To those well into their professional careers.. Is "follow your passion" one of the worst advice to give a young person?

[hwarang]

Like.. this is one of the most naive advice I hear many adults preach. World doesn't work that way.

You have to pursue what you're good at and excel at it.

Maybe once you're financially stable, then you could pursue side projects that align towards your passion and scale it into a business if possible.

 

[Deleted member 12833]

As someone that didn't follow his passion, I'd say no

 

[BassForever]

Depends upon what your passion is, if someone has a passion to be like a doctor, a programmer, etc why wouldn't you support that passion?

 

[Viewt]

I've been a project manager in technology for 10+ years. I work on large data driven projects for global brands (one of which has an OT on this forum).

The truth is, there's no one thing. It's a chaotic alchemy of luck, specialty, attitude, and privilege (or lack thereof). Passion is a strong motivator, but it's just one factor. The best advice I can give to someone starting their career is to just cast a wide net and make the most of what comes back. You can roll the dice more when you're younger and less boxed in by salary/specialty.

 

[Sheentak]

Tried following my passions in my early 20s, I'm now 30 with zero assets, having to go to university in third year finally but I'm literally 10 years behind everyone and ended up unemployed most of my 20s due to bad decisions.

Complete and utter failure on my end.

 

[DonnieTC]

Well I was always really into computers...so I'd say it worked out for me since I'm a software engineer now.

 

[Imperfected]

I mean, I know it's a cop-out answer, but it's true: it depends on whether or not your passion is stupid.

 

[RedMercury]

No, just because you're good at something doesn't mean it's what you want to be doing, you might be good at something and be passionate about it

 

[crienne]

Yes and no. By all means follow your passion, but don't let someone use that passion against you. I know too many people in the game industry that take pay cuts, demotions, and other such things just to work for their dream company and have their passion exploited.

 

[King Metal Zel]

Follow your passion!!!

... but have a plan B/C just in case.

 

[Gaf Zombie]

Depends on your passion. But even with enthusiasm, some passions will require more work than others.

 

[ToTheMoon]

Worst advice ever? Not even close.

If you're passionate about something, you're more likely to put in the work needed to build towards success. More importantly, following your passion will make you happy.

Does that mean that everyone should follow their passion at all times? Of course not. But it doesn't mean that it's the worst advice ever, for sure.

 

[olag]

Do what you enjoy but make sure you can live off it.

 

[DrEvil]

I followed mine and got where I wanted to be... had a 5 year detour in advertising but it served its purpose as the required experience to do so... so no, its not bad advice. As long as your passion is a realistic one.

 

[unholyFarmer]

The danger of following your passion is that, even if you succeed, it may lead to overwork, low income etc. If you really love what you do, that might be worth it, but you are still sacrificing free time and accepting to live with a not so great income in order to live for your passion.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

No, passion is important if you are willing to endure. Though being young also means you will not have discovered all of your passions.

 

[Xiaomi]

No, the worst advice is to work for free/exposure. Following your passion can mean a lot of things good and bad.

 

[Transistor]

It's not terrible advice, but it needs to be taken with a side order of reality. Take your passion and see just what you can do with it in the real world.

 

[Draconis]

As someone who spent the better part of a decade working for an employer who started out great, but turned into an absolute hellscape that destroyed my health and ruined most of my life...I'd wager a better turn of the phrase is thus.

" Work every moment to better yourself and pursue your dreams, lest you end up fulfilling the dreams of another. "

 

[Illiterate Bookworm]

It's all fine and dandy until your passion gets beaten into submission by those who see that passion as a liability or a hindrance to their own nefarious machinations.
Damn that's a pessimistic take. Not like I'm talking from personal experience or anything...

 

[Bio]

All I ever wanted to be was a writer, and if I hadn't followed that passion into related careers, and instead taken the quickest and easiest paths to more money and job stability, I'd be miserable as a professional today. After 21 years of writing professionally, working in marketing, technical documentation, and freelance journalism, I remember each day how lucky I am to have a job I like, instead of a job I hate but can't quit, that I only ever do for a paycheck.

You should definitely follow your passions, when you let them lead you to realistic, achievable goals. It's when you let your passions overtake your sensibilities that you begin to get in trouble.

 

[Tom Penny]

I would like to know why this is the worst advise they have gotten for 40% of people..where you nonathletic and tried to be an Olympian or something?

 

[Kuribo’s Shoe]

Follow your passion is good, but the whole "you can be anything you want to be" line that I was fed as a kid is total bullshit.

 

[Mauricio_Magus]

Follow your passion but be realistic, as usual it depends on a lot of factors and your current situation.

 

[Vertpin]

Tried following my passions in my early 20s, I'm now 30 with zero assets, having to go to university in third year finally but I'm literally 10 years behind everyone and ended up unemployed most of my 20s due to bad decisions.

Complete and utter failure on my end.

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Not a failure at all! You rock. Keep working hard! :)

 

[Deleted member 18944]

I followed my passion. I got where I wanted. Then I said "what's next" and im working on my next passion.

 

[Disco Stu]

I did. Super happy doing what I'm doing.

I'd hate working a job is loathed. I know cause I've done it.

Took a bit but it paid off.

 

[RM8]

I didn't follow my passion and I hate my degree. I thought I was being adult and rational by choosing a "good" degree instead of an idealistic one. I followed my passion 4 years ago and I absolutely love my job now (I'm a translator!).

So I'd say, follow your passion but be realistic about it I guess?

 

[tadaima]

No, the worst advice is to work for free/exposure. Following your passion can mean a lot of things good and bad.

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Not necessarily. Unpopular opinion, but you just have to know where to draw the line, or people will take advantage of it if you are skilled. In the real world, exposure/experience early into your career can help to advance it an awful lot. It worked tremendously for me and I know others who have used it to their advantage too. You've just got to know when to put an end to it.

On the other hand, working for free (personal projects, pro bono, volunteering) can be a nice escape later into your career.

 

[hwarang]

Follow your passion is good, but the whole "you can be anything you want to be" line that I was fed as a kid is total bullshit.

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darn, that's the tagline that flew over my head. that's one of the worst worst worst things to feed to a kid.

 

[Failburger]

I thought I wanted to be a mechanic. Was I fucking wrong.

 

[KoopaTheCasual]

You should most definitely follow your passion, OP.

Be realistic about attainability, but if your passion is something you have a skill set in, develop that.

Humans are not characters to min-max. And we shouldn't live like that.

Yes and no. By all means follow your passion, but don't let someone use that passion against you. I know too many people in the game industry that take pay cuts, demotions, and other such things just to work for their dream company and have their passion exploited.

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Follow your passion!!!

... but have a plan B/C just in case.

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These^

 

[El Bombastico]

I'd say "do something that makes good money even if you utterly despise it/forces to you basically do nothing but work" is equally bad advice. Both extremes need to be tempered. Follow your passion...but channel into something you make a career our of. Do something that pays well...but only if it doesn't swallow up your entire life and doesn't make you not want to get out of bed every morning.

 

[Admiral Woofington]

yes and no. Sometimes our passion is something where the way to make a decent living out of it requires you to be at the right place at the right time and have the talent to back it up. As a young person, even into college, everyone needs to sit down and think to themselves if they are good at their passion and if there are viable career paths they can pursue into their passion.

Sometimes you need to find a middle ground. What are you good at and don't absolutely abhor that can make a decent living. At that point you work to live and don't live to work.

 

[sphagnum]

Hard to say. I never had one.

 

[Pilgrimzero]

The resl world doesn't give a shit about your passion. You are one of the few lucky ones if you can actually turn a passion into a career.

 

[GameDev]

Maybe not the worst, but it is horrible.

Just because your passionate about, say, making video games does not mean you'll be passionate about working in the industry. Too many people find this out after saddling themselves with a ton of debt with a degree that doesn't transfer to any other profession.

 

[Deleted member 1476]

Yes. People will exploit the shit out of you.

 

[ArtemisLunar]

I always believe that if you have a passion that it can be realistic and it can be done sure, go ahead and do it, but you'll need always a plan b, , c, d... if something goes wrong, always get your feet on the earth, and it's good to delay your goals or change it if you need it

 

[oreomunsta]

I think you have to find the parts of your passions that can be turned into marketable skills

For example, turning "I like playing strategy games" into "I like problem-solving and working with complexity"

 

[Pau]

I don't know about worst advice ever, but I do think it can be harmful to give young people the sense that the only careers and skills worth pursuing are those that align 100% with their passions, particularly ones they picked while in middle or high school. I know too many talented artists who are unemployed or underemployed with significant student debt from art/music school, and without the self-confidence or opportunity to try something else. I also say this as someone who dropped out of art school after one year because I saw just how crazy competitive the field was.

Ultimately, I wish we lived in a society were people could follow their passions without worrying about making a living wage and could study whatever they wanted without the fear of debt. But until then, I'll try to give advice that recognizes this reality.

Follow your passion!!!

... but have a plan B/C just in case.

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Yes, being able to pivot and develop multiple skills is important.

Depends on your passion. But even with enthusiasm, some passions will require more work than others.

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Unfortunately, this is very true. And more luck.

 

[Jawmuncher]

As said, follow your passion but have a plan.

You might love something with all your heart, but sometimes you need to face reality that you can't make it a career alone.
Similar to say those who drop everything and go into trying to make youtube a career.

 

[ExtremelyBitter]

Pursue your passion, but if doing so requires a skillset you literally can't see applying to anything else try to figure out something you don't hate that you can set yourself up as a desirable hire for as a fallback. It'll vary from passion to passion and person to person, but there are some things you can care deeply about and enjoy that are better off being left as a hobby because the process of staking your livelihood on them can suck some of the joy out of it--it doesn't mean don't do those things, but it does mean you shouldn't put yourself in a position where you're essentially stuck making yourself hate something you loved progressively more and more. Try your best to have something else you can do to fund your life so you can do the thing you enjoy on your own terms.

I picked a major I didn't really care about, just because it was marketable and something I was good at. I tried for a while to do things I cared about, but my work-life balance got a lot better once I got shifted into a job and role I'm less invested in because being so invested in what I was doing ate up most of my time and returned relatively little in the way of results. Now I have an easier time separate my work and personal life, and since the same core skillset ended up porting over wholesale I make decent money and can afford to spend my free time doing things I care more about.

Nothing wrong with chasing your dreams, but no shame in reevaluating if the chase is draining you.

 

[Mentosrock]

Yeah, it is bad advice. I think instead people should pay attention to who they actually are before they chase an image they think fits for them. Look at your actual skills, talents, comfort level before you decide to 'chase your passion'. Your 'passion' is often just a very abstract concept too. A lot of people can't figure out what it is, it's just a feeling of where your interests are. Pay more attention to what you actually know about yourself and find a career that fits who you are when you're being realistic about yourself. You'll probably be happier imo.

 

[Piston]

It can work but you have to realize the difference between a passion and a hobby. There are other evaluations you have to make like practicality, work-life balance, living quality, etc. that go along with following your passion.

 

[GillianSeed79]

Telling a kid to follow their passion is fine, so long as you explain to them that not all passions will actually lead to a career that will provide you with a living wage or economic security. Not all degrees are worth following unless you are ok with potentially being dirt poor or are willing to accept all the passion in the world won't matter if the only job you can get with your degree is in retail or waiting tables. I WISH adults had steered me toward a more practical degree. I've spent the entirety of my career making less than $35K/year while my fellow peers are making two or three times that. Right now, I'm working full time and studying IT to get certified. If I actually can get certified and land a job, I'll automatically be making a lot more than I do now, even though I have a college degree and well over a decade of post college work experience.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

My passion is not lifting boxes, dealing with customers, and being able to listen to whatever the fuck I want while I work.

Follow your passion but really take time and ask yourself what are you REALLY passionate about...

 

[FreshYoungDoggo]

My passion does not relate to labor or work and I find that true for many folks anecdotally.

 

[Forsaken82]

no, you should absolutely follow your passion... just make sure you research your passion career before you follow it.

 

[afreaknamedpete]

I think "follow your passions" is good advice but with the caveat that you don't have to make your passion your career. Yeah they may align, but nothing kills passion like deadlines, routine and bullshit of doing a service for a paycheck.