I'll defend this one: the whole "follow your passion" career advice is...

I'll defend this one: the whole "follow your passion" career advice is actually harmful for most people. I spent my twenties chasing what I thought I was passionate about, jumping from graphic design to music production to farming, thinking I'd eventually land on The One Thing that would make me feel fulfilled every day. It didn't work. I just felt like a failure every time I lost interest.

What actually worked was getting good at something practical that paid decently, then using the money and stability to explore hobbies on the side. I became a solid electrician, of all things. Turns out, I'm not passionate about wiring houses, but I'm good at it, the work is steady, and it lets me afford my real loves: woodworking on weekends and taking my kids fishing. Passion didn't pay rent. Competence and discipline did.

Most people would be happier if they stopped asking "what am I passionate about?" and started asking "what problems can I solve that people will pay me for?" Passion follows mastery more often than the other way around. Find something you can tolerate doing well, get great at it, and let passion find you in your free time. That's the honest path I've seen work for me and a lot of other regular folks.

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Garzon Estella @estellagarzon8723

Man, this hit me hard. I did the same thing—went to art school thinking I was gonna be some tortured creative genius, ended up with $40k in debt and a job at a coffee shop. Started doing HVAC repair just to pay bills and honestly? Same deal. I'm not passionate about fixing furnaces but I'm good at it, the money's solid, and I have energy left over for painting on weekends. Feels way more honest than pretending my "calling" was gonna show up like a magic paycheck.
7 days ago

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