<p>I know people always say "follow your heart," but what if that road leads to unemployment and rejection?</p>
<p>I'm wondering what all of your thoughts are regarding choosing majors/careers based on what you are good at or what you love to do.</p>
<p>My own situation: I could pursue musical theatre, my true love beyond anything else. I am painfully shy and this would require not only the ordinary hard work but also therapy, etc. It is a difficult profession and even harder for me than for most. I am extremely charismatic and entertaining when I'm not nervous, but I am almost always nervous. Years of trying to overcome it have been only marginally successful. This road would most likely lead to a financially and emotionally unstable lifestyle - but I would be doing what I LOVE.</p>
<p>My other option is psychology/mental health counseling/social work. I can see myself truly enjoying the work and feeling fulfilled to an extent by what I am doing, and I am very good at it (better at this than at anything else, really). While it is also not a fast-track to riches, it is much more stable and healthy financially and emotionally. I could successfully raise children with this career. I worry, though, that I would always feel like a coward who didn't pursue what she really wanted to, and a hypocrite for trying to help others when I couldn't even help myself.</p>
<p>I would love to hear both general opinions on the subject and thoughts on my personal situation.</p>
<p>I hate to sound like a typical business student but I have come to realize more recently that work is work and play is play. I have thoroughly enjoyed my introduction to philosophy class. I love pondering the meaning of life and the existance or non-existance of God. However, I won't get paid to do that. I also enjoy reading and analyzing most pieces of literature that have been assigned in my literature classes. Psychology has been somewhat interesting so far. I also wouldn't mind trying to direct films or become a cinematographer. However, all of these fields are hard to succeed in financially. </p>
<p>Financial stresses lead toward emotional stresses and a very difficult life. Since I like philosophy and thinking about life I often ponder if it is better to find your true passion in life and go with it if it means not having a stable life financially or emotionally. But then I begin to reason logically that it is not and here is why. If you find something that you are good at and enjoy enough to make a career out of, even though it may not be your passion, then choose this. You can always pursue your passion outside of work as a hobby. And with a stable career and income you can more easily finance whatever passion or hobby you may have. Plus if we only do what we enjoy in life it won't stay enjoyable for long. You have to know the bad in order to know the good. If you work hard in your day job then you will have a stronger passion for your hobby and enjoy/appreciate it a ton more.</p>
<p>A lot of people choose to major in business in hopes to become rich/wealthy/whatever. Money isn't everything and I understand this completely. I used to feel people would judge me as a business major and think I am materialistic and only in it for the money. But business is such a broad field of study and it attracts people from all walks of life and people with all different motives. I do enjoy working hard and I also enjoy studying bussiness and how so many different things effect an organization. </p>
<p>Ultimately I would love to land a job at one of the Big 4 accounting firms. People typically work there for 2-3 years and transfer to a private company to get a better paying job with more responsibility. Personally, I'd much rather stay at the Big 4 firm for my entire career. Even if I don't make partner, which I could care less about...especially the money, it is still a great career. All 4 make it on the top 100 companies to work for. I love the idea that you work your tail off from January-March/April and then work decent hours the rest of the year. And a lot of people in auditing say the travel gets boring after a while but I know I would enjoy it. I would love looking at different companies and industries and learning how they work as I audit them. People also complain that they are over-worked in the Big 4. I feel I can handle any white-collar job now after working for Home Depot for 2 years. Try being underpaid and worked like a dog and then go to a Big 4 and tell me how hard it is. Plus I know at KPMG they give you a 5 weeks vacation package after just 1 year! I love to travel and I know they all have good vacation packages. I can also budget my money wisely to take full advantage of my vacation time.</p>
<p>People in accounting and lots of business fields have many different hobbies and passions. They are people too, at least most are. But some are machines who are only in it for the money.</p>
<p>So my answer to you is, why can't we have both? A good stable career with a respectable income, good benefits, and so on. Along with our true passion on the side.</p>
<p>Here's a suggestion, try the musical theatre major with a psych minor. If musical theatre gets too tough for you, switch to a psych major. You will use your psych studies when preparing for roles and researching, so it won't be a lost cause--it may also help you get over your shyness. </p>
<p>There's nothing like the feeling after being in a job 10 or 15 years and wishing you had pursued your dream, but now it is too late. And if you want to perform in musical theater (as opposed to direct, choreograph, or design), then you have to start it when you're really young (as opposed to the moderate age of 30).</p>
<p>I've been debating this with myself for about 2 years now...My situation isn't as drastic as yours, I suppose, but it's still been an amazingly hard thing to deal with. I'm in Engineering now, but I feel like music education might really be what I'm meant to do. Large financial gap there, but I love music so much and I'm getting very, very bored with engineering.</p>
<p>There was a great article about making decisions like this at Fast Company magazine a few years ago. You can read it at Are</a> You Deciding On Purpose (extended interview) | Fast CompanyHere's a quote from the article that cuts to the chase
[quote]
8. Live in the real world.</p>
<p>In an ideal world, you would do what you love, and you would get paid handsomely for it. But in the real world, you're often pulled in two or more different directions. It's become popular to say, "Just follow your bliss and the money will come." I don't believe that at all. These decisions take hard work. You can't simplify life into that kind of wishful thinking.</p>
<p>But what does work is something called natural productivity. It happens when the elements of that formula -T + P + E x V- are in alignment: You do your best when you're using your talents on something you believe in, and when your environment supports your effort. The number-one factor that holds people back is their environment. People have real talents that they're prepared to apply to something they believe in, but their environment is toxic. They take their talents and sense of purpose to a job across the street-and they shine.</p>
<p>Most people who feel a tension between what they say they want to do and what they find themselves doing simply haven't done their homework. They're waiting for someone else to make the choice for them-or for the world to present them with a corner office, a lot of money, and a life of travel.
[/quote]
You'll have to read the article to see what T, P, E, V are, and to see the rest of an amazing article. They really ought to pass this out to every HS student!</p>
<p>I agree with rand0m87, that you can always get a hobby that you enjoy doing and I job that's not terrible pay the bills. It is amazing, what you can do in your off time.</p>
<p>However, if you are able to get a job that you truly enjoy and that makes a decent amount of money, do that. I have heard many stories about people quitting their cubicle job to go do something that they love doing and enjoy themselves. They make less money, true, but to them, it is worth it.</p>
<p>Take what you want from my opinion because my own situation is slightly different. When I graduate I have to decide between 2 things I would love to do, sail or military, and the question I face is money vs. service, not money vs. enjoyment.</p>
<p>Do what you love. But do it intelligently. Look into whether you can do a double major. (That may require you to spend more money, since I doubt that there are too many classes beyond the distribution ones that will count toward both.) </p>
<p>Then look for a job in a city where there are musical theatre opportunities so that you can pursue that on the side while keeping your day job.</p>
<p>Or be a counselor and do community musical theatre.</p>
<p>Or pursue music or drama therapy.</p>
<p>Or something. It doesn't have to be an "either-or" kind of thing.</p>