Passion Or Career

"I don't want to be in this branch , Computer Science is not my piece of cake..!! " . These were the words of my friend , a 3rd year student doing B.Tech in comp. science . I kept on thinking after listening to them , that is it not the case with many of us , and have not we all faced the same frustration many a times in our lives . A simple question is that , why do we fall in such circumstances , and what is it that leads us to dig our own graves .

• Is it because of the reason , that while making crucial career decisions , we don't have enough knowledge about the different field options ?
  
• Is it because , that we are so insecure and defensive , that we follow footsteps of the so-called peer , so that we are not left alone ?
  
• Or Is it because , for a 'safe' future , which means good job , family and getting settled , we choose the path which has more probability of achieving all these 'ambitions' ?

Falling a prey to either of the reasons , we join a particular college , a branch , with innocent dreams , but it is not a surprise , that after few years most of us feel dejected and we start loathing the branch we had taken as "our own choice" . This dejection has had , very serious repercussions on the students . They try to change their working areas after graduation , some suffer in studies , some suffer at their jobs , and some in serious cases , getting so much depressed , have threatened their lives and even lost them .

I have been witnessing such scenarios from a long time . Newspaper articles , comments from friends and sometimes my personal experiences , have made me ponder ,what is important in life : Passion Or Career ?

Should we sacrifice our passion for something , just to have a safer , easier lifestyle ? A person who is interested in non-conventional areas like painting , dancing , singing , writing and acting , should he join engineering , medical etc. just because these what the others are doing , and these areas have a "secured future" . ?

Imagine a guy , studying in a branch , he has no interest in . He can never fulfill the expectations of others . Leaving aside others , he himself can't live a life full of compromises and settlements . Even if he somehow manages to get through studies , gets a job , will he be able to do it with same zeal and ardor as he would have followed his passion.His life will be like a flower , which is loosing its scent day-by-day . Is this a safe future ? Is this the future , he worked so hard for ? . Definitely not.

A successful life , is where you are doing the work you like , with full effort and enthusiasm and spending a happy and peaceful life. Being content with your life is what that should matter . Earning lakhs of money can buy you luxuries , but can never satisfy your innate desires . A painter , might not earn a lot , but the pleasure that he earns when he completes his artwork is incomparable . A musician might have to stay jobless for years , but for him playing his instrument is what that matters as it is an eternal feeling for him.

Then comes the point , Is following your passion being selfish ? . You are not thinking of the family , and your responsibilities towards them ? This is a common dilemma , people face as responsible members of their families.

But , this point is a superficial argument , as a passion-less , enthusiasm-less life will only lead to a person becoming dissatisfied with life .His behavior towards others and himself getting devastated . His failure at doing his job at his best . Think of a doctor who wanted to become a writer .He somehow managed to pass exams of medical .Will you risk your life by getting operated from him ? . For him , being a doctor is a source of income , but is this not putting lives of people at stake ? Same is the case of a civil engineer who is not passionate about his job and he might be building bridges and towers for people. He might succeed in few works , but when he fails due to lack of enthusiasm , the consequences are ruinous.

Want to read about people changing careers after 50 , read this
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/55588

Mind you guys , want to have a happy life ? , then try making your passion your career , rather than struggling to convert a career option into your passion , as the later is an impossible job . Path may be difficult , facing failures will be a routine , oppositions and criticism will become a natural reaction , but the person who will live up-to all of these will be truly satisfied in life. Even when he will be earning less than what he could have by taking some other option , he will be SATISFIED and HAPPY !!

A quote from one of my favorite movies Fight Club :
"God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. "