Bad career advice: Do what you love

“If you tell yourself that your job has to be something you’d do even if
you didn’t get paid, you’ll be looking for a long time. Maybe forever.”

Untrue, since you can start doing that job for free… right now, and it would fit with your stated goals.  Sorry, that sounds obnoxious, but I think it speaks to the heart of your thesis.

Your advice is on point for me.  If trying to “do what you love” is creating a ton of stress, it does make sense to take things down a notch and just do something.  As you said sometimes you don’t know you love something until you start doing it anyway.  The work as recalibration is totally true.  Most of us don’t have the discipline or good fortune to survive on our own self-made passion projects; or the connections to obtain our dream jobs.  I love this advice for the starting point it provides and for simplifying things.  

If this advice makes you angry, it is probably because you do not want to admit that it applies to you.  Either that or your just an A-hole.

I think Penelope’s advice is targeted more towards the 20 and 30 somethings who may not have that much work experience in general and are afraid of getting stuck in a job that they never intended.  For this demographic, this is good advice.  Most jobs in industries that people “love” ie creative, writing, entertainment treat newbies and entry level workers like slaves because there are so many young people who want to do these things.  It is only when you realize, “hey, I would like to get my own place and my own car”  that these entry level jobs/internships in these “sexy” fields are not realistic. 

I believe moderation in what we want is the key.  I would like a well rounded life where I can pay my bills and not have to worry about making ends meet as well as not HATE my job or just not HATE in general because my job is soul sucking.  It is a matter of BALANCE and knowing oneself.  This only comes with time and experience.

So for those young ones, I do think it is good to work even if it is not your dream job or dream field.  Structure is very important and sometimes having too much time to think and ponder can be dangerous.  Of course, balance is the key.  You don’t want to be so busy that you don’t reflect at all on what you are doing and be a numb robot for the next 20 years only to wake up 40 something and feel like an impostor or cog in a machine.

Right now, I am 42 and feel like I never went through that “do what you love” phase.  I was always superpractical and trained and took jobs that made money.  Now the economy is so bad, even very well trained professionals are out of work, so practical goes out the window as well. 

In this climate, at my age, I think I will try something different and venture in to “do what you love” territory.  But for you kids out there, sometimes you don’t know what you love or don’t love or what doesn’t suck until you try it. 

steve jobs is rolling in his grave.

“Do what you love” is too vague.  But some of us — I’m one of them — are lucky enough to have an intersection between the stuff we know how to do fairly well, and the stuff we think can make a difference in the world.  

“The pressure we feel to find a perfect career is insane.” True. 
“We are each multifaceted, multilayered, complicated people, and if you are reading this blog, you probably devote a large part of your life to learning about yourself and you know it’s a process. None us loves just one thing.” Also true.

“We value love in relationships.” And true.

“And if you are so overwhelmed that you feel depression coming on, consider that a job might save you.” Maybe? Einstein did say that the key to maintaining balance in life is to keep doing something (“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”) But getting a job isn’t the only way to keep going: Do what Steve Jobs did and start working on your own little projects, take a class/new hobby, plan a party, redecorate, etc. Just don’t forget to earn some money to keep a roof over your head and food in your belly – I think Penelope got that one right.

“Often, the thing we should do for our career is something we would only do if we were getting a reward.” Confusing.

“I am a writer, but I love sex more than I love writing.” Er, distracting. 

“Do not what you love; do what you are.” Um, I thought that finding out what you love to do is part of finding out who you are. And finding out who you are is a lot harder than realizing what you already love to do (not to mention unpredictable – is anyone the same person they were 10 years ago?) And is every one already the person they wanted to be? If people were already that self-aware and “actualized,” maybe then it’d be smart to “do what you are.” But I’m guessing that life coaches and guidance blogs exist because a lot of us aren’t the people we want to be, and are trying to become. 

Interesting article, with some good points. Certainly neither the best nor final answer to those of us trying to find their career. I think her post “A job does not give life meaning” was better. Those of us suffering from perfect career angst should give that article a read. “For one thing, you should never (want) a mate to make you feel fulfilled – €“ that’s asking much too much from a single person. Yet we complain all the time that our jobs are not fulfilling.” Bulls-eye. You do need to make an effort to make your relationship work, and that process never ends. I think she’s right for applying that same argument to one’s career. Dream jobs or lovers who can make us perfectly happy in every moment of our lives – do not exist. I think happiness, love, and anything worthwhile take effort to create in our lives. 

Well, I think so anyway. I’m not a certified life coach nor a professional writer/blogger, but credentials don’t equal truth. 

Good luck to you all!

i really think you ought to rethink your views. please, for the sake of not killing peoples dreams, stay away from trying to give advice to people when you are the one who clearly needs it. let me just spell something out for you here, IN YOUR OWN WORDS, “If you are lost, and lonely, and wondering how you’ll ever find your way in this world. Take a job. Any job.” this is obviously your own issue as taking any job is the career advice you are giving. If i should compare your success to that of someone like Steve Jobs, (vast difference), in relation to the advice you both offered me, the evidence is clear. i think you should watch his Stanford commencement speech. Here are a few quotes from his speech: (which you may not agree with, and that is why you are where you are) :
            “I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did”
     ” You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers.”
                         “the only way to do great work is to love what you do”.

I am only 19 years of age, fresh out of school and even i can smell your bullshit through my laptop screen.
I really hope you realize that your advice on careers pretty much opposes 99% of the advice given by people who actually are successful and HAPPY WITH THEIR LIVES. I think it is truly sad that you are trying to “help” people through pessimism. you are wrong :)
 “Keep
away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people
always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can
become great.”- Mark Twain
Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-10-06/tech/30249828_1_college-tuition-calligraphy-adoption/2#ixzz1bpRFE2dW
Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-10-06/tech/30249828_1_college-tuition-calligraphy-adoption/2#ixzz1bpR6gCfJ
Read more: http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-10-06/tech/30249828_1_college-tuition-calligraphy-adoption/2#ixzz1bpQcacD7

Might I suggest a book which can be had for a few bucks from Amazon:

Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill by Matthieu Ricard

Read the reviews on Amazon & decide if it is for you. It was for me. Please note that it was written by a Buddhist monk. Whether you decide to meditate…or whatever … is up to you, but I find the substance of the text inarguably compelling.

My quote to you from the book is as follows:

Page 19

“By happiness I mean here a deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind. This is not a mere pleasurable feeling, a fleeting emotion, or a mood, but an optimal state of being. Happiness is a way of interpreting the world, since while it may be difficult to change the world, it is always possible to change the way we look at it.”

I do think the “do what you love…” advice applies to a minority of people, such as the Steve Jobs of the world. It’s nearly impossible for most people to do what they love to earn enough to live a comfortable life and to have a decent work/life balance due to the realities of the economy and society. Most will have to settle for ‘good enough’ jobs and some will have to settle for ‘bad jobs’ or even ‘no jobs’. All jobs have trade-offs and having that itch to do what you love can really put a damper on ‘doing what you merely like’, as it can lead to the notion that your dream job just lies somewhere nearby for you to find. I think a better advice that applies to the majority is, “Do what’s at least good enough and makes you content. Try to find a job with co-workers you can at least tolerate. Find a job that allows you to have a decent work/life balance. Don’t expect to much from work, but embrace the good stuff that comes your way.”