Guest Post- Passion vs. Paycheck
June 12, 2007 | by brett | Permalink
Whether you’re choosing a college major, debating between two job offers, or contemplating a career change, chances are at one time or another you’ll have to choose between your passion and your paycheck. That’s not to say you can’t do what you love and get paid well for it, but there’s a reason why so many people drive home from the office in their Mercedes completely stressed out while I go home in my Hyundai with a smile on my face, eager to log on to my laptop later that night. The bottom line is finding a career you love–or at least remotely like–and transforming the way you approach your job. After all, wouldn’t it be better to live to work rather than work to live?!
I can remember people in my family wondering what in the world I’d do with a college degree in English. The truth is, I really didn’t think much about it at the time. For me, it was more about the fact that I loved taking English courses. I wasn’t interested in (nor good enough with numbers) to explore a “practical”-major track like accounting or trusted professional paths like medicine or law. As I searched for my career passion, I discovered it within the written word (hence why I’m blogging, writing, and editing today).
And guess what? The nature of our workforce allows me to change my mind at any time should I grow sick of Internet media. Changing careers even more than once is very normal nowadays. In fact, as managing editor of CollegeSurfing.com, a site dedicated to offering educational options and career resources, I’ve had the opportunity to interview hundreds of people who’ve started over to pursue their lifelong dreams. For many of them, that even meant giving up a top-paying job to return to school and change careers. And for 99.9% of them, their only regret is why they didn’t make the move sooner.
Working your way up and spending your entire working life with one company is so last century. That is, unless you actually want to. In other words, your passion is there for the pursuing, so don’t ever give in to feeling stuck in a dead-end career that bores you. And here’s a little secret: If you work hard and let your passion show through, the paychecks will follow, too.
Dawn Papandrea is the passionate managing editor of CollegeSurfing.com and The CollegeBound Network. Check out her CollegeSurfing Insider blog.
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Daily itzblogging big Links 2007-06-13 - itzblogging big - Serving the Unserved – Recruiters, Job Seekers, Quiet Working Professionals Says:
June 13th, 2007
[…] Pursue the Passion: Guest Post- Passion vs. Paycheck “Working your way up and spending your entire working life with one company is so last century. That is, unless you actually want to. In other words, your passion is there for the pursuing, so don’t ever give in to feeling stuck in a dead-end career that bores you.” […]
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