Careers: Pursuing Your Passion
May 15th, 2007You can rely on SphereMagazine.com for “real talk” to help you align your true passions with your career path. This way, you can feel free to go for the opportunities you want to take instead of those others say you should take.
Author Lindsey Pollak breaks it down exactly in her latest book, Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World (HarperCollins, 2007). Here’s an excerpt:
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In writing Getting from College to Career, I interviewed dozens of established professionals about their career paths and decisions. I wish I had a dollar for every person who had pursued a “safe” career choice when they were young and now wanted to pursue a passion they’d always had. The problem is, by their 30s and 40s, people had kids, mortgages, and lots of experience doing something they didn’t want to do anymore. And the prospect of starting all over again as an entry-level employee was not very enticing.
My advice to college students and recent grads? Don’t let this be you.
If you have a clear passion, why not avoid this midlife fate and pursue your passion right now? This is the time in your life to experiment, follow your dreams, and, if necessary, work for lower pay in order to do something that you love. You have nothing to lose. Just do it!
Pursuing a passion now—before you have dependents, a mortgage, and years of experience behind you—should really be considered a career strategy. I am very serious about this. As I mentioned, I have met with dozens of people at all stages of their careers and eventually everyone comes around to the same conclusion: to be ultimately happy in your career—which is a big chunk of your life—you have to work at something you enjoy. If you pursue something you don’t really enjoy, it’s highly likely you’ll eventually try to change careers to something you’re passionate about.
At the very least, add a passion to the list of careers you’re pursuing.
“But wait,” some of you may be thinking. “I have serious student loans to pay off. Money is the most important factor in my decision making process right now. I am passionate about getting out of debt!”
Okay, then. If this is the case for you, then by all means your number one criterion for your first job should be earning as high a salary as possible. But I urge you to remember that your first job is not your last. If you feel that you are sacrificing some of your passion or happiness in order to make a higher salary in a job that pays well but is not ideal, there are still things you can do to keep money in perspective and not give up on any non-financial interests or dreams you may have.
You can join professional associations related to the fields that interest you (even if you’re not working in that field right now), subscribe to magazines or e-newsletters related to industries that represent future career dreams, volunteer your time to organizations you care about, or take classes that keep you stimulated and keeping up with your interests. All of these are opportunities to get experience, skills, and networking contacts that will come in handy if and when you decide to pursue your passion in the future.
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For your chance to WIN a free copy of Lindsey’s book, click here.
Getting from College to Career at Amazon
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May 21st, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Well put and - so true. I second what Lindsey is saying here and keep this in saying my wallet - love your work and never “work” another day in your life.