I happened upon this advice at the Brazen Careerist blog through an article written by its author, Penelope Trunk, in the Boston Globe about when to go to graduate school. (Her advice? Generally, wait as long as possible).
Several points in Trunk’s blog about “Bad career advice: Do what you love” are compelling. For one, she suggests that the so-called quarter-life crisis comes about “when people realize how totally impossible it is to simply ‘do what you love.’” More brazen (!), she says, “I am a writer, but I love sex more than I love writing. And I am not getting paid for sex.” Point taken.
So what does advice like this mean for me and many of my peers who have not been totally disillusioned yet by the prospect of 9-to-5 (or sometimes 9-to 9) jobs for the rest of our lives? It means that we should carve out identities for ourselves apart from our work, make time to go on vacation, start families and spend time with them, etc.
This makes me think of my childhood dilemma of whether to be a critic, which of course was based on daydreams, but I always wondered whether it would be worth it to be a travel/food/movie critic. After all, it would make an activity I loved into work. Doing what we love will not be our savior from work’s workness. Instead we can appreciate all of those activites that are a reprieve from work, because without knowing drudgery, we cannot know the more wonderful states, like relaxation.
And I must say, for as much as working can be a drag, Trunk is right that it brings structure to one’s life in a way few other endeavors can:
If you are lost, and lonely, and wondering how you’ll ever find your way in this world. Take a job. Any job. Because structure, and regular contact with regular people, and a method of contributing to a larger group are all things that help us recalibrate ourselves.
December 28, 2007 at 1:36 am |
Food critic?
Seriously, though I agree that for most people. doing “what they love” for money is a pipedream, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to look for the most realistic way to do that. I’m not convinced just taking a job because it gives structure is a solution for many people if they spend at least 8 hours of their day counting down the clock. As someone who’s done such a thing, I agree that structure can be a nice distraction from a semi-major existential crisis, in the end, it’s still only that, a distraction. If you really have a passion, you’re only delaying the crisis by taking an office job that does nothing for you but give you money. It’s probably better to experiment now than to leave your family in financial trouble when you realize at age 45 that you wanted to be a sommelier all along. I’m not saying that everyone is so passionate about something that it warrants them devoting themselves fully and professionally to that (i.e. I agree with you that you should carve out your identity outside of work, like JBish!), but that people shouldn’t be discouraged from trying out things they think they might enjoy more than just falling into a traditional career path. Of course, for some people, being a paralegal is something that they are so passionate about that they will continue doing it way into their fifties (haha). But I’m glad you’re following what you want to do instead of opting for law school like so many others.
As for critics, let’s agree that it’s not really a career path, but a cushy position for lucky journalists/writers to opine on things they usually know very little about (ahem, Michael Bauer). I always think it’s better to create than critique.
December 28, 2007 at 2:56 pm |
I’m not advocating in this post that structure=office job, though it may seem that way. I think structure=paid employment. I would say that though I am pursuing something that is more my passion than other things, I in part see it as, like Trunk says, “doing what you are.” In general, writing and editing has always come more naturally to me than other things, so it makes sense to do it as a job. I guess I find what Trunk says a consolation, because I think one will always be dissatisfied with aspects of a job, even if it is something one loves. I do agree too that one should realistically, as you say pursue one’s passion.
January 1, 2008 at 2:14 am |
Nowadays, anyone with a blog can be a critic!
And, at least in the US, any educated person who saves regularly and invests wisely can become wealthy.
As far as work goes, having pleasant and even interesting and likable colleagues is of extreme importance!
Michael Blaine
http://www.rudelystamped.blogspot.com
January 4, 2008 at 3:56 am |
Congratulations on Obama’s victory tonight!
He would make an excellent president.
Michael Blaine
http://www.rudelystamped.blogspot.com