Around one week ago I asked all of you a bunch of questions because I want to learn more about all of you. A lot of you said that the job you currently have is not your dream job.
I’m sure that a lot of you can imagine and/or see where my posts have been going lately. Last year I made the post Do You Want To Be Self Employed and I have been thinking about it ever since. It seems like passion has been taking over the personal finance world a lot lately, with Jen, Holly and numerous other wonderful ladies and gentlemen who have decided to strike it out on their own. Guess what? Finding your dream job is possible!
The other day I was reading a post on Get Rich Slowly about how one reader quit her very promising and high-paying career so that she could enjoy life instead. And then after I read that post, I read about how another GRS reader actually QUIT his passion to take a boring job.
I’m not sure what I want to do anymore. My side hustle income is higher than ever, and I’m constantly looking to diversify it. Right now, I am definitely at the point where I could take a leap of faith and start pursuing other side hustles that I love, and focusing on those 100% instead of my normal 8-5 office job.
I’ve had this Money or Passion post lined up for quite some time in my blog to-do list, and I’m glad I can finally publish it. I’ve been asking a lot of you for tips, and so many of you have been responding to my tweets and emails.
When I decided on my major at the young age of 18, I did everything that I could to graduate quickly. I managed to graduate after 2.5 years, and that was even with taking a semester off. I was in a rush for multiple reasons: I wanted something to occupy my time so that I could stop thinking about how sick my dad had become, and also because I “thought” that graduating with two business-related degrees would do me good.
I thought life was all about money at that time, and not about what actually makes you happy. I thought pursuing your passion as your job was only for “lucky” people or people who had a specific talent. I was going for the more “realistic and responsible” direction by going for business degrees.
For some, your passion might bring in the money for you, and that is awesome! I have multiple passions, and when all combined into my side hustles and a potential volunteer position that I want to start – this all creates my passion. Luckily, my side hustles bring in a decent amount of money.
Also, luckily our bills are not very high. Altogether our bills and everything are less than $3,200 per month (bills, mortgage, food, and so on) and we could manage this along with still saving without getting too worried. We would want to live on less income and save more to prepare for the unexpected though.
Why I want to go for passion and enjoy life instead.
I’ve been thinking about life, the meaning of life, and where I want to go in life a lot lately. I can’t help it. With everything that has happened – mainly my father passing away and finding out that my grandfather passed away shortly thereafter, it’s hard not to think about how boring and routine everything has gotten.
I don’t want to wake up every morning and wonder where the day before went, and I don’t want to be begging for time to pass by just because I feel like I’m slaving away.
I want to continue with my side hustles (which would that become a part of my main hustle) and start a position at a non-profit that I love. I want the days to be enjoyed. I don’t want to wake up in the morning and complain like the world’s ending (which I’m sure W is tired of by now).
I’m still young. Today I am 24 (WOOHOO it is my birthday!). I have yet to take a break and pursue something that I love. Am I too old, too young, too naive to do this? I guess I’ll never know until I try.
I’ve always tried to be the responsible one. There have always been people who have relied on me, but now that they’re starting to do better as well, I have had the increased need to venture out and try something new.
So, what’s the negative/risk of pursuing my passion and finding my dream job?
The instability of it all! The fear of the unknown. I am a big worrier, and I always feel like the worst happens when you least expect it. I’m afraid that I’ll throw all my eggs in one basket and then it’ll explode. I’m afraid that I might be ruining my future. What if something happens and I regret my decision?
Now, I could continue to do everything – work my job and all of my side hustles, but at what cost? I want to start to enjoy life more. Life isn’t all about money. Yes, I could do everything and make more money, but I don’t care about that anymore. At what point is the amount of money that you have enough for you?
To quote the GRS post that I mentioned earlier – what makes me hesitant to pursue passion:
Your career is just one part of your life. You might not become a much happier person just because you do the work that satisfies you the most. You have to consider the effects it could have on you as a person besides just having to do the work. You should do the work that gives you balance, and not the work you love the most.
Should I be looking at work just as a way to make money, and keep my passions completely separate? Am I naive for thinking that I can combine both money and passion?
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, and below are some tips to help you figure it out.
Determine why you no longer enjoy your job and why you are thinking about finding your dream job.
Have you always not enjoyed your job? What has changed? If you at one point enjoyed your job, then you need to really think about what you could do to change your job back to your passion.
Test the waters when deciding on your dream job.
I do understand that in some circumstances, you may need to leave your job IMMEDIATELY. However, if you can control your departure timing, see what you can dive into once you start your passion. You never know, your passion might not be exactly how you thought it was going to be.
Be realistic when finding your dream job.
I always include being realistic in my posts. It’s the most important step when deciding anything! Living in some make-believe fantasy world won’t solve anything. You want to set realistic expectations for what might or might not happen. Your passion might turn out not to be what you thought. You might find out AFTER you have already quit that you actually enjoyed your job a lot, and you might miss it.
What about you? Money or passion? Maybe BOTH?
What tips do you have for those looking to work for passion?
Do you think finding your dream job is possible?
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Thanks Kathleen. I don't have anything to lose so I don't know why I'm driving myself nuts over this decision haha
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you got this, kid!Kathleen O'MalleyFrugalPortland.comBeautifulGiveaways.com
Thanks Kathleen! I always appreciate what you have to say. And ahhh I know I'm so young 🙁 haah
Thanks! I'm glad you agree.
My recent post Pursuing What I Love or What Brings in the (Stable) Money
Happy Birthday!
I've thought about this at length, though I haven't had to make any sort of serious decision about it since my side income doesn't outweigh my full-time income. That's not to say my full-time job doesn't align with my passions, but the whole working for someone else vs. working for yourself is a huge debate that most people will struggle with sometime or another.
I think that pursuing your passion as a full-time gig is a good move, mainly because the work you produce is likely to be higher quality vs. a job/work that you do not enjoy.
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Thanks DC! 🙂
It is a hard decision, and so many people feel differently about it. I'm going to sit on it for a little longer and decide 🙂
My recent post Pursuing What I Love or What Brings in the (Stable) Money
A used bookstore sounds wonderful! 🙂
My recent post Pursuing What I Love or What Brings in the (Stable) Money
Thanks! We should definitely keep in touch with this subject 🙂
My recent post Pursuing What I Love or What Brings in the (Stable) Money
First off Happy Birthday Michelle 🙂
I believe you already know exactly what you want to do. You are prepared for it and you are able to sustain the side hustle. Of course you may have ebbs & flows which is normal with us self-employed peeps but your side income alone every months exceeds your baseline costs. I tend to feel the fear and do it anyway and so far it's worked out for me more than just fine 🙂
Thanks! And haha yes you are right, I do know what I want to do 🙂
My recent post Pursuing What I Love or What Brings in the (Stable) Money
Hi Michelle. This is one of the best posts I have seen here. I think the fact that you are even considering this is huge. It seems like you have been doing really well with side $$ for a while. Maybe save a little more and then strike out on your own? Good to have atleast 6 months savings or even 12 months if you can. The I say do what you love.
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Thanks! Glad you enjoyed this post 🙂
And yes, I definitely want to save as much as we can so that we don't regret this decision.
My recent post Pursuing What I Love or What Brings in the (Stable) Money
I'm a both kind of guy. I think part of the reason I can feel passionate about side hustles like writing is because they don't have the pressure of a regular job. My side hustle doesn't pay my bills, so it involves less stress.
I've heard people say that if they did what they love for a living, it wouldn't be something they love anymore. I'm not sure that this applies to me, but I've thought about it before.
I have heard people say that before. That if you love something, you should not make it your job because then you will hate it. Hopefully that does not happen to me!
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Get a nice, healthy cushioned saved up, and get health insurance lined up before you quit. Then go for it. 🙂
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Definitely plan on doing all of this. Thanks! 🙂
My recent post Pursuing What I Love or What Brings in the (Stable) Money
Happy Bday! You share it with my youngest who turned 1 today.
I'm facing a similar dilema, so I'd love to hear more about your thought process. I've been in my field for over 7 years with one company and while I'm pretty happy here I'm wondering what else is out there. I'm afraid if I head down this path much longer then before I know it 20 more years will go by and I'll be heading into retirement without ever really getting out of my comfort zone and challenging myself.
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I agree! This is exactly how I feel. May I ask what field you work in?
My recent post Pursuing What I Love or What Brings in the (Stable) Money
happy belated birthday! This is a great post because I'm facing that problem now. Im not as young as you unfortunately, but deciding whether or not to really put all of my energy into building my blog and brand with the high risk of not making great money is scary (but exciting too). Happy to hear you are following your passion instead of dollar signs!
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Thanks Ashley! Do you have a full-time job currently? Or are you working on online hustles? Tell me! I'm interested 🙂
My recent post Pursuing What I Love or What Brings in the (Stable) Money
I am still working as a fit model since it is great money and the hours are flexible enough to still give the blog enough attention. I really need to start monetizing on the site now, though. I want this to be my full time gig and I believe I can make it happen!
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1. What is your job? Do you work full-time? Stay at home parent? Go to school? Is this your dream job? I work full time, own my own side business, and just started my own blog as well.
2. What is your biggest pet peeve? Hypocritical people, bad grammatical/spelling skills, and bad drivers, haha!
3. What are your financial goals? To retire early? Start your own business? Pay off your house? Pay off ALL debt and have a healthier and happier homestead. I'm still on the fence whether I want to eventually take the leap to leave my day job, though. That path has not yet been paved.
4. How much do you spend on food per month? Family of 4, between $400 and $600.
5. What would you do if you had no debt? How much debt do you have? Total debt including student loans, consumer debt, mortgage, etc., is about $190K. If I had none, I'd save the crap out of my income and travel a bit as well.
6. What is your dream income/salary? Enough to sustain my family debt free and save for the future.
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These are all my pet peeves also! Glad I'm not alone. And great job on your food budget!
My recent post Pursuing What I Love or What Brings in the (Stable) Money
Happy BIrthday Michelle!! I understand your worrying and I think it's natural and good. It's a big decisions and you're thinking it through to make sure it's right for you. You're doing great with your current side hustles, and there is no reason that number wouldn't increase if it had your full attention. For me, passion trumps money. I make a good living, but this is because I LOVE what I do. Not that I don't have bad days, because I do – but I get up eager to start my day. My passion for helping others with their finances and becoming financial literate drives me to continue building my practice, which ultimately increases my earnings. I will also share with you from working with wealthy clients and far less wealthy clients that it was the amount of money they had that defined their happiness – it was doing something they loved and how they used whatever money they had.
Thanks Shannon! I was hoping that you'd come by and leave a comment 🙂 I always value your opinion.
That's good that you do what you love! I hope to be the same way also.
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You are 24 years old. Go Play! Make some memories that you will always look back on. You have the income / savings/ debt level that you can quit your day job and still make responsible financial decisions.
Thanks Christie 🙂
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I understand exactly the way you feel! I graduated college young and got a full time job but I hated the lack of freedom. I knew that I was miserable and needed to do something about it. So I left the security of a full time job and I've never looked back. I just started my Master's Degree so that I can have the career I really want which is teaching at a college or university. And guess what? They are paying me to teach college classes at the university while I earn my degree and paying for me to go to school! So I'm getting to start my career even earlier than I hoped. In addition, I still work part time as a server for extra income, have an online book business, run my website and spend my free time doing things to save us money. Guess what? I'm 100 times happier than I was at that horrible company where all I did was work. You know where you will be in a year if you stay at your current job but you never know what great things will happen if you leave. And you have the wonderful advantage of knowing you can afford it! When I stopped working full time I didn't know how I was going to pay my bills but sometimes life is about risk! And leaving your full time job would be a lot less of a risk for you than most people. This is what I wish someone had told me when I was working full time. Good luck! You won't regret it!
Wow that is awesome! Sounds like things are going very well for you 🙂 Thanks so much for your help.
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