Passions vs Paychecks

Is the current generation of workers selfish for following their passions instead of where the money is?

Recently I was asked if I think it is irresponsible for people to follow their passions within a career instead of where the real money is. Yes, a person close to me asked me this exact question. It stirred something inside of me. I tried to maintain a cool and collected face, but I am sure they could read the anger and resentment that flashed over me. I leaned back and internalized his words as he continued his wise and thoughtful interrogation. He asked about my 5 year plan and my 10 year plan. I answered and went on about the things I am excited about and the people I want to help within my clinical counseling field. His response… “Okay, but how are you going to feed your family?”

I was shocked by this question. There was no hiding my confused and unsettled face for this one. He continued to preach about going where the money is, to counsel those who have the cash to pay for a good service, the “rich” men and women who have anxiety about where to send their children to boarding school. “That’s where the money is!” He insisted. I felt sick. It was like he hadn’t even heard my enthusiasm to work with severe and persistent mental illnesses, to advocate for those who feel they have no voice, and to be a part of a holistic practice. That was clearly not going to cut it. There would be no money to make and I will inevitably starve and die.

Am I being selfish for my devotion to my own passions? My dedication to doing what I love? What about the rest of the world? I know damn well that working towards the self-improvement of someone with Schizophrenia will be more rewarding on literally every level than concentrating on making the most money. If I was concerned with the size of my paycheck I wouldn’t have wasted my time for the last three years getting my masters in clinical mental health counseling. I know this career path is highly under paid. This I know. It comes at me from every angle. But, If I become the therapist that I want to be and I design that holistic practice I want to have, success will come to me, and it will be more than just commas and zeros.

Success is defined in many different ways. Finding what will make you feel successful will ultimately determine what you do in life. If money is your success story, then work your way up that corporate ladder! If raising a family means success, then work hard towards nurturing and caring! If helping others exemplifies success, then be selfless and empathetic! Whatever you do, don’t pressure others to follow your own definition of success. I leave you with some quotes by a few “successful” people.

“There is no passion to be found playing small — in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” — Nelson Mandela

“I would rather die of passion than of boredom.” — Vincent van Gogh

“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” — Theodore Roosevelt

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do” — Steve Jobs

“To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one’s self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived — this is to have succeeded” — Ralph Waldo Emerson