Living Without Your Passion

[Pearl]

I didn't want to hijack zuropa_fit's thread, so I started this one. I could've posted this in my blog, but I think a new thread would fit.

I have been wondering lately of the possibility of living a fulfilled life without doing your passion. As some of you may know, I have not been able to find a full-time job since getting my Master's in journalism in December 2008. Right now, I am a part-time tutor at a nearby college, and I help out at a law office.

Ideally, I would have a job in the journalism field. This is because I am a news junkie, and adore the adrenaline-rushed environment of a newsroom. But with the reality of the world, I have to look elsewhere for a job. I have been searching for work in PR, marketing and even teaching. If I were to have my way, I would work in these fields temporarily until something opens in the news field.

But lately what has been going through my mind is the possibility of never returning to news. If that happens, I would not be living my passion. And I wonder, could I be happy in life? Yes, I do have other passions, such as writing (I am working on a fiction book), but they do not fulfill me as being a journalist does. I've seen what has happened to people who are not doing the work they love, and they're miserable.

So, my question is: is it possible to live a happy and fulfilled life without doing something you love? How can you make up for it?

 

[Liesje]

It was not possible for me, I had to "replace" it and I still miss it, but I can't dwell on it because it's over and done. My "replacement" passion fills that void as much as anything can or will. My work is different, but it pays my bills, keeps me healthy and covered, and gives me enough vacation and spending money to enjoy what I really love (which I could never make a living doing anyway).

 

[Screwtape2]

I don't have an answer to the question but I do believe that you can discover new passions at any point in your life. There are many artists that wanted to pursue a certain area but discovered a passion in another area. There are also many writers that pursued one type of writing but discovered a passion in a different one. Like I said I don't have an answer to the question but I thought this should be mentioned.

 

[Galeongirl]

I still think about it every now and then. Ever since I was a tiny kiddo I wanted to become a vet. I'm really good with animals, especially cats and dogs(and mice and fish, but little interaction there) so I figured I'd be good for the job. Then when I was 11 my dad had a coworker who was a vet student. She offered me to come along for a day and she'd tour me around. I did that and loved the museum stuff with the preserved animals, the skeletons, that stuff. Yet she also told me the main study focuses on farm animals first, and then you can specialise into domestic animals.

I really dislike the smell of most farm animals and I've a huge hate vs horses ever since I got bit by one when I was a little girl. So yeah, I knew that I'd never be able to do that and had to give up my dream. Now I'm studying my favourite subject outside of English(Way too much reading for that!) and it's rather nice. I've taken a liking in teaching other people so I think that's where I'm headed. I'll see how it'll turn out though..

still, lately I've been wondering the big what if question a fair bit..

 

[corianderstem]

My passion is music, and no, I could not live without it.

If I lost my capacity to perform, I could still listen.

If I lost my hearing ... then I would have a huge problem. But at least I could still read!

 

[redhotswami]

I didn't want to hijack zuropa_fit's thread, so I started this one. I could've posted this in my blog, but I think a new thread would fit.

I have been wondering lately of the possibility of living a fulfilled life without doing your passion. As some of you may know, I have not been able to find a full-time job since getting my Master's in journalism in December 2008. Right now, I am a part-time tutor at a nearby college, and I help out at a law office.

Ideally, I would have a job in the journalism field. This is because I am a news junkie, and adore the adrenaline-rushed environment of a newsroom. But with the reality of the world, I have to look elsewhere for a job. I have been searching for work in PR, marketing and even teaching. If I were to have my way, I would work in these fields temporarily until something opens in the news field.

But lately what has been going through my mind is the possibility of never returning to news. If that happens, I would not be living my passion. And I wonder, could I be happy in life? Yes, I do have other passions, such as writing (I am working on a fiction book), but they do not fulfill me as being a journalist does. I've seen what has happened to people who are not doing the work they love, and they're miserable.

So, my question is: is it possible to live a happy and fulfilled life without doing something you love? How can you make up for it?

The possibility of never returning to news is just as strong as the possibility of going back. Have you let that possibility go through your mind as well? There are no ultimates, and nothing is ever so certain. Life is way more fluid than that. If you can't get a full-time job in the field and have to look elsewhere for a job, I'm sure there are other opportunities that don't pay as well or at all, that you could involve yourself with during your spare time?

 

[Pearl]

I have been thinking of starting a news blog. I actually tried to start a blog over the summer about religion and spirituality in NYC, but it fell through.

I'll be meeting up with some former classmates soon, so perhaps we could brainstorm and find ways to do something newsy, since many of us are struggling to find jobs in the field.

 

[redhotswami]

I have been thinking of starting a news blog. I actually tried to start a blog over the summer about religion and spirituality in NYC, but it fell through.

I'll be meeting up with some former classmates soon, so perhaps we could brainstorm and find ways to do something newsy, since many of us are struggling to find jobs in the field.

That's awesome! It sucks you can't get a job in the field, but that doesn't mean you have to give it up for good.

Some friends of mine got involved in doing a town newsletter, it was a small thing in the beginning, and then it grew.

I hope you are able to come up with a fresh idea with your classmates.

 

[cobl04]

can non-prems get PMs on this board? i would like to PM you Pearl, as i want to be a journalist. sports. but i'm having a lot of trouble with it lately, you see i'm not a person who really thrives on that newsroom pressure etc, and i've done work exp before with daily papers and found it a bit intimidating - though i still really enjoyed it.

so i've got no fucking idea. at the moment i'm working two jobs, one as a trades assistant in a sheet metal factory pushing brooms around (sometimes the trade life appeals to me - plenty of money, time off, you never take your work home with you, and the girls like them too) and as a servo attendant. they're both dead end, but if i was 110% committed to sports journalism i suppose i'd have something going on because i'd be annoying papers until they gave me work. at my local footy club i write articles for them, so that's something, but that's volunteer work. you have to be 150% committed for this job, and i don't really have that i guess. i don't know.

it's like i'm having a mid-life crisis before i've even hit 20.

 

[zuropa_fit]

Thanks for not "hijacking" my thread although when I saw the title of yours I though "wow, I guess we coulda merged these two". I think, like cori was saying, it's possible to experience your passion without having your career be totally based in it. If it's the research aspect of journalism you like, maybe there's a way to incorporate that into something you can find a job in. Or maybe it's the writing, or the interaction with people. Find a way to incorporate the essence of what you love into what you do.

I'd love to be a professional theatre artist (director, technician) but for now I teach theatre, and get to direct and do the tech stuff on a smaller scale.

And, like unico said, nothing's permanent. There will be times when you can't make huge changes and take big risks in your career path (see other thread) but there may be a time in your future (maybe when the economy is a little more secure or when just the right opportunity knocks) when you know it's the right time to make a change.

 

[melon]

I have been wondering lately of the possibility of living a fulfilled life without doing your passion. As some of you may know, I have not been able to find a full-time job since getting my Master's in journalism in December 2008. Right now, I am a part-time tutor at a nearby college, and I help out at a law office.

Ideally, I would have a job in the journalism field. This is because I am a news junkie, and adore the adrenaline-rushed environment of a newsroom. But with the reality of the world, I have to look elsewhere for a job. I have been searching for work in PR, marketing and even teaching. If I were to have my way, I would work in these fields temporarily until something opens in the news field.

Incidentally, although I studied media arts/production, television journalism marketing generally fell into my lap, and I've been working as a producer pretty much ever since.

A couple of humble observations I'd make...one, a lot of it came down to being in the right place at the right time. "The right place" for me was a less-than-glamorous mid-market local TV station cutting my teeth on the kind of local TV news promos that people make fun of. I happen to notice that you're in NYC, which might not be the most open market for getting into journalism, since it's the top market on the continent, and I think that probably most people in the news industry had worked elsewhere in the country first. I'm fairly fortunate, in many respects, having started at a mid-level market, because my old marketing bosses had started in low-level markets in the middle of nowhere. Television journalism is in a bit of a tailspin currently, but if I had to make an observation, local TV still seems to have some real vitality in the South, particularly some of the Texas stations I've seen. The reason probably just boils down to the region's violent weather and local sports tradition, making local TV still appointment viewing.

My point? I guess I'd suggest trying to work in a smaller market first if you're interested in TV journalism. If you're interested in newspaper journalism, well...I'm thinking it's not the right time for that. The internet is really putting the industry into a tailspin.

At the very least, don't take my word for it. I'd suggest asking some networking contacts and see what they say. Plus, as an aside, they might help you get a job. All the best!

 

[cobl04]

newspaper journalism is not dead!

/crusade

 

[Pearl]

My point? I guess I'd suggest trying to work in a smaller market first if you're interested in TV journalism. If you're interested in newspaper journalism, well...I'm thinking it's not the right time for that. The internet is really putting the industry into a tailspin.

At the very least, don't take my word for it. I'd suggest asking some networking contacts and see what they say. Plus, as an aside, they might help you get a job. All the best!

I tried smaller markets, but at the moment, I am not in the financial situation to move to another state and all.

Today, and next week, my grad school is holding a few panels on how to get freelancing positions and full time jobs. These panels feature former classmates, so this would definitely be my chance to network and get a hired somewhere.

Meanwhile, I'm working on a blog about local politics. I figured since its election year, and people are so fired up about politics, this could be a good chance to show my skills to any HR person.

 

[forbonou2]

Go for It, pearl!! sounds good to me....at least you are persuing this dream/passion of yours!!! Never give up on your dreams...or passions! You know; a lot of people have done 'what it took to pay the bills' while pursuing their passions! it Is possible! Just Never give Up...!: