Combining your passion with work in 2024
I will lay out the most realistic and fundamental ways you should expect to combine your passions with work.
Life is short, and humans are complicated.
Growing up, whether we were raised in fortunate or less fortunate households, chances are we’ve run into things we’ve become head-over-heels about. When people talk about chasing their “passions,” what are they usually alluding to?
Usually, it’s a topic that entertains us to the point where we engage or consume it in some shape or form with love and respect. Sports teams. Cultural or media franchises like Harry Potter. Yoga. Arts and crafts like digital drawing or crochets. Movies or acting. Anime and manga. Entrepreneurship. Traveling. Fitness. Even hobbies like building Legos or photography (yes, I’m putting them in the same sentence).
The spectrum of ideas, activities, consumable media, and other inventions seem endless like the depths of our universe. Our lives as humans seem dull without that fiery-inducing drive to like or appreciate something.
But then arrives the concept of full-time work which many suggest shouldn’t converge with one’s passion. Why? Well, the arguments are vast and reasonably sounding:
“Chasing your passion is a scam.”
“Your hobbies and passion will become dreadful work.”
“Don’t chase something so unstable and risky.”
“Pick a job you’re good at, not what you love.”
Depending on your personality, comfort, drive, and will to struggle for eventual success, these harsh words don’t necessarily have to apply. Of course, jobs are never easy to come by in our world; that stable 9–5 life may not have been what you dreamed of as a kid, but suddenly, upon adulthood, the tables have turned. Some go from dreaming big in their younger years to yearning for stability, financial health, and job security once they age.
Yes, jobs exist where you can combine your passion with your career. Are they abundant and easy to obtain? Probably not. Given the complications of each job in today’s society, numerous factors start to weigh into a career: financial needs, dealing with shi*tty bosses, ethics, job economies, and so many other nuances.
This begs the question: how should most people in their 20s and 30s approach this endless problem of balancing passion and work?
My advice for all those deciding between passion and work in 2024
1. Be obsessed with the problem, not the end vision.
We’re dreamers. We all imagine ourselves conquering life one day in our own unique ways. It’s great to dream big, but has anyone ever told us to “push our dreams to the side and just focus on what’s in front of you”?
We tend to be passionate about things because of what their end results look like — it’s only natural to be attracted to “perfection.” For example, some are passionate about food because of the possibilities of what an end dish could look like. Or playing video games because of some historical titles and experiences which, thanks to their perfection, shaped our childhoods. Even entrepreneurs are passionate about what the end result could look like; not the struggle of getting there and pivoting ideas when needed.
The end vision is important since it acts as a guide — or if you want me to be cringe yet poetic: the North Star in the sky. Yet while we blindly follow Polaris, we forget the other type of passion needed: problem-solving.
Within the potential jobs and businesses that align with our passions lies a need for someone who can solve that company’s problems, not just a person who can daydream. If people aren’t obsessed over the details and the problems plaguing their company or project, then that end vision becomes empty. For example, if you’re passionate about games and became a game developer, you’d be passionate about solving that next big code blocker that’s preventing you from moving forward in your project. Or, if you were passionate about interior design, that passion should stretch to the small unenjoyable yet mandatory tasks that come with the role, such as tailoring to clients’ tastes (which don’t align with your own), editing blueprints, and dealing with stressful budgets and timelines.
Obsess over the skills you need to solve problems to achieve that long-term vision. Not just the vision itself.
2. Experiment to see whether you truly enjoy the struggle, rather than simply envisioning your success.
Piggybacking on my previous point: learning how to solve the world’s deepest problems entails both practice and suffering. Now, I want to make it clear that I’m not using “suffer” negatively — most of us have to suffer to some degree to achieve success. We all tend to envision or daydream about our eventual success and what that picture looks like, but what about the path to actually getting there?
Passionate about music? Joining the music industry to any degree probably hinges on either your production knowledge or musical skills. If you need to develop that area, then you’ve got to suffer through hard practice to get better. This same idea applies to numerous industries in which people tend to grow “passionate.” Dream about helping animals? Suffer through vet school or another program. Want to become an actor? Be ready to suffer through a heart-grasping saturated market of competition against other aspiring actors.
That’s why it’s important to dip your feet in the water first. Experiment to see whether you’re willing to enjoy the struggle, both mentally and physically. Are you able to suffer enough to achieve that end goal and align your “passion” with your dream job? Take the time to figure that out first before fully diving in.
3. Don’t quit that day job unless you absolutely hate it.
I’m not trying to sound like a Debbie Downer and claim that I don’t believe you can achieve your dreams by quitting your current mundane job.
Rather, ask yourself these questions:
Does my job allow me to develop the skills needed to achieve my dream career or role, or push me in the right direction to do so?
How financially flexible am I?
How stable is my current job, and how stable would my dream job be?
People mistakingly view their jobs as a reflection of their self-worth. Because of this, some don’t realize that their 9–5 (or whatever your schedule is) is only a means to achieve financial freedom.
Don’t put the cart before the horse. Instead, shift your mindset; Focus on developing specific skills that may lead you to a better job closer, or at least adjacent, to your dream career. Put that first ahead of just chasing a passion. Passion comes along as a positive side effect. If your current job doesn’t allow you to practice specific skills that are valuable down the road, then take the time to figure out your next steps and consider all factors. Can you develop those skills part-time? Do you need the money? It’s all circumstantial.
Last but not least: ensure those skills you want to develop (to chase your dream career) are valuable. AKA, are people willing to pay for your talent? Of course, only time will tell, but there’s always some degree of risk involved.
4. Start small and build consistency in your routine.
If anyone’s read James Clear’s Atomic Habits, you’ll know what I mean.
Whether you’re able to develop valuable skills at your current job, current educational program, or just on the side, you need to develop consistency when you engage in deliberate practice. You can’t just sit there and daydream about the end vision: becoming a famous actor, artist, dancer, game producer, developer, or wherever your passion lies. Come back down to earth, consistently do the work instead, and build a routine out of it.
I didn’t write a whole fiction book by suddenly deciding to just commit a whole month and going nuts at my desk. It was a gradual struggle for consistency which took over a year. I made sure that, no matter what day, I had to at least contribute one word to my manuscript. It’s about training your brain to sit down, open up that document, and start writing. If you can learn to practice consistently, you’re already halfway there.
About Me
My name is Kasey, AKA J.X. Fu (pen name). I’m passionate about writing, technology, AI, gaming, and storytelling.
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