Should you pursue your passion?

We have all heard the expression, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” This sentiment that everyone has heard numerous times while considering career paths should be examined. As college students, we are constantly thinking about what our future holds. Although we may have some idea of our future, we never quite know. Many people who are passionate about art, may consider being an art therapist or a graphic designer as a potential career path. If you are passionate about sports, you may consider sports writer or sports broadcaster as a job option. If you love music, you may want to seek options such as a composer or producer for your life goals. While all those examples that may or may not apply to you seem great, they are all still jobs. You are still going to have to wake up every morning and do work. You will be pressured, you will have deadlines, you will of course have bosses. While many people would argue that chasing their passion as a job is what they strive for, many may bypass their passion as a career.

On the one hand, pursuing your passion is what every child dream of doing when they are young. Whenever an adult would ask “What do you want to be when you grow up” the answer never seemed to be so complex as it is now. As a child we would just say whatever we would love doing, or something that we were passionate about. Many common responses from children include occupations such as an actor, astronaut, athlete, musician, or police officer. As we get older, we start to develop different passions and pursue those passions. It is not uncommon to major in a field that is something you are passionate about. In many cases pursuing something you are very passionate about is a great idea. Once you graduate and finally establish a career, your days can be driven by motivation when you wake up because your work involves material that truly interest you. As needed in every job, confidence is essential. Every task that you encounter in your career needs at least a bit of confidence. Luckily when you are doing something that you are passionate about you are more likely to tackle projects with confidence. When you are passionate about your career you are more likely to believe in your abilities. Life overall becomes much more enjoyable. Do you ever have plans for the next day that you are excited for and can’t sleep that night because you are so giddy? Now, I am not saying you will be able to experience this feeling every morning, but what I am saying is that you will wake up with pep in your step and have an overall excitement for life when you go to work when following your passion.

While there are certainly positives for pursuing a career that you are passionate about, it can bring its negatives as well. No matter how you want to spin it, you are going to have to work, and yes, work is very stressful for anyone. Even if you love what you are doing, there will points throughout your career where you are at your lowest. Yes, some jobs are better than others and even your job that you are passionate about will be great, that does not mean it will be smooth sailing throughout your career. An even bigger concern that can be faced when pursuing your passion as a job is losing the passion that you hold. Whether it is an intolerable boss that you have, or just the toll that work can take, having your passion as a career can certainly make the passion less desirable. If you’re an athlete, it is not unlikely to have met someone who has said that they stopped playing a sport because of a coach, and maybe even you were that person.

Whether the coach was too hard on the athlete, rude to the athlete, or the athlete just lacked a good relationship with the coach, there are many ways a coach can kill an athlete’s passion. This same idea can apply to an employee and their boss. Bosses can most certainly kill the passion that their employees express for their career.  In addition, you can also lose the passion that you have for your job if the work becomes unbarring. It is one thing to do something for fun and at your own pace, but when you are asked to have deadlines and have things done by a certain date and have many projects, your passion can start to feel less like a passion and more like work. An example that can be displayed in this scenario would be if you love photography. If you love taking photos for the local high school or college sports teams as a passion it can be very enjoyable. Whereas, if you had to take photos all day every day with many restrictions, the work can be very tedious and frustrating. Having a passion is great, but whether you want to make that passion as a job is something to think about deeply.

Passions are great to have, and we all have them. We have old passions, we have new passions, and we have passions that we did not even know we have. After weighing the pros and cons, it is my personal belief, chasing after a passion as a job is a great idea. Having something to smile about every morning is a great feeling. Nobody wants to do things that they do not love, and we want to chase things that makes us happy. Follow your passion, make it a career, and enjoy your life, however, be wary of the drawbacks that may exist if you choose this path.

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