Finding a Passion... That’s Not Work
“[A] recent study found that young people rank achieving their career passion as their highest priority — above making money or getting married. Finding a fulfilling job was deemed nearly three times more important than having a family by the teenage respondents. But, for many people, this simply isn’t feasible. Not every job affords the possibility of pursuing a passion. And most people care deeply about many different things — not all of which will be how they want to earn a living.”
“While pursuing passion at work is known to increase work engagement and job performance, it’s both unrealistic and risky to rely on work as the only means through which to do so. Some jobs don’t allow employees to focus on their interests, and the jobs that do aren’t always financially viable. In some regards, following and finding passion at work could be seen as a luxury for the privileged few — those who can afford to choose exactly the right professions.”
“Managers play a crucial role in helping employees achieve all of this. Although people might want to take up a new hobby or class or participate in a club, it’s often hard to do so when work hours are long or unpredictable work and bosses expect complete dedication to the job.”
HBR, November, 19, 2019: “The Unexpected Benefits of Pursuing a Passion Outside of Work,” by Jon M. Jachimowicz, Joyce He and Julián Arango
Pew Research Center, February 20, 2019: “Most U.S. Teens See Anxiety and Depression as a Major Problem Among Their Peers: For boys and girls, day-to-day experiences and future aspirations vary in key ways,” by Juliana Menasce Horowitz and Nikki Graf
... a true hobby, not a side hustle
“As Tim Wu wrote [In Praise of Mediocrity] for the New York Times, ‘we're afraid of being bad at [hobbies]. Or rather, we are intimidated by the expectation — itself a hallmark of our intensely public, performative age — that we must actually be skilled at what we do in our free time.’”
Vox, December 3, 2019: “How to have a true hobby, not a side hustle,” by Hope Reese
