Employment Are you passionate about your field of work?

[Hudu Gurusingha]

Ive been going through a career crisis for pretty much the last couple of years or so where Ive realised that I just cant stay in a career that Im not passionate about for the rest of my life. I work in compliance (OHS) and have made my way up the ranks level and pay rise but the reality is I'm less happy and satisfied than a lot of my family and friends who are doing what they are passionate about, and live and breathe what they do Monday to Monday, 24/7 (eg: music, cooking). I hate being stressed with my work, and the fact that I don't enjoy doing the work just adds to the emotional burden of having to deal with the massive workload.

I desperately want to teach cos this is something I am passionate about and I love science and sport. I want to coach as well. But there is little hope of landing a teaching job next year Ive realised. But Im at the point now where I'm ready to just say f**k it and try pick up relief teaching and hopefully get enough work to cover a fulltime job. Teaching and coaching are both things that I would go out my way to improve myself in.

Can anyone else relate to this? How do so many people just go through life doing a job they hate? How many people have just said f**k it and given it all up to pursue something they want to do?

 

[AFDogs]

Funny you say that you want to be a teacher, I've just gotten a teaching job. Can't say I'm passionate about it. I do enjoy it.

I just find it hard to be passionate about something you need to do everyday weekday for the next 30-40 years. Never going to be the type of person to roll out of bed happy to head to work. I guess that's just me though.

 

[Hudu Gurusingha]

Funny you say that you want to be a teacher, I've just gotten a teaching job. Can't say I'm passionate about it. I do enjoy it.

I just find it hard to be passionate about something you need to do everyday weekday for the next 30-40 years. Never going to be the type of person to roll out of bed happy to head to work. I guess that's just me though.

Congrats on getting the job.

Secondary or primary? Are you in WA?

 

[MWPP]

I love and am passionate about most aspects of my job (the work itself, the intellectual aspect, the job satisfaction, respect , sense of purpose, the people I meet and work with, and yes of course, the pay!). Of course there are a few aspects I'm not as passionate about (the admin/HR department , doing overtime /weekends /sometimes even night shifts on limited sleep ), but that applies to everything . On the whole , I'm passionate about it to the point where I not only really enjoy work/work related things like conferences , but soon miss it after a break that's longer than say , a week , unless I'm travelling in that time (travel is awesome ) . Work is not the single most important thing in my life, but it is comfortably one of the most important things and it means a lot to me /forms a big part of my identity . I would be a bit lost without it , apart from specific circumstances (involving family/responsibilities ). I personally couldnt imagine remaining in a job that I didn't like . I suppose I'm lucky to be in my position (in that I knew what I wanted to do pretty early on ) but worked throughout school and uni to get to my position .

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Absolutely not. But I'm one of those people who as soon as there is an obligation to do something, it instantly becomes hated. Its not necessarily that I hate the work (though I've grown to do that as well) but I hate responsibility and obligation.

 

[radiojake]

I think it's a bit of a folly of an idea to be 'passionate' about your main source of income...

It's an unrealistic expectation for that to happen

 

[Hudu Gurusingha]

I think it's a bit of a folly of an idea to be 'passionate' about your main source of income...

It's an unrealistic expectation for that to happen

Why?

If your passionate about your work, then its no longer work

 

[Hudu Gurusingha]

I love and am passionate about most aspects of my job (the work itself, the intellectual aspect, the job satisfaction, respect , sense of purpose, the people I meet and work with, and yes of course, the pay!). Of course there are a few aspects I'm not as passionate about (the admin/HR department , doing overtime /weekends /sometimes even night shifts on limited sleep ), but that applies to everything . On the whole , I'm passionate about it to the point where I not only really enjoy work/work related things like conferences , but soon miss it after a break that's longer than say , a week , unless I'm travelling in that time (travel is awesome ) . Work is not the single most important thing in my life, but it is comfortably one of the most important things and it means a lot to me /forms a big part of my identity . I would be a bit lost without it , apart from specific circumstances (involving family/responsibilities ). I personally couldnt imagine remaining in a job that I didn't like . I suppose I'm lucky to be in my position (in that I knew what I wanted to do pretty early on ) but worked throughout school and uni to get to my position .

Awesome mate. What do you do?

 

[radiojake]

Why?

If your passionate about your work, then its no longer work

I'm passionate about my music -

I've been teaching guitar to primary school kids, which I enjoy, but I'm certainly not passionate about it.

If I could make a living from my bands and music writing, that would be cool, but at the same time, I wonder if it would 'ruin it' if it did become my main income source...

For the most part, I'm overly cynical and the current economic system makes me feel like I have two choices - Be exploited (by a 'boss') who underpays me for my labour - Or I become a 'boss' and exploit others..

Neither of these are ideal to me

 

[Hudu Gurusingha]

I'm passionate about my music -

I've been teaching guitar to primary school kids, which I enjoy, but I'm certainly not passionate about it.

If I could make a living from my bands and music writing, that would be cool, but at the same time, I wonder if it would 'ruin it' if it did become my main income source...

For the most part, I'm overly cynical and the current economic system makes me feel like I have two choices - Be exploited (by a 'boss') who underpays me for my labour - Or I become a 'boss' and exploit others..

Neither of these are ideal to me

Australia doesn't really have these kind of problems anymore - in fact overpaying employees to do s**t all is a major problem is why many of our industries are collapsing

 

[MWPP]

I think it's a bit of a folly of an idea to be 'passionate' about your main source of income...

It's an unrealistic expectation for that to happen

Each to their own but for me personally it's unrealistic (and unsustainable) to be dispassionate about it /hate it . So much time is spent at work! Might as well be something that's enjoyed (overall ) and cared about .

 

[MWPP]

I'm passionate about my music -

I've been teaching guitar to primary school kids, which I enjoy, but I'm certainly not passionate about it.

If I could make a living from my bands and music writing, that would be cool, but at the same time, I wonder if it would 'ruin it' if it did become my main income source...

That's cool , seems like music is one of your passions , and at least your work does involve that. Is it the teaching aspect that you arent as passionate about? As for ruining it , potentially ,if you let some of the external factors (pressure , longer hours , politics , etc - all speculation on my part ) override the enjoyment /passion , but that's true of everything . If it's something you're truly passionate about, go for it

 

[MWPP]

Why?

If your passionate about your work, then its no longer work

Good point! . It's still work because of the financial aspect , the regularity of it , but it means it isn't a chore . I'd still do it if I wasn't paid (just not as many hours ) ie as a volunteer . If only housework could be made fun /less of a chore haha....

 

[MWPP]

Awesome mate. What do you do?

Pm'd

 

[John Dawh]

I work in compliance (OHS)

That has to be the worst industry ever. Takes a certain type of person to like that s**t so you've passed the first test by not being passionate about it.

All the people I've met in this industry may as well be cardboard cutouts.

 

[Scotland]

Whenever someone has 'OHS' or 'Safety' in their job title, you are immediately sapped of motivation when you have to talk to them.

It's even worse if said title starts with 'Corporate' also.

 

[Power Raid]

I think it's a bit of a folly of an idea to be 'passionate' about your main source of income...

It's an unrealistic expectation for that to happen

Why

I love my work. I am retired but can't help but go to work every morning.

 

[radiojake]

I guess it depends on your motivation


If you think that profiting from digging up large swathes of our natural resources while doing irreparable damage to the environment is a good reason to get up every morning, then I guess your a lucky one...

 

[Power Raid]

I guess it depends on your motivation


If you think that profiting from digging up large swathes of our natural resources while doing irreparable damage to the environment is a good reason to get up every morning, then I guess your a lucky one...

I guess it is the opposite.

sure it includes mining but:

1) it is also property - aimed at affordable living but a quality I would be proud to live in
it is also IT, manufacturing, agriculture and start up ventures especially indigenous groups in Oz and developing nations

2) In regards to mining, most of it is in developing and third world nations and introduces first world standards of environmental management, health, safety and training. Associated with this is building and managing education and health centres. Would you not be proud to help people out of poverty or help creating an environment that creates peace?

One of my personal favourite achievements in mining is only half complete but we built a bauxite mine in Guinea and the traditional thought was commodities would go to China. We flipped this idea and built a model where China would come to the commodity. Why? bauxite is a low value commodity and requires heaps of power and heat to refine. Both are something China lacks and is miles from Guinea thus the transport costs were too high.

We used private funding and supplemented with EU commonwealth redevelopment funds (designed to drag Africa out of poverty) and acquired the area and drilled out a resource pre elections where there were curfews, civil unrest and a couple of assassination attempts and coups. We navigated our way through this, built schools and health centres, rail, bridges, power plants, commissioned the mine and sold it to the Chinese. Total capex will exceed $1b and will support a mine life of some 600 years.


The proceeds have been rolled over into a salt mine in planning and construction phase in Somali land. Another busted arse place with civil unrest and all kinds of unsavoury issues. Nevertheless we are well advanced and will replicate the model of build and sell. Total capex will be small at $100m or so, have an infinite mine life and open many industries including fisheries and chemical processing facilities in the longer term. In the immediate region we have already seen a marked decrease in violence and piracy as the men already have work, the kids access to education and the women access to health.


The last part which is at an early stage is building a bauxite refinery and a PVC production plant in Libya or the middle east. The salt goes into PVC production and a by product is caustic. The caustic is then used in bauxite refining to produce alumina which is shipped to China.


Alumina is a future metal and like lithium will play a major role in "green" products.


So you can bang on about mining being environmentally unfriendly but a sensible person would look at the map and recognise it impacts a small area and modern rehab is quality. In fact geologists and miners actually love the environment....that is why they work in it. Rather than just consider it some aspirational life change like some city slicking wanna be green folk.

 

[Millky95]

Currently, no. I don't really wanna stack fruit for the rest of my days. But after uni, I wanna get involved more and more in the technical aspects of theatre. And that, I most certainly am passionate about. I mean, theatre is tough and so unforgiving but that first laugh at a joke, that first applause at the end of a song... you live for those moments. You realise the hard work, stress and bullshit suddenly becomes worth it. Its really an amazing feeling.

"Find a job you love, and you never have to work a day in your life." A fridge magnet my mum had. Read it everyday since I was learning how to read. Something we all should try to aim for.

 

[LanceRomance]

Two of my school friends (graduated in '01) are happy. One is a cardiothoracic surgeon in training and the other is an international jet liner pilot.

The rest of us are just grinding away.

I gave up my dream job because I had a bad week (handed in my resignation) and now I can never go back.

 

[Power Raid]

Two of my school friends (graduated in '01) are happy. One is a cardiothoracic surgeon in training and the other is an international jet liner pilot.

The rest of us are just grinding away.

I gave up my dream job because I had a bad week (handed in my resignation) and now I can never go back.

I hope you get a second chance at the "title"

 

[LanceRomance]

I hope you get a second chance at the "title"

I'll try again when my kids are a little older.

 

[WCErevival]

I'm going through a similar thing to this at the moment. Have no interest in my work anymore and not interested in higher roles in the industry so after 15 years in it I'm going to try my hand at learning something I'm interested in.
I figure with a normal 80 year lifespan you are probably going to be working about 40-50 years of it so it may as well be something you are happy doing.

 

[Bomberboyokay]

Australia doesn't really have these kind of problems anymore - in fact overpaying employees to do s**t all is a major problem is why many of our industries are collapsing

'Free' trade* with poorer countries with dirt wages (in Australia) is why industries are collapsing. Not because unions negotiate tea breaks and super contributions.

*too many clauses to call it genuine free trade