NEM 220709 - Passions vs. Careers

Welcome to Never-Ending Musings! A weekly collection of thoughts from SK Kage.

I am truly thankful to the deep variety and numerous folk who throw themselves into the fires of their work, combining the burning love for an art with the heady devotion to achieving the pinnacle of their craft. The world bursts with beauteous works, woeful depictions of struggles, long diatribes on society, and the myriad of small, hand-crafted works of meticulous care. However, ever do I struggle to define the separation between passion and work (if there is any).
Note: Credit goes to Wordigirl for sparking this line of thinking in me once more.
I do recall the first time this line of thinking emerged. It was a colleague discussing an article lamenting the state of 'work' in the United States. To paraphrase a common quote from the mid 20th-century, from the automation and technological advance we've accomplished, should we not be primarily concerned with how to occupy our free time? Far from it, our culture focused even more on work.
No longer can someone simply have 'a job.' It must be a 'career.' Interviewers who ask 'Why did you apply for this position' and expect an answer extolling the virtues of their company mission and benefit to society rather than the simplistic answer of 'You're going to pay me money.' In a somewhat dangerous turn, some mandate you have 'passion' for your work as a prerequisite, as though your sense of self-worth were intrinsically tied to your ability to input time to generate profit for a faceless entity ending in 'Inc.'
This is not to say no one should pursue a job/career aligned to their passion. Great advances, borderline miracles, and important social work stems from those who choose this path.
However, do not ever let someone take advantage of your passion for their own gain. If you aren't the one getting the lion's share of benefit out of your own passion, something is wrong. Value thyself and thy efforts.
- SK

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