Do you have to have passion for your work?
March 26, 2016 9:53 PM Subscribe
I'm in the midst of researching careers for a complete change and I'm realizing that I don't think I'm the type of person who will ever get any sort of passion out of work. Is something wrong with me? Do I need to have "passion" in a field to have a successful career?
I wouldn't say that my lack of "passion" for work makes me hate working or work itself, I just don't derive any sort of intrinsic satisfaction from work. I feel like I've always followed the advice of doing what you're "passionate" about, which has never gotten me very far because I've just never been passionate about any vocation.
I'm considering a few alternative careers based on earning potential and employment outlooks, they're all careers that I'd probably be competent at... is this a bad way to choose a new career?
I wouldn't say that my lack of "passion" for work makes me hate working or work itself, I just don't derive any sort of intrinsic satisfaction from work. I feel like I've always followed the advice of doing what you're "passionate" about, which has never gotten me very far because I've just never been passionate about any vocation.
I'm considering a few alternative careers based on earning potential and employment outlooks, they're all careers that I'd probably be competent at... is this a bad way to choose a new career?
(If you are not passionate about anything, and if you can't think of anything you like, I will suggest the old metafilter standby, therapy, because you might be depressed, which would certainly make anyone hate going to work. But there's nothing in your post to suggest that you are un-passionate in the non-work areas of your life, so start where you are passionate and go from there.)
posted by decathecting at 10:00 PM on March 26, 2016
posted by decathecting at 10:00 PM on March 26, 2016
fwiw, grumblebee's timeless passion comment
posted by j_curiouser at 10:04 PM on March 26, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 10:04 PM on March 26, 2016 [7 favorites]
Success is getting paid every two weeks. Passion optional.
posted by asockpuppet at 10:05 PM on March 26, 2016 [25 favorites]
posted by asockpuppet at 10:05 PM on March 26, 2016 [25 favorites]
Response by poster: I should clarify, while I'd like to leave my current job/field... I don't actually "hate" it. Although there are several reasons why I'm looking to leave the field completely (first and foremost, low pay and low job mobility). I am passionate about things in my life, but they're not particularly employable. I'm definitely taking my skills into account when I'm looking at other careers, but... frankly I just want to earn enough money to live on.
When I was growing up I have never, ever fantasized about any sort of "dream job," I don't think I've ever "wanted" to belong to any sort of career. This caused me to sort of float around and "try" things that I "might" be passionate about, but I'm simply not passionate about working. I know that lots of people are passionate about their work and, I dunno, I just feel like I'm doing it wrong.
posted by modesty.blaise at 10:08 PM on March 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
When I was growing up I have never, ever fantasized about any sort of "dream job," I don't think I've ever "wanted" to belong to any sort of career. This caused me to sort of float around and "try" things that I "might" be passionate about, but I'm simply not passionate about working. I know that lots of people are passionate about their work and, I dunno, I just feel like I'm doing it wrong.
posted by modesty.blaise at 10:08 PM on March 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
You're not doing it wrong. I mean I guess there's people that get passionate about setting up Active Directory accounts or making 6 dollar footlongs, but work is work because a company wants you to do a thing and give you money in return.
posted by asockpuppet at 10:12 PM on March 26, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by asockpuppet at 10:12 PM on March 26, 2016 [5 favorites]
Also 'passionate' is a dirty trick that some employers use in order to get salaried workers to cough up a lot of unpaid overtime.
posted by asockpuppet at 10:14 PM on March 26, 2016 [37 favorites]
posted by asockpuppet at 10:14 PM on March 26, 2016 [37 favorites]
My dad is of the "passion matters outside of work" generation so it took me a few years to get why it mattered so much at certain companies. I've always been competent at my jobs and have often excelled, even if the job itself wasn't the source of warm fuzzies. On the range of aloof/apathetic to exceedingly ecstatic, most people are in the middle.
posted by toomanycurls at 10:16 PM on March 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by toomanycurls at 10:16 PM on March 26, 2016 [2 favorites]
Cal Newport talks exactly about this in his book and blog, which might be of some help or perspective.
posted by xm at 11:06 PM on March 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by xm at 11:06 PM on March 26, 2016 [4 favorites]
Yeah, if you google "do what you love is bad advice" lots comes up. I'm not passionate about my job, but it's a healthy environment where I can act with integrity and that works for me.
Flow (Mihaly C.) addresses this as well, in support of the day job and following passions outside of work.
Wishcraft (Barbara Sher) is available as a free PDF. It's dated, but has some good exercises as far as distilling what you enjoy and finding ways to incorporate more into your life - and not necessarily through your job.
I've also wandered a bit, "career" wise. A living wage and work you can walk away from at 5pm is nothing to sneeze at. It's actually pretty sweet.
posted by jrobin276 at 12:38 AM on March 27, 2016 [10 favorites]
Flow (Mihaly C.) addresses this as well, in support of the day job and following passions outside of work.
Wishcraft (Barbara Sher) is available as a free PDF. It's dated, but has some good exercises as far as distilling what you enjoy and finding ways to incorporate more into your life - and not necessarily through your job.
I've also wandered a bit, "career" wise. A living wage and work you can walk away from at 5pm is nothing to sneeze at. It's actually pretty sweet.
posted by jrobin276 at 12:38 AM on March 27, 2016 [10 favorites]
I'm not passionate about my job. I generally enjoy it and I like the people I work with, but if I got a big enough lotto win I'd leave without a second thought. However, my job does pay for me to indulge in the things I am passionate about, and I spend the majority of my time outside of work doing those things.
Something I didn't realise until recently is that a passion doesn't have to be this huge all encompassing thing that invades your life and takes it over. Personally, I have (or collect!) many small passions. Some are consistently present in my life (e.g. sewing/costuming), while other passions (currently calligraphy) become prominent and then fade and become prominent again, depending on what catches my eye.
posted by eloeth-starr at 2:04 AM on March 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
Something I didn't realise until recently is that a passion doesn't have to be this huge all encompassing thing that invades your life and takes it over. Personally, I have (or collect!) many small passions. Some are consistently present in my life (e.g. sewing/costuming), while other passions (currently calligraphy) become prominent and then fade and become prominent again, depending on what catches my eye.
posted by eloeth-starr at 2:04 AM on March 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
I can kind of relate to you in that I totally didn’t have any burning passion to do anything in particular when I was choosing what to do at university, or after I graduated and got a job. However, I did end up changing careers shortly after graduating from my bachelors and did a postgraduate degree in a completely different field. I think I did find something I’m totally into (which ended up being chemical engineering research and development, despite originally doing a bachelors in an arts field). I still wouldn’t say I’m “passionate”, whatever that means, but I do strongly believe in what I’m doing, find it fully engaging and exciting, and am motivated to give 110%.
I found that a big part of what stopped me from finding a good path was ruling things out unnecessarily. I would rule out entire fields because of one or two aspects. E.g. I would rule out engineering because I didn’t want to deal with industrial factories/plants. However, engineering it turns out is much broader, and it turns out you can actually focus on research/product development.
Basically, I started to make progress in my career hunt when I kind of lowered the bar for my career. Like, I accepted aspects of a career path that I really didn’t like, because it was the best option. I suppose it was a matter of compromise. And then, when I actually got into it, I discovered that those negative aspects actually weren’t that bad and I didn’t need to focus on them anyway.
With regards to the original question, I don’t think that looking at earning potential and employment outlooks would particularly informative. Except in extreme cases, it’s difficult to predict how employable a certain qualification will be, and then it's highly dependent upon locality. For example, when I started my chemical engineering degree, it was common knowledge that chemical engineering was the most employable field ever. Now, in my country, after the recession, all the chemical engineering firms basically stopped hiring and it’s really hard for graduates.
Also, bear in mind that employment numbers are statistical generalities, and may not apply to you as an individual. For example, even though it was really hard to find a job in chemical engineering, a lot of people in my class still did it. These were the people who volunteered for industry mentorship programs, and were really into the degree.
In terms of career resources, I have to say I didn’t find books from Barbara Sher and the like particularly helpful (and I read quite a few). One resource I did find helpful was this website called 80,000 hours. They advise people not to follow their passion as well, and just look at where you can make the most impact.
Ultimately, I found that choosing a career came down to a lot of guesswork. It was like going to a restaurant and reading a menu. A few items kind of catch your eye, but you won’t really know what it’s like until you get it. You just have to choose the one that you kind of feel like, have an inkling for, and looks the best.
Good luck!
posted by cestlavie at 4:26 AM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I found that a big part of what stopped me from finding a good path was ruling things out unnecessarily. I would rule out entire fields because of one or two aspects. E.g. I would rule out engineering because I didn’t want to deal with industrial factories/plants. However, engineering it turns out is much broader, and it turns out you can actually focus on research/product development.
Basically, I started to make progress in my career hunt when I kind of lowered the bar for my career. Like, I accepted aspects of a career path that I really didn’t like, because it was the best option. I suppose it was a matter of compromise. And then, when I actually got into it, I discovered that those negative aspects actually weren’t that bad and I didn’t need to focus on them anyway.
With regards to the original question, I don’t think that looking at earning potential and employment outlooks would particularly informative. Except in extreme cases, it’s difficult to predict how employable a certain qualification will be, and then it's highly dependent upon locality. For example, when I started my chemical engineering degree, it was common knowledge that chemical engineering was the most employable field ever. Now, in my country, after the recession, all the chemical engineering firms basically stopped hiring and it’s really hard for graduates.
Also, bear in mind that employment numbers are statistical generalities, and may not apply to you as an individual. For example, even though it was really hard to find a job in chemical engineering, a lot of people in my class still did it. These were the people who volunteered for industry mentorship programs, and were really into the degree.
In terms of career resources, I have to say I didn’t find books from Barbara Sher and the like particularly helpful (and I read quite a few). One resource I did find helpful was this website called 80,000 hours. They advise people not to follow their passion as well, and just look at where you can make the most impact.
Ultimately, I found that choosing a career came down to a lot of guesswork. It was like going to a restaurant and reading a menu. A few items kind of catch your eye, but you won’t really know what it’s like until you get it. You just have to choose the one that you kind of feel like, have an inkling for, and looks the best.
Good luck!
posted by cestlavie at 4:26 AM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I haven't always loved the work I do every day, but it's always been important to me to work for organizations whose mission/goals are in line with my own. If I believe that my behind-the-scenes support work is part of what makes my community/the world a better place, then I *love* my work regardless of my particular duties.
posted by headnsouth at 4:29 AM on March 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by headnsouth at 4:29 AM on March 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
I like teaching, but I wouldn't say I have a passion for it. In my field, this is practically blasphemy to admit to - you tend to be guilt-tripped by some colleagues if you don't spend every waking minute consumed by teaching or coming up with creative assignments.
But you know what? I do my job and then I go home and enjoy the rest of my life. Passion is important, but it doesn't have to involve what you do to pay the bills.
posted by The Hyacinth Girl at 5:54 AM on March 27, 2016
But you know what? I do my job and then I go home and enjoy the rest of my life. Passion is important, but it doesn't have to involve what you do to pay the bills.
posted by The Hyacinth Girl at 5:54 AM on March 27, 2016
They call it work for a reason. A minority of people manage to combine their passion with their livelihood, but it's pretty rare. The rest of us tolerate our job so we can get to the part of our life that we really care about.
posted by COD at 6:20 AM on March 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by COD at 6:20 AM on March 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
Hmmm, this is probably not the sort of job you're looking for but...I am an excellent waitress. I don't have a passion for waitressing, at all, but in a city that generally tips 10-15%, I was making nearly six figures by waitressing. (And not in an upscale restaurant. In a deli.). This is in a city where most people consider $65K to be a damn good salary, because our cost of living is low and salaries generally reflect that. It came down to doing it for a few years, until I found my niche, and working that niche hard, until, for instance, I was able to get a 25% tip from a table whose order I screwed up on a very busy day, causing it to take 45 minutes to get their food.
You can have a talent for something without feeling passionate about it. You undoubtedly have several talents, you just have to figure out which one can make you the most money.
(If only I could make a living guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar. I have a bizarre talent for that.)
posted by MexicanYenta at 7:05 AM on March 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
You can have a talent for something without feeling passionate about it. You undoubtedly have several talents, you just have to figure out which one can make you the most money.
(If only I could make a living guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar. I have a bizarre talent for that.)
posted by MexicanYenta at 7:05 AM on March 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Job listings sometimes ask for "passion" for the job – "a passion for fashion" is a common phrase from the rag trade, for example. I'm old enough and hardened enough to know that when an employer requires passion, what they mean is you'll be keen enough to work long hours without any extra pay.
Unless you're something like a concern violinist, passion need not be part of your work equation.
posted by zadcat at 7:08 AM on March 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
Unless you're something like a concern violinist, passion need not be part of your work equation.
posted by zadcat at 7:08 AM on March 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
I am retired from a pretty successful career. I never found a job that I was passionate about, and when I was young it really bothered me. I had no creative talent at all and slogged through my jobs in earlier years while watching my friends play music and make art. At around 30, I realized that I did have talents and I started using them in my work. I genuinely like people, and had an eye for detail. It made me a really good manager, and learning to "wield my superpower" was a creative and satisfying time for me.
So I would say that you may not ever find a passion, but you can use the qualities and talents you already have to find work that's meaningful to you. Don't waste another minute "finding your passion" but spend some time instead identifying your talents.
posted by raisingsand at 7:38 AM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
So I would say that you may not ever find a passion, but you can use the qualities and talents you already have to find work that's meaningful to you. Don't waste another minute "finding your passion" but spend some time instead identifying your talents.
posted by raisingsand at 7:38 AM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I picked my current profession because to me it was one of the few things I could see myself doing every day without getting bored. I can't say I felt particularly passionate about it at the time, but it was a hell of a lot more appealing than anything else I could think of. After many years, I have become passionate about what I do. It's grown out of doing it every day, being immersed in my field and caring about the issues that affect it. At the same time, there are plenty of times when my work is dull or frustrating and I'm keeping the option of a potential career change much further down the line open. But at the end of the day my work is still the one career that truly holds my interest, where I continue to love learning more and doing new things.
Passion is overrated.
posted by fox problems at 7:48 AM on March 27, 2016
Passion is overrated.
posted by fox problems at 7:48 AM on March 27, 2016
I'm similar to you, and I found Cal Newport's So Good They Can't Ignore: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love a comforting narrative and a fantastic roadmap forward.
posted by R a c h e l at 8:43 AM on March 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by R a c h e l at 8:43 AM on March 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
To add a bit: some things he talks about are how people in careers that seem deeply connected to "passion", like music or being a monk, may not feel inherently passionate about that thing or may struggle with their careers/fulfillment as much as any others.
posted by R a c h e l at 8:45 AM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by R a c h e l at 8:45 AM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
Do I need to have "passion" in a field to have a successful career?
I think that the idea that you should be PASSIONATE about your work is part of the damaging idea that we should derive our self-worth and self-image from our work. It's part of how we overvalue things that are work and devalue things that are not work.
The more you enjoy your work, the more you'll enjoy your day. And if you feel legitimately passionate about your work, that's wonderful--although it should be pointed out that's not without costs. A marriage falling apart because a partner is too career-focused is a standard TV trope, after all.
The vast majority of people have work that they aren't passionate about and will never have the opportunity to. Which points to another issue with this narrative: the idea that this advice is even realistic in the first place. It's realistic for only a select, mostly privileged, few--the people who have the class privilege to pursue these types of careers and whose passions align with them in the first place.
I think you should ask yourself about satisfaction rather than passion.
(a) Even if I'm not passionate about it, how much will I enjoy it?
(b) What will I find interesting, and what will I find difficult/unpleasant? How do these things balance?
(c) What am I passionate about, and will it leave me the time/energy to pursue that?
And you should definitely not feel like you're a bad person or doing it wrong if you're not passionate about your career.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:17 AM on March 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
I think that the idea that you should be PASSIONATE about your work is part of the damaging idea that we should derive our self-worth and self-image from our work. It's part of how we overvalue things that are work and devalue things that are not work.
The more you enjoy your work, the more you'll enjoy your day. And if you feel legitimately passionate about your work, that's wonderful--although it should be pointed out that's not without costs. A marriage falling apart because a partner is too career-focused is a standard TV trope, after all.
The vast majority of people have work that they aren't passionate about and will never have the opportunity to. Which points to another issue with this narrative: the idea that this advice is even realistic in the first place. It's realistic for only a select, mostly privileged, few--the people who have the class privilege to pursue these types of careers and whose passions align with them in the first place.
I think you should ask yourself about satisfaction rather than passion.
(a) Even if I'm not passionate about it, how much will I enjoy it?
(b) What will I find interesting, and what will I find difficult/unpleasant? How do these things balance?
(c) What am I passionate about, and will it leave me the time/energy to pursue that?
And you should definitely not feel like you're a bad person or doing it wrong if you're not passionate about your career.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:17 AM on March 27, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'm a business analyst/process analyst, and have been for 20+ years. As I always tell people when the "how did you get into that line of work" question comes up: it's not like I had posters of world famous business analysts on my wall as a kid and at night I'd look at them and say I WANT TO BE YOU SOMEDAY, and then worked tirelessly towards that goal. This is a job that I more or less fell into and that I enjoy reasonably well most days, and one that I'm fairly good at, but passionate about it? Oh hell no.
Work to me is a means to an end. I like to travel and I like to drink good beer and wine, and those things cost money. Jobs are how I get money to do the things I'm actually passionate about, and while I wouldn't say it's necessarily healthy to loathe or dislike your job, it is 100% not necessary to be "passionate" about it, either. At the end of the day, it's just work, after all, and work is only a subset of what you are, not the definition of it.
posted by pdb at 10:25 AM on March 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
Work to me is a means to an end. I like to travel and I like to drink good beer and wine, and those things cost money. Jobs are how I get money to do the things I'm actually passionate about, and while I wouldn't say it's necessarily healthy to loathe or dislike your job, it is 100% not necessary to be "passionate" about it, either. At the end of the day, it's just work, after all, and work is only a subset of what you are, not the definition of it.
posted by pdb at 10:25 AM on March 27, 2016 [2 favorites]
My dad has always said "it's called work, not fun." Find your passion elsewhere and don't feel like your career has to be what is defining you.
posted by Amanda B at 10:30 AM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Amanda B at 10:30 AM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
As a hopefully-soon-to-be-ex-academic, reading this article a couple of years ago was really a clarifying moment for me in my decision to leave academia and search for a career that I enjoy but am not passionate about.
posted by ClaireBear at 12:09 PM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ClaireBear at 12:09 PM on March 27, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm currently in my best job yet, one that I finally think I can settle into as a career, and I'm not passionate about it. There are things that I like about it, things I don't care as much for (but which I'm hoping I'll be able to minimize over time as I develop and move forward on this career path) and overall I just like being able to show up on time, do something useful that I'm good at and which my coworkers value, and then go home and go back to my own life. In the past I've worked jobs in fields that I cared deeply about, and it made me miserable because they took over my life and I took my work really personally.
My current job is not at all emotional for me, and when I'm done I feel totally free to think about other things. I never get stressed out, I just do my duty to the best of my ability, and since I'm pretty good at the work that's enough to make my supervisors happy without me having to destroy myself at my job. It also makes me a rock of tranquility at work, since I'm never upset no matter how crazy things are getting. (A lot of things about residential construction can be pretty exasperating.) I also appreciate being somewhere stable and where my personal success isn't directly tied to my organization's success—if something is going wrong it's my responsibility to help deal with it, but it's not likely to affect my income.
My job is not my identity. I build my identity around my relationships with my family and friends, my personal interests and hobbies, and my volunteer work. It's a lot more varied and lets me express the different aspects of myself more completely. It also means that I'm not attaching my sense of self-worth to my participation in what I see as an inherently somewhat exploitative system, which is better for my mental health.
So I guess what I'm saying is don't worry about trying to find a job that you're passionate about—just find something that pays enough and that you can do without destroying the rest of your life. Don't take a job that's going to ask more of you than you're willing to give. Take pride in your work and be good at it, certainly. Do your duty and even go above and beyond sometimes if you think it will be recognized and valued. But don't make your work your everything. You'll be a much more balanced and happy person that way.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:26 PM on March 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
My current job is not at all emotional for me, and when I'm done I feel totally free to think about other things. I never get stressed out, I just do my duty to the best of my ability, and since I'm pretty good at the work that's enough to make my supervisors happy without me having to destroy myself at my job. It also makes me a rock of tranquility at work, since I'm never upset no matter how crazy things are getting. (A lot of things about residential construction can be pretty exasperating.) I also appreciate being somewhere stable and where my personal success isn't directly tied to my organization's success—if something is going wrong it's my responsibility to help deal with it, but it's not likely to affect my income.
My job is not my identity. I build my identity around my relationships with my family and friends, my personal interests and hobbies, and my volunteer work. It's a lot more varied and lets me express the different aspects of myself more completely. It also means that I'm not attaching my sense of self-worth to my participation in what I see as an inherently somewhat exploitative system, which is better for my mental health.
So I guess what I'm saying is don't worry about trying to find a job that you're passionate about—just find something that pays enough and that you can do without destroying the rest of your life. Don't take a job that's going to ask more of you than you're willing to give. Take pride in your work and be good at it, certainly. Do your duty and even go above and beyond sometimes if you think it will be recognized and valued. But don't make your work your everything. You'll be a much more balanced and happy person that way.
posted by Anticipation Of A New Lover's Arrival, The at 12:26 PM on March 27, 2016 [4 favorites]
Well I am one of the lucky people who gets paid to do something I love and would do it for free. I wake up each day and look forward to my work. I don't believe my life would be as enjoyable without truly being passionate about my work. I have always wanted to do what I do...since I was a kid. That being said I know many people that hate their job....or they tolerate it. That's most people. Truth is, only a handful of people in this world get paid to do what they love. I cant tell you what to love. I don't know if you'll find a career you love. But I can tell you...it's worth the search. Try simply being honest with yourself...what do you love, what are your interests? As a friend once said to me, find a job you actually love and you'll never "work" a day in your life.
posted by ljs30 at 10:59 PM on March 27, 2016
posted by ljs30 at 10:59 PM on March 27, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by decathecting at 9:58 PM on March 26, 2016