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Career vs Passion?

When looking towards what to study/major in college, should you lean more towards something that will benefit you career wise? Or should you study your passion even if it may not lead to as much success as something else? #career

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Ken’s Answer

The goal in life is to look forward to going to work every day and feeling a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment in your work. The best way to accomplish this is to develop a better understanding of how your personality traits relate to those successful in appropriate career areas and then meet and talk to people who are doing what you think that you might want to do to see what they do, how they got there, and what advice that they may have for you.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
• It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
It really does not matter what school you attend, as the most important factors are how well you do with the school work, which is an indication to an employer about what kind of employee you will be, and the effort that you put forth in your networking to set up networking connections that will help you throughout your education/career journey. Here is an important video for you to watch: ## http://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education ##
Thank you comment icon Here are some tips on how to reduce college costs. Too many people are spending way too much on a college education and ending up with unnecessarily high debt. ## http://www.educationplanner.org/students/paying-for-school/ways-to-pay/reduce-college-costs.shtml ## Ken Simmons
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Sheryl’s Answer

That is an incredible question, Andres. I believe that nearly everyone would like to have their career BE their passion, but that is not always possible. Only you can decide the balance of career vs. passion.

The good news is... it IS possible to have a career and pursue your passions at the same time. Hopefully you can make your career something that you like to do and you do it well. That's perfect. Your career helps you live a comfortable life and can allow you to pursue your true passions "on the side". Travel, join organizations, volunteer, build a workshop for your hobby... whatever that passion is, do not abandon it for your career.

And you never know, your passion may become a second career later after you are established and feel more comfortable with making it your next career.
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Paul’s Answer

Great question! I was raised in a different generation where finding a career was paramount to following your passion. What is so great about the advancements in technology is that so many doors are open to you to find and pursue your passion and make it a career! The way to best ensure a fulfilling career as an adult is to find a way to make a living from doing what you love. Your passions are typically determined by your personality and interests. Figure out what you're passionate about and then look at where there is a need in that space. This can help you determine what skills you need to build to follow that passion. The key is to take advantage of the technology at your fingertips. There has never been an easier time to research your interests and make an informed decision about your future. There are so many non-traditional pursuits that you can follow, however you will need traditional skills to realize those pursuits. Leverage your educational goals to match the skill set required to follow your passion.
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Angelica’s Answer

I will tell you, as you can see from the many answers, that many of us can relate to this question. Many of us have been there and chose what we thought were best for each of us. I will say, enjoying what you do makes a huge difference in the effort you will put in on a daily basis. I definitely believe in being able to do both and finding that happy medium between the two if you can't. In more recent times, you can pretty much turn any passion into a career so spending sometime on figuring how to make it work is worth it.
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Vaughn’s Answer

This is a great question because I see so many people only look at a career that is a "smart" choice instead of something they're truly passionate about that may pay less. I'm a believer that there are ways to have both. For instance, I know of someone who teaches piano lessons because they loved it but also started teaching videos on YouTube and makes great money. If you really want to do something that brings you joy you can get creative in different ways to make more money. You got this!

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Laura’s Answer

Hey Andres! This is a tough question and you should not have to sacrifice one for the other.  However nobody wants to be in a position where they are trying to make a career out of something that does not spark their passion. Make a list of everything you are passionate about, then make another list next to that with all the careers that interests you. Once you have both lists made look for common ground between the careers and the passions that you have listed. Doing this will allow you to see how your passions correlate with your career interests.

Laura recommends the following next steps:

Make two list, one for careers and one for passions then look for common ground.
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Kim’s Answer

Andres,


It is not an either/or question! Ideally, you would look at where the two overlap. Passion is great, but, it often doesn't pay the bills! You also want to look at how you define success. If you are one of those people who need the fancy car and big house, and it has to be bigger than your brother's house, and your brother is a doctor, well. . . .you know where that story ends! But, if "success" means you live in a decent neighborhood, can pay all your bills, save towards retirement, buy new clothes for your kids, meet unexpected expenses, etc., then it is a lot easier to attain success! You really want to think about this now, so, when you achieve success, you will know that you have!


If you can realistically expect to achieve success by following your passion, then you go for it. An example would be someone who likes to create computer games, or design robotics. However, if your passion is making pottery, that would be more difficult. But, if you also like working with people, you could look at getting into rehabilitative therapy, where pottery might be one of many techniques used. Or, becoming a museum curator where there are a lot of pottery exhibits. Or an archaeologist. It all just sort of depends.


It is also possible to become passionate about a career, even though right now it might be something you never studied before. I will say this: Do not pursue something you totally hate! If you can't stand playing with numbers all day, don't go into accounting, even if you are good at it!!!! Just because you are good at something does not mean it is the right thing for you!


Sorry this is sort of rambling, but, I hope I have said something to help you think this through. If you have particular careers and passions you want to mention, I might be able to see how the two go together and give you some more ideas!


Kim
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