Here’s Why I Don’t Think Pursuing Your Passion As A Career Is A Good Choice
Confucius once said: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”.
I can’t remember when I first started falling in love with writing. Perhaps it was in primary school when I’d really enjoy essay writing; or maybe it was back in high school when I first started blogging. Regardless, as cliché as it sounds, my passion for writing started at a relatively young age.
Back in the days, I could spend hours on the computer drafting a blog post that’ll most likely only be read by two or three of my friends. Although I was publishing my written pieces on the internet, I didn’t have the intention to use the world wide web to its fullest extent by promoting my pieces globally. Back then, writing my blog was simply a coping mechanism from the study stress and a hobby I enjoyed doing.
It only seemed natural for me to pursue a writing career when I grow up. But the truth is, I never thought I’d end up writing for a living. I’d always wanted to keep writing as a hobby but in a twisted fate (which is an extremely long life story I shall skip this time), I ended up pursuing journalism in university.
I was skeptical when I first made the decision to turn writing into a possible career but when everything fell together (I was accepted into a journalism school abroad), I decided maybe this is what I was destined to pursue. Of course, it felt right at that time. As much as I was anxious about moving abroad, I convinced myself that it was the right decision to pursue my passion. After all, writing for a living doesn’t seem so bad since it’ll be something I’d always enjoyed doing.
Wrong. Absolutely wrong.
I first realized journalism was not for me during the second week of university. I subtly hinted to my parents that I wanted to drop out but growing up in an Asian household, I knew my parents would call it bullshit and ask me to stick through it. Plus, it also didn’t help that I’d spent a substantial amount of money to apply for my student visa, complete the required medical check-up and pay for all the other expenses.
So, I bit my tongue and convinced myself I could do it; I could get through university. And I did. If there’s one trait about me that I’m extremely proud of, is that no matter how much I hate doing something, if I have to do it, I will always do it to the best of my ability and make sure I succeed. I graduated with an honors degree in journalism and it is, until today, one of my proudest achievements.
Writing in university was still tolerable because in many cases, I had the freedom to pick what kind of stories I’d like to report on for my assignments. I was very much into health reporting as I’d wanted to become a medical writer. I would spend my free time reading medical researches and learning about diseases and illnesses.
Here’s the thing about passion and work: if you’re truly passionate about something, it’s less likely you’ll feel stressed doing it, even if you’re required to do it for work.
For my final year dissertation, I spent 6 months pursuing a story about plastic and reconstructive surgery. It is by far the most enjoyable reporting I’d ever done. Why? Because I was truly passionate about the topic and the fact that I had to write loads didn’t bother me a single bit.
But here’s the deal: Life is not always rosy.
I soon realized that most medical writer jobs require candidates with a strong science background. A journalism degree wasn’t what employers are seeking, and I’ve had countless rejections telling me that a “passion” in health writing won’t make the cut.
However, luck was on my side. I landed a job as a writer curating content for beauty, fashion and lifestyle topics, and it was truly a dream job. It was a job I was familiar with since I used to enjoy writing those topics for my blog. Of course, there were hurdles in the beginning as I was still a fresh graduate trying to get the hang of the real working life, but I enjoyed writing my favorite topics on a daily basis. It felt like a breeze and I can’t deny that every day felt like fun.
But was it ideal in the long run? Not at all.
Slowly, I started loathing having to write another piece of article, especially those which I have absolutely no interest in. Sure, I mentioned I loved writing beauty, fashion and lifestyle topics. But when you’re forced to do something and meet a certain requirement, that’s when you’ll hate doing it. And I, for instance, developed a hateful relationship with something I used to call “my passion”.
Even if you choose to pursue your passion, there’s a possibility that too much passion can lead to burnout.
There was once I was chatting with my friend about her passion for baking. She posts her creations online and frankly speaking, it does look as good as a professional baker’s. And bear in mind, she has never taken any baking classes and merely relied on self-learning. She mentioned she would occasionally receive messages from strangers asking the price of her cakes and she would turn them down by telling them they’re not for sale.
I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t want to turn it into a small side hustle and earn some bucks, until one day when I finally popped that question to her.
Her answer? “I bake for fun and all my creations are based on what I had in mind. If I turn it into a business, I will have to conform to the customers’ requests and sooner or later, I won’t enjoy baking as much as I do now,” she explained.
It got me thinking for a very long time. As much as I hate writing, I don’t exactly hate it. I hate writing for work, but look at what I’m doing now. I’m writing for Medium and I’m enjoying it. What does this mean?
Here’s the thing: When you lose control of your passion, it’s no longer a passion. It becomes a chore. And nobody likes chores. Nobody likes being restricted.
Writing has always been my passion and I have no doubt I’ll still enjoy doing it in the future. But when I’m forced to produce content that I have zero interest in, writing becomes the most difficult thing to endure. Not to mention, when it comes to earning a living with your passion, there’s a high possibility that you’d loathe your passion if it’s not raking in the big bucks you’d always wanted.
So should you pursue your passion or not?
I’m nobody to tell you what to do. There are many people who are living happily pursuing their passion. At the end of the day, it boils down to how passionate you are and what you want in life. Are you willing to give up other things in life to pursue your passion? Are you absolutely certain that what you’re passionate about is what you want for the rest of your life?
It’s important to consider if your passion is simply what you’re really into now, not what you’re good at doing. People change all the time. And as time passes, your interests tend to change. Even if you choose to pursue your passion, there’s a possibility that too much passion can lead to burnout.
Here’s a food for thought: The reality of life is that you can do what you love every single day and it will still feel like work.
