New year, new discoveries and new decisions to make. Making money is still a factor in most decisions made. At some point though, money should not be the end-all be-all of the decisions that you have been taking in life.
Until now, sad to say, some folks still consider “following your passions” as a bad advice to follow. It reminded me of some students years ago that took up nursing courses because it’s where the money trail is. Yeah, for a time it was a sensible career move because medical personnel are often in demand abroad especially in the Middle East and in some parts of Europe. But then again the Philippines ended up with a surplus of nursing graduates that can’t pass the board exams and would end up taking just any job available.
Was it worth it to choose a course in college not based on your passions but based on what was then perceived as the profitable option? I can only say “Yes” if the person who decided can see himself doing nursing jobs for the next 10 years. And it did not dawn upon them that such an inconvenience would arise because they are so focused on the “now”, not “10 years from now”. In this age of instant gratification, some students actually wake up months later realizing it’s not the career that they wish to follow. Unfortunately, some realizations stay as lip service – always mentioned but never fulfilled.
It’s the kind of question that applies even to other college students and young urban professionals that discovered their passions but could not do anything beyond the discovery. Why? What’s stopping them? The possibility of not earning as much from it?
My friend had a friend that decided to swim against the current. She took a risk, ditched the idea of enrolling in a nursing course even if the money trail is still there at the time that she graduated from college and enrolled in a journalism course. The risk turned out to be worth it as she ended up having a decent career in local broadcast journalism. She got a job that’s related to her course and managed to follow her passion.
Now that is the tricky part about following your passion. You only realize that the risk was worth it months or years after plunging into it. But it’s unfair to give credit to luck. You worked hard for it too. And when you’re having fun doing something that you are passionate about, it feels less like work and more like a labor of love. It’s the kind of euphoria that artists and musicians don’t get from a 9-to-5 kind of job behind the cubicle.
Following your passions does not always have to mean not earning from it. It’s still a skill after all. Most aspiring writers found a way to revive their writing careers with the help of contractual writing jobs online. Of course the pay is not always lofty in the beginning but it’s how to learn to earn from your talents. It just takes a few months before some learn how to price their works (usually priced at a minimum of 500 words) and move on to writing even eBooks. Once they have saved enough for themselves, they learn how to put up their own websites and start earning from the ad placements. Well, some use their websites to sell their writing talents and end up landing writing jobs with some major publications. And it all started with the kind of courage that would ignore all skepticism and negative talk surrounding the person. In the end, all that is left for them to say is “I told you so”.
Don’t worry. You don’t have to give up your day job just to follow your passions and start earning from it eventually. Most started accepting such gigs part-time anyway. Having something passionate to do can be very cathartic to individuals suffering from stress. The moment they discovered a way to earn from it, that’s when plans to go full-time begin ending with the cliche “This is always what I have wanted to do”.
Just remember. Saying “I want to do this” is different from “I do this”. You don’t always get to do what you want until you finally do it. It’s just like how different “I want to be a producer” from “I’m gonna be a producer” if you recall that line from the hit musical “The Producers“. Now since you have gone this far reading my advice, why don’t you click “Like” on my official Facebook page as well? Follow me on Twitter too @kuyamanzano. Much appreciated.