE and it will most likely lead to the career options (there will be multiple ones) that float your boat. </p>

<p>Not to mention, most of your generation will likely have multiple careers in their life, and most of which they can not even IMAGINE yet. None of us can. You have tons and tons and tons of time to find your passion. It is not likely or supposed to be found in highschool!</p>

<p>But I do hope you won’t just settle for a career that is only “mildly” enjoyable after psyching yourself up for it. Most professionals I know that earn a decent salary, don’t have time for a lot of life outside of work so I don’t think you should be hedging your bets on that as a solution to a meaningful and happy life.</p>

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<p>I use to love architecture. I lived in a brand new nabor hood and there were knew houses built everywhere. I went inside and studied the way they were built. I also drew pictures. That was in 7th grade. Now it’s 12th and I’ve done an architecture class last year. I hated it. I was certain that was my passion, too.</p>

<p>I “love” computers. Well, not really at all. I’m just addicted to them. L0L. I love coding websites, forums, and etc. However, after 10 minutes of it I get annoyed. Handing that for 8 hours a day would not work.</p>

<p>I now love science. Will that stay. I don’t know…</p>

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<p>student01 and pandem you guys just blew my mind. Have you guys seen the movie “He’s just not that into you?” You two just acted out one of the most intense scenes of that movie word for word (though you guys are talking about careers rather than men/women). Now for my next trick… A flood of interest to this thread.</p>