22 Jan Can You Really Get Paid when Following Your Passion?

Can you make a living following your passion?

 

Have you heard at some point in your career a statement similar to, “Follow your passion and the money will come?” I have. And I can honestly say that hasn’t always happened for me.

 

I have not always been in jobs I was passionate about. Or even passionate about what I was doing in the job. There have been times finding a job, any job (and a paycheck), was more important than following my passions.

 

When I first started out, I aspired to be in broadcast news. Jobs in that field were not easy to come by, even in Los Angeles. I was on my own and needed to provide for myself. So, I took a job working for a recruiting firm. Was I passionate about recruiting? No, not at all. But I made decent money, and I learned some skills that would be beneficial later in my career, so not all was lost.

 

Later in my career, I accepted a marketing position that was completely inline with my skills and experience. It provided me the opportunity to completely turn around the marketing department. It seemed like it would be an interesting challenge. It also came with an impressive title and compensation package. The company was in an industry that, it turns out, I wasn’t that excited about. The days felt really long. The word “passionate” definitely does not come to mind when I think about that job, but it enabled me to get on steady ground financially.

 

Money Can Buy Happiness

And, apparently, I’m not alone in my experience of sometimes following the money rather than passion. Studies show money can, indeed, buy happiness. A 2013 study by University of Michigan professors Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers determined the wealthier people are, the more satisfied they are with their lives.  And the more you earn, the more satisfied you are.

 

But what happens when you want to follow your passions and are even willing to give up some of the money to do so? I’ve had that experience, too.

 

I was looking to make a career change and asked myself what it was I really was excited about. Health and beauty came to mind. At the time, I was in the middle of Ironman® training and was struggling to find the perfect sunscreen. I had researched everything I could about sunscreen. I became a bit of an expert and loved sharing with other athletes what I learned.

 

I even spoke to a Neutrogena representative exhibiting at a women’s marathon about their sunscreen. I asked her questions about ingredients, SPF and how long it would last; and I shared with her what I had learned in my research. Our exchange prompted her to say, “You know more about sunscreen than I do!”

 

Well, I thought, “Hello new career!” Right?

 

Wrong!

 

Try as I might, I could not break into the heath and beauty industry without any health and beauty experience. I was willing to take a step back in order to learn the industry, but I could not find a company willing to give me that opportunity. While I simply wanted to get my foot in the door, I could only find doors already closed.

 

Believing You Should Follow Your Passion May Make You Less Successful

Turns out, believing that following your passion can bring you success and happiness, may actually make you less successful. A 2018 Psychological Science paper by Stanford psychologists Carol Dweck and Gregory Walton, and former Stanford postdoctoral fellow Paul O’Keefe, found believing you should follow your passion, unrealistically implies an easy path to success.  This belief makes it more likely you will give up when facing a challenge or roadblock (hmm, is that what happened to me in my health and beauty quest?).

 

They also found focusing on a single passion narrowed a person’s possibilities by making them less likely to consider new potential areas of interest to pursue. A narrow focus was also detrimental to success.

 

These studies tell us it’s not only OK to follow the money over passions, it can actually make us happier to do so. And if we are not careful, we can narrow our focus so much in order to follow our passions, we may miss other opportunities that we will perform well in, be happy and succeed in, financially and otherwise.

 

Now, I’m not suggesting you completely give up any hope of having a career in a field for which you are passionate. Not at all. I only suggest you be strategic when job hunting, and explore all options and opportunities. Because it can happen, you can find financial reward in an area you are passionate about.

 

I’ve been lucky, because while there have been plenty of occasions where I have not been able to follow my passions, there have been times I was able to meld my passion with my career choice.

 

While working at the recruiting firm, I also interned at the local cable company. The connections at the recruiting firm led to a job at a video production company. All of these experiences led me to be qualified for my first real job in broadcast media, at a regional sports network. I was able to earn a living working in a field I was passionate about.

 

More recently, after volunteering at several nonprofits, and experiencing the joys and rewards of giving back, I was looking to go in-house at a nonprofit and use my marketing experience to help them grow. I didn’t find a position at a nonprofit but was presented a great opportunity at a fundraising software company. I now help thousands of nonprofits with their fundraising strategy to raise more money, grow their programs and expand their missions. I finally found a way to meld my nonprofit passion while making a living!

 

My Advice on Following Your Passion

So, after all this, where do I stand on following your passion? How do I advise others?

 

• Sometimes you simply need to make a living. That’s OK. Making a good living and being free of money worries will also bring you satisfaction and happiness.
• If you are unable to find a job within an industry you are passion about, look for one that at least has responsibilities, projects, or challenges that interest you.
• If your current position does not ignite your passion, fulfill it outside of the office by volunteering, studying, learning or practicing it. You never know, at a minimum, these experiences will satisfy your interests, but they may also ultimately lead to a job related to your passion.
• If you truly will not be content unless you are working in a specific industry or company, it is better to keep pursuing it (especially early in your career). The first jobs you accept will play a large role in determining your long-term career path. The further down that road you get, the harder it will be to make significant career changes.

 

What are your thoughts and experiences in following your passion? I would love to hear them!

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