When Your Passion is not Enough to Make a Living
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“Do what you’re passionate about and not a day in your life will you work.”
Has anyone else heard that phrase? It became very fashionable a few years ago. I’m not sure if it’s still ringing around. The first time I heard it I remember thinking it was a great idea. Who doesn’t want to make a living doing what they love?
Now I understand it’s not as straightforward as it sounds. Yes, I know many people make a living from what they are passionate about, but at the end of the day, it is still a job. There is still a responsibility to do the job even when you don’t feel like doing it.
Maybe tomorrow you wake up sick, with a headache, and you don’t feel like getting out of bed. Or it’s so cold that all you want is a hot chocolate and a movie.
In either of these two cases, no matter how passionate you are about your work, you must take it as a job and get up and do it.
And on top of that, considering your passion is in a lucrative area, what if it isn’t?
A little bit of my story
When I was growing up, I wanted to study philosophy. I love the subject of human thinking, knowing who we are, where we come from, and why we are here. I am a fan of finding explanations for everything, even when there are none.
As I grew up and learned how the working life works and the opportunities in the market, I realized that, at least in my country, with that career, I was not going to get very far. I don’t want to offend people who are dedicated to philosophy. I respect them. I even envy them.
But my path had to take a different direction. I chose to study software development. Twenty-two long years have passed since I made that decision and for a long time, I loved what I did. I used to spend sleepless nights studying new technologies and more efficient ways to write my code.
I formed my identity around software development until I turned it not only into a profession but a hobby, leaving aside everything else I was passionate about.
Now the spark of development has waned. I can’t say it’s completely gone, but it’s mostly gone.
