you're tasked with advising a young person. do you tell them that they should look to do something they love? is that realistic? to love what you do?

or are you more likely to point them in the direction of something that they don't hate. something they can reasonably tolerate that offers the money and security they need.

is it realistic to tell kids they are settling for any job they don't absolutely love? or is settling for suckers?


***
I'm tryna be better off, not better than...

but what doesn't add up are people who refuse to do work in order to meet an end goal.

in the same vein as, 'someone gotta make the fries, or pick up the trash, or do a host of other things they don't particularly enjoy doing', the reality is - do the job now, do it well, then move on to something you enjoy.

AND people should be cognizant of their professional trajectory.

if you wanna be in health care (and are qualified), you got no business working at autozone.

have realistic expectations and all that, too.

I typed all that to say - yes, you should love what you do. It's not an unrealistic expectation or goal. but everyone isn't going to be content in every moment of their lives.

just not how the world 'works.'

spend most of your time doing it. in theory.

if a person is able to earn money and have an separate additional activity that they love doing - they might find fulfillment in that setup, too.

but who has 'time' for all that?

to be able to live off of, as well as pursue your extracurricular interests....

If you find one that just so happens to align...then kudos...if not, just know that it's not the end all/be all of you as a person.

That's generally how I frame those types of convos..



"Get ready..for your blessing..."

You aren't looking at the totality of this life thing...

Some people love money.. doesn't matter what they do they want to make it.. a lot of it.

Some people love family... The job doesn't so much as matter because they love providing for the fam..

Finding passion in life and in work may not lead you to some "ideal job" (I mean job's as we know them are recent idea to human history). But knowing what you value/enjoy will ultimately make everything and everyone in life better around you..

"Unrealistic" is in the eye of the beholder.. don't put that negativo on someone who doesn't see it.

but make sure they know it doesn't mean you won't have shitty jobs on the way to that career

the key is to build and learn from the shitty ones just as much as from the great ones

even if the lesson from the shitty one is to put all your energy into what you really want so that you never have to do that shitty job again

i also think we need to teach folks how to say "no"
every opportunity isn't the right opportunity
what seems like a good opportunity can also be a distraction

Just cause you love basketball doesn't mean you're gonna be Stephan curry. Someone has to sell the tickets to see Stephan curry. You still get to be in the field you love just in a more realistic way.

I think the biggest thing is showing kids realistic ways to be in the industry they love, even if it's not in a "superstar" way.

Never make "settling" a goal in life...

so, no. i wouldn't tell 'em they gotta find a job or career they love. plenty folks are satisfied working a job just to pay the bills and find something that drives them and gives them fulfillment w/o being paid for it. maybe a hobby will fulfill them. or their family. or volunteer work. i dunno but it doesn't have to be their job.

that age old question about what a person would do if they won the lottery where their career choice should relate to the answer they give to the question - that shit is bunk. b/c for plenty ppl the answer is something that won't make a good career choice or isn't a career choice at all. like my answer would be to travel and party. but i don't want to make a career out of traveling and partying - in part b/c then traveling and partying will become a chore. i'm better off working a career that allows me time and pays me enough money to travel and party.

doesn't matter what that job is, just find one and excel at it...however, if they have a dream or a love that they want to fulfill then it's "Research all the jobs that are related to that dream, have a back up plan, and in the meantime, work a job that you like and pays the bills."

or what will even make them happy?

With time, it'll come to them

>you're tasked with advising a young person. do you tell them
>that they should look to do something they love? is that
>realistic? to love what you do?
>

it's realistic to love it and fall quickly out of love, or else how would one know what works versus what won't? it's a good lesson to keep humility in the front of that discussion but it's nothing wrong with advising young folks to make this chase. i wish someone did that for me.


i made what some would say is a foolish choice to chase my career and i almost agreed in some respects but it paid off.

And it goes beyond "somebody gotta make the fries". Someone has to do the internal audit. Someone has to be the HR generalist.

Most people will never monetize their passion, and that's okay. They will find their fulfillment outside of work. "Do what you love" devalues work as a means of survival. Career as self-actualization is the domain of the most privileged few and tacitly shames those who can't achieve it.

Young people are smart and hardheaded, which is appropriate.

And if they do take your word as gospel, they deserve whatever bad advice you give them so that they can learn from it and do what they should have done in the first place: Find their own way.

People need to make decisions that are the best fit for their situation and what matters most to them.

If you're ALL about the cash, you're likely willing to do nearly whatever as long as it brings you that.

If you're ALL about the passion, you're likely to be willing to sacrifice within reason to chase that.

If you're a mix of both, your path will be a mix of both.

Listen to yourself. That's the advice. If you succeed, keep going. If you fail, learn from it, and keep going.

No one that isn't walking on your journey every day can advise you on what's best for you.

Only you can do that.

^^^ The gospel has been written...

well said..

I am in 100% agreement. This is exactly how I advise my students.

things you don't want to do, and then questioning if you even love it

work ethic and disciple are the most important lessons

to them. i also provide them with various online research tools on salary, higher education and cost of living calculators. then they can get more precise with their paths.
for example - http://www.bls.gov/ooh

***
I'm tryna be better off, not better than...

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tmmLdpy9IZELctQM3sRKoWx5cBsWJ9agNh7tmbXPhOU/pub

***
I'm tryna be better off, not better than...

or do what best suits their temperaments and innate skills/talents

i really wish there was more testing for these types of things early on that continued on alongside education

i think more people would end up doing what they "love" if in fact those temperaments and skills varied as much as they seem to

but it can def point you in the right direction like "yo, you're an introverted thinker type of cat, so DON'T try to be a politician, try being _______"

"Most people will never monetize their passion, and that's okay. They will find their fulfillment outside of work. "Do what you love" devalues work as a means of survival. Career as self-actualization is the domain of the most privileged few and tacitly shames those who can't achieve it"

yourself with a company/organization that has a mission/goals that speak to your spirit.

between what you love and what you're good at. Also, I've used ancillary jobs for what they're passionate about to get them thinking outside of the box. Like if they're into sports, don't just look at being a ballplayer. Look at marketing, publicity, entertainment law, sports medicine, broadcasting, etc. Sometimes you need to throw a kid a bone to guide them towards figuring out adjacent ways to work with their passions.

I think most have both. Every person has to do something that they don't "love". I have worked ina very technical field for almost 10 years. It is not a passion but it has really made it easy for me to buy a great home, get the car tha tI like, travel, meet new people and support my family.

My passion is great because It is not a career. I can stop and start at anytime.

Jobs, money etc are overrated. Family, health, love and integrity are more important than material things.

It often takes exploration of different careers to really find what you love because the reality of a profession can be far different than how one imagined it. That can often require a parachute and privelige that isn't afforded to the majority of the population.

I had a career in marketing strategy, got into HBS, but turned it down because I wasn't happy with that career path. I decided to go into physical therapy for a number of reasons, but speaking to this topic, I was able to move back in with my parents for 1.5 years to meet all my pre-reqs and they also give me some financial support while I'm in school currently.

Environment often creates opportunity and I'm under no veil that much of my opportunity has come from my family support network. Therefore, when talking to your kid, you have to figure out the intersection between the ideal (loving your job) and reality (bills, loans, other pressures, etc).