Why Following Your Passion is Bad Advice When It Comes to Work
Exploring the pitfalls of passion-driven career advice, and why developing your skills leads to a more sustainable path to find a work you love.
CONTEXT
We all have heard the cliche: "Find a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." The 'following your passion' concept became more popular after Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Speech, when he said, "[...] work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."
However, this cliche advice can be misleading. Preexisting passions are uncommon and often unrelated to how most individuals come to love their work. The reality is that most people do not have an evident, preexisting passion. If they do, it does not necessarily lead them to a fulfilling career. Therefore, the pursuit of working with your passions can be dangerous, potentially causing anxiety and frequent job hopping. Despite his speech, Jobs' early interests were in calligraphy and spirituality, not technology.
In his book "So Good They Can't Ignore You," Cal Newport argues that skills triumph over passion. Passion naturally follows as one becomes more skilled and competent in work. This post will delve into why following your passion might be bad advice and offer a more practical methodology for living a life you value.
METHODOLOGY
1. The Myth of Passion: "Follow your passion" is based on the belief that you must find a preexisting passion to be happy in your career. More often than not, that does not work. Steve Jobs, J. K. Rolling, and Michael Jordan are also examples of successful individuals who did not start with a passion but developed it over time.
2. The Craftsman Mindset: Develop your skills and focus on excelling at what you do. Practice it to mastery and focus on creating value and opening up opportunities.
3. Career Capital: Develop rare and valuable skills in high demand. Use your skills to gain more control and autonomy in your career.
4. Mission: Align your skills and values for long-term job satisfaction and fulfillment. Think about the kind of life and daily routine you want and what job fits into it. For example, you may like football, but are you willing to travel extensively and work irregular hours? Or, if you love cooking, are you willing to work on weekends and endure long hours standing up to work in a restaurant?
5. Perseverance: Building a fulfilling career takes time, effort, and adaptability. Be open to change and willing to pivot when necessary. Having a clear mission will help you stay motivated through eventual setbacks. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
The advice to "follow your passion" can be alluring but often leads to frustration and disappointment. If you haven't gone through that yourself, I'm sure you know someone who did or is going through this process. The struggle is real! Instead, focusing on skill development, building career capital, finding a mission, and persevering can help us create a fulfilling and sustainable career. It has helped me greatly, and I hope it can help you, too.
RESOURCE SHOUT OUT:
https://www.amazon.com/Good-They-Cant-Ignore-You/dp/1455509124
Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address -