Do You Think I Should Settle or Do Something I Love?

Hi Bridget,

This is always a tough question to answer in our own lives. I always revert back to what is going to make you the happiest in life. And also, what would make you most stressed...not doing the things you love or not being able to provide the means to be able to do so? Either of those passions are

For me it's being able to provide a good life financially for myself and my family, so I chose the road that was going to make me the most successful. Luckily I ended up with a job that I very much enjoy. It sounds like two of your loves are things you could do on weekends and off-hours which may turn out perfectly. There is an opportunity to make a great living doing either, especially photography, so keep exploring your passion there part-time and see if it can develop into something greater.

Thanks!

Mike

Hi Bridget. Like the above poster said to you, this is the million dollar question! When I was junior in high school I thought I was going to pursue a career in the health sciences because that was the hot thing at the time. I ended up taking a graphic arts class as an elective to fill a spot that year. With that class I re-discovered my passion of art and just being creative. In talking to my teacher I learned about the field of graphic design. So before the end of my Junior year I changed all of my classes for the next year to art classes with the anticipation of building a portfolio to help me apply to colleges.

I ended up with a degree in Graphic Design Communication, and there is not a day that goes by that I don't question my decision to go down this path (and not the other one). I could not imagine doing anything else. This has given me the ability to be creative and really do something and it allowed me to be exposed to many different industries depending on where I was working at the time. There are truly so many different facets of design that I have encountered over the years. So yes, you can do something you love and earn a living doing it. It may not be all fun and creative all the time, (but that is what weekend hobbies are for me) but it makes it a lot easier than doing something that is just expected of you because it's the industry to go into.

Bridget, million dollar question that you have just asked. This is such a hard question to answer as it really varies from person to person what the best choice is but if I could answer your question in one word it would be BALANCE.

By balance I mean that you are going to have find a job that you enjoy while at the same time financially support yourself. Jobs that you love as well as jobs that financially support you are not mutually exclusive and you can find a job that satisfies both, or work two jobs so as to 'hit' both categories. Working two jobs though will require good time management and will be much harder to successfully handle compared to working one job, but it is possible to do this and countless people have done/currently do this.

Is there a way to somehow combine your passions? Can you work a job that supports you and dance on the side? Try to think about pursuing both by thinking outside the box; can you somehow satisfy both being financially supported and also pursue you passion of dance? Think about these questions as they should help you in your decision.

Best,

Austin

Hi Bridget,

You can definitely combine your interest in the arts with STEM or STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, ARTS, and Math). Zendaya takes you on a tour of a music studio.

This is a super video on how STEM and the Arts work together and how there are great jobs.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/zendaya-stem-we-need-more_us_58debe6ee4b0ba359594eafb