{"id":10252,"date":"2012-05-02T21:30:52","date_gmt":"2012-05-03T05:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=10252"},"modified":"2013-09-18T10:10:30","modified_gmt":"2013-09-18T18:10:30","slug":"should-you-follow-your-dreams-or-get-a-normal-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/should-you-follow-your-dreams-or-get-a-normal-job\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Follow Your Dreams or Get a \u2018Normal\u2019 Job?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been interested in self-improvement for a while, you\u2019ve probably come across phrases like \u201cfollow your passion\u201d or \u201cfind your dream job\u201d. You might have read books or articles that push you towards seeking out a career that you love, rather than a job that\u2019s simply a means to an end.<\/p>\n

But should we all be looking for our dream jobs, or trying to monetize our passions? Is that a recipe for happiness … or a recipe for disaster?<\/p>\n

Following Your Dreams<\/h2>\n

Whatever the gurus might tell you, it\u2019s not all that easy to make money from some passions.<\/strong> If you love watching TV, you might just score a job as a TV critic for a newspaper … but that\u2019s not going to work out too well if you hate writing.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, you\u2019ve got some interests and strengths that are relatively easy to turn into a career.\u00a0 I\u2019ve loved writing since childhood, and today, I write thousands of words every day and get paid to do so. I have friends who are photographers, designers, web developers … and they all enjoy what they do.<\/p>\n

Often, these sorts of interests lend themselves to self-employment (though you can get similar jobs within agencies). Some people love to work for themselves; others find it very difficult to be happy without a steady paycheck and colleagues.<\/p>\n

Getting a \u2018Normal\u2019 Job<\/h2>\n

When most people think about jobs, they\u2019ve got in mind a Monday to Friday, 8 – 4 or 9 – 5 office position, or at least something with regular hours. You might have friends or neighbors (or even colleagues!) who clearly don\u2019t like their jobs all that much, but who see a boring or stressful job as an inevitable part of life.<\/p>\n

Many jobs are<\/em> a bit boring. But for lots of people, that suits them fine.<\/strong> Perhaps you\u2019re in that group too: you see your job as just one part of your life, a way to make a living while you enjoy your evenings and weekends. It could be that you\u2019re working hard now in order to take early retirement, or so that you can have a sabbatical from work.<\/p>\n

Knowing Yourself<\/h2>\n

You don\u2019t have to \u201cfollow your passions\u201d and attempt to create a career where you get to do what you love all day, every day. For one thing, you\u2019d be chasing an unachievable goal. I talk to lots of highly motivated self-employed people, and while most of them do genuinely love what they do, they\u2019ll certainly admit to not enjoying every single minute of every single day.<\/p>\n

If you want a steady paycheck, there\u2019s nothing wrong in working at something while pursuing your main interests outside work.<\/strong> I did this for a couple of years when I started my working life: I had an office job in IT and I carried on with my writing in the evenings and at the weekends.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s important here is to know yourself. When you\u2019re thinking about following your dreams, you\u2019ll probably have to face questions like:<\/p>\n