Follow your passion?
While scrolling through LinkedIn, I came across an emotionally charged video featuring Professor Scott Galloway speaking on pursuing passion.
He kicks off his encouraging pep talk (he he) by saying "(billionaires) often finish their conversation with some of the worst advice given to young people. Anyone wanna guess what it is? Follow your passion. What utter bullshit."
I agree, someone is full of bullshit, whether it's Scott or people who pursue their passions is for you to decide. Before we make that final call, I think there are some valid points to each side of the debate that we all can use to our advantage.
I don't like the idea that if you hate the job that you have that you just need to make your peace with it, put your head down and endure until you become passionate about it. That train of thought supports the premise that employees are like beasts of burden that should "just be grateful" that you were "given a job.” Jobs aren’t given, they're earned. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement- the company gets fair work and the employee is fairly compensated for it. Nobody is obligated to hold on to the other if it's no longer beneficial for both parties.
In contrast, I also don't think that at the first moment something at work is unpleasant that you immediately rethink your meaning in life, put in your 2 weeks, and change your career. There are going to be both painful and pleasurable moments as you grow professionally. Challenging times push us to be creative, and the good times make us grateful for the journey.
We all know at least one person who aspired to become an actor/rockstar/musician that packed up their bags, moved across the USA in hopes of making it big in the industry. For me to say that there is NO chance of someone achieving their dreams of stardom isn't mathematically accurate. There technically is a chance that I could win the lottery too, but it's not enough to motivate me to stake my livelihood on it. So yes, I side with Scott when I hear about folks going all-in on hopes of gaining fame or risking everything to pursue some hobby full-time that no one has made a living off of- yet. By all means, refurbish your collection of porcelain dolls, be a DJ for your cousin's bar mitzvah, and scour ebay for the last beanie baby for your collection as a hobby. BUT, think twice... or maybe three times before you decide to just do it for your career.
I don't know everything. The idea that someone could actually make a living creating videos on YouTube was once absurd, but now it's a reality. We can't take a complicated question and water it down to just black and white. Without innovation, optimism. and the pursuit of passion the world would be missing most of its greatest treasures. So yea, perhaps you can become a millionaire by selling felt paintings of your Granny's cat Petunia... what do I know?
In episode 7 of The Variable, our guest speaker Nate Mirand talks about how he was able to successfully build a business from his passion of knife collecting. It was a very calculated move on his part. Years were dedicated to comparing competitor products, interviewing users, and testing concepts before he was able to find a specific niche market and finalize his custom design. By pursuing that passion he was able to make a career for himself, his partners, and built a nationally recognized brand that just keeps growing. He knew what he wanted to do, but he also took the time to methodically build a strategy for success that lowered his risk of total failure.
So who is full of crap? The dreamers or the realists? Well... we all are.
As a creative, I have the innate belief that we are capable of making our environment better for ourselves and others. Has that belief driven me to make some decisions that blew up in my face?... yea. But that's part of learning. Who can unilaterally decide whether following your passion is good or bad advice?
So when it comes to following your passion... Just do it, or... don't. Just do your research, and be smart about it! Only you can decide what's the smart career move for you.
Russ
About Nate Mirand
Nate Mirand is one of the original founders of the nationally-acclaimed Ravencrest Tactical.
He graduated from Arizona State University in 2003 in computer science and engineering, but it wasn’t long before he found himself neck deep in the world of entrepreneurship. Despite the fact that he didn’t explicitly study design and development, he’s found great success designing, manufacturing and marketing custom products ranging from high-end carbon fiber pens to tactical knives and firearms. For the last 8 years he’s been building Raven Crest Tactical and has taken it from a struggling startup to a nationally recognized brand with major contracts with local law enforcement and the military.