To follow your passion or take a job? A paradox worth dismantling

I was on the same page as you. But not anymore.?? I’ve finally made peace with my thoughts on this.

Initially, I had a job that had nothing to do with my passion. Okay, let me break it down to make it clear.

The Academic doubt

Like many students, I too was clueless about which subjects to opt for after secondary school certification. And I did exactly what any oblivious pupil my age at the time would do.

I played the “disliked subjects out” sport.?? Mathematics? Who befriends an enemy? Not me. History? I don’t remember what I ate yesterday. So, Naah!!

My curious ass got inclined toward unfamiliar subjects, and I ended up taking business and financial accounting. ??

And the dread began. Oh, the numbers again in accounts and statistics. Why can’t they be as simple as adding, subtracting, dividing, and multiplying?

Challenge Accepted!! I rushed to defeat the subject and ended up doing a Master's in Business Administration. (More so, as I liked management.)

Little did I know that I was diverting from my interests.

The employment trap

I interviewed and got a job on the first shot as a banker. ??

Oh boy! I’ve hated myself for two years straight for doing a job I would never like to continue. But why did I? I had bills to pay. (Clearly, the EMIs of the loan I took to pursue study.)

Down the line, I realized I never wanted to be what I was becoming. I took time out and traveled into my childhood dreams. It turned out that I was always good with essays and languages. ??

Oh! I remember writing an essay in 5th grade on what my dreams are and what I would like to be. And it had remained the same, always. Why did I lose track? Perhaps the memory clouds got the better of me. ??

The sweet memories: My teacher liked the essay so much that he displayed it on the notice board for all to read. Back then, I was smarter than I am now. (lol)

Spoiler: I haven’t reached my ultimate goal yet. But I’m on my way to making my childhood dream come true. (Yeah, you better wish me the best.) ??

Finding the lost passion

I had to start somewhere, so I started taking baby steps toward my dream. I gave up on my banking job and found out that content writing is a real thing. (Yup, kudos to society for all the stigmas.)

After a brief time of freelancing during COVID-19 (horrible times) and taking up a content writer job in a marketing agency, I started gaining momentum. I now work as an in-house content writer for an IT company. (at the time of writing this article.) ??

My goal is not this easy. So wait! I haven’t answered your questions yet. Before that, do I like my work now? It depends.

Silencing the questions

My brain began bothering me.?? What if I had opted for literature and journalism instead of commerce subjects? It would have given me an edge in content writing.

Oh, shut up, silly brain! You may be partly correct, but you are wrong. Whatever happens, it happens for good. I trust the Almighty. I can never go back into the past, and whatever choices I made were building me for the future.

How? My knowledge of finance helped me create relevant content for financial clients. What’s more? I could apply my versatility to create multi-niche articles.

You see, Your decisions may look unclear for the time being, but your situations are never out-of-place in your life. Hard decisions and times occur to make you stronger and ready for what you are meant to be.?

Your answers are here…

I know what you're thinking. Should your passion and profession be the same?

Not necessarily. I have seen people do jobs that are different from their passion, and they have spent years doing that. They are happy with the income they earn from their jobs and the joy they get from their passion. Yes, they do both.

You don’t need income to validate your passion, and vice-versa. You can earn money anyhow. Some people have understood the quote better: “Do what you like, and like what you do.” ??

Consider that you've wanted to be a tennis player but haven’t found your luck there yet. In this case, you can always learn a new skill to survive and feed your belly. About your passion, you make time for what you love.

Remember, God’s plan is bigger and better than yours.

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