Everywhere you look, the world is telling you to follow your passion.
But does that mean that your passion has to become your career?
Naturally, it depends a bit on what your passion is. Collecting stamps probably won’t make for a very lucrative career for most people.
On the other hand, whether your interests are able to make you money is only part of the question. If you’re not careful, even a high-paying hobby may have its drawbacks.
This isn’t to tell you you shouldn’t pursue your dream job — just know what you might be getting into before you make the commitment.
Things mentioned in this episode:
This week’s episode is sponsored by:
- Skillshare: with over 27,000 courses in a wide range of different skills, Skillshare can help you take things to the next level. Get started with 2 free weeks of unlimited learning (including Thomas’ Productivity Masterclass!) at Skillshare.com/geek.
- Brilliant: Accelerate your learning in math, science, and computer science. Start learning for free at Brilliant.org/CollegeInfoGeek — and if you’re one of the first 200 people to use this link, you’ll also get 20% off your subscription.
Other things we mentioned in this episode:
- Ola Englund and Misha Mansoor’s interview on YouTube
- This is How Matt D’Avella Works
- Thomas’ Productivity course on Skillshare
- Jessica Hische’s Logotype Masterclass course on Skillshare
- How to Be More Like Leonardo da Vinci (Ep. 240)
- Powlyglot
- Paul Rand on Wikipedia
- The Dip: How to Know When to Quit (Ep. 202)
- Abraham Wald on Wikipedia
- So Good They Can’t Ignore You, by Cal Newport
- Deep Work, by Cal Newport
- Stop Trying to “Find Your Passion”
Want more cool stuff? You can find all sorts of great tools at my Resources page.
Timestamps:
- 0:01:49 – Why turning your passion into a career might kill your love for it
- 0:15:23 – The overjustification effect
- 0:23:15 – Sponsor: Skillshare (Learning new skills)
- 0:26:02 – Sponsor: Brilliant (Learning problem-solving skills)
- 0:27:47 – Differences between hobbies and careers
- 0:37:04 – Perseverance and the survivorship bias
- 0:45:17 – Making an income and bringing value to a company
- 0:58:00 – Student debt and viewing college as a business decision
- 1:03:25 – Slowly transitioning from a passion into a career
- 1:06:36 – Finding a job that can sustain your passion
- 1:11:10 – Conclusion
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