Follow Your Passion, Not a Paycheck

For a new graduate, the choice between pursuing a passion and pursuing a big paycheck can be confusing. A job that allows you to follow your passion can be more motivating and satisfying, but money is essential for basic survival. By going after your dream in a measured, realistic way, you can have the best of both worlds.

Take Stock of the Situation

As a new graduate, it can be easy to idealize your dream. Pause and take a hard look at what is required to follow your passion. What is daily life like for someone in your dream position? What must you sacrifice? If you want to become a CEO by 30, be prepared for long hours and a lack of personal time. If you want to be a professional singer, expect to practice for hours each day, audition constantly and be willing to take various side jobs to get by. Consider also that by following a passion, you run the risk of turning something you love into something that's merely work. If you still feel excited and motivated after learning about potential challenges, you can move forward with confidence and awareness.

Find Meaning

If you're struggling to decide what it means to follow your passion, look for the meaning in your life. What activities give you joy? When do you feel most needed and valued? What are your unique talents and personality traits? The answers can provide clues to the things that are important to you, which can help you choose a career path. Perhaps more importantly, the answers tell you what to avoid. If you thrive on meaningful one-on-one interactions, an anonymous data-entry job at a massive corporation is unlikely to fulfill you. If you want to make positive change in the world, it might be hard to stay motivated working for a company that has sketchy ethical practices.

Start Small

Most dreams take years of hard work, failure and dedication. Increase your chances of success by gradually gaining expertise and experience. Take a job you like to avoid financial worries, and follow your passion during your personal time. Spend an hour each day writing a novel, or take evening classes at a community college to build new skills. Don't forget to take advantage of valuable opportunities at work. If you want to open your own business, learn from your boss' leadership style, and ask to take part in projects with universally applicable skills, such as marketing, budgeting and project management.

Find a Happy Medium

In some cases, it's not practical to follow your passion at the sacrifice of a paycheck. Don't despair if your dream can't cover the bills. Instead, find ways to incorporate your passion into your professional life. If you want to be an artist but aren't able to make a living wage selling paintings, look for jobs that make use of your artistic tendencies; graphic design, illustrating, art directing and photography all require creativity and a strong visual orientation. If your dream is to be a teacher, look for jobs that involve leadership, public speaking and introducing new concepts to others.

While "follow your passion" may seem like a fanciful piece of advice, it is possible. With a practical approach, you can find work that is both fulfilling and financially rewarding.

Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net