money management

Passion Vs. Money

A lot of people ask me if I LOOOOVE accounting when I tell them what I do.

Yes, of course, I just LOOOOVE spending my days with Excel spreadsheets and financial systems and debits and credits and financial reports and journal vouchers and meetings about journal vouchers and conference calls about journal vouchers and water cooler talk about journal vouchers and e-mails about journal vouchers and … okay, you get the point.

I don’t LOOOOVE accounting.  I don’t dislike business work, but I’m not jumping for joy every time my T-accounts balance.

Here were some majors I toyed with when I was a freshman in college:

  1. Journalism (1st declared major)
  2. Criminal Justice (2nd declared major … long story, but I wanted to be a cop.  Yeah, I can’t see that either.)
  3. Marine Biology
  4. Broadcast Journalism
  5. Interior Design  (seriously? I haven’t bought a piece of home decor in over 4 years.)
  6. English (no comment)

Anyways, after I finally sobered up, I got real and choose Accounting as my major.  I was always great with math and numbers and had a knack for computers.  I knew any business major was a smart decision, so I figured it was the way to go.  In the end, I decided that I wanted to make money and live comfortably instead of follow any of my real passions.  I chose the most practical major that involved at least a hint of something that I was good at (numbers, math, adding, subtracting, all the basics … yeah, I rocked those out).

G is also, technically, an “Accountant” (insert lame joke here about how we’re a bunch of nerdy bean counters who bonded over numbers and stuff … yeah, we’ve never heard that before …), but he’s not really an Accountant.  His Master’s is in Accounting Information Systems (MAJOR nerd alert!) so he works exclusively in IT and data analytics these days.

Still, he, like me, chose his major because it was a smart and practical field to go into with plenty of opportunities and room for growth.  And, like me, he doesn’t LOOOOVE accounting.

We chose our majors with our futures in mind.  We did not choose our majors based on our interests and passions (because, if G would have taken that route, he would have, and I quote, majored in “watching basketball all day” 😉 ).

A lot of people tell me I’m “lucky” because I made enough money to pay off my debt quickly (which is just silly because I was making a teacher’s salary when I was paying off my debt).  Those comments always drive me crazy because I chose my profession specifically to improve my financial future.  I sacrificed my true interests for a better future for myself and my future family.  I know a lot of people do this, too, and, I think, that sort of sacrifice deserves a bit of credit.

I went into college as a Journalism major.  I enjoyed writing.  I thought it might be fun and exciting to write for newspapers or magazines.  I still think that would be fun and exciting – it’s why I write on this little bloggie and moonlight as a freelance writer in the evenings.  But I knew there were limitations.  I couldn’t make much, and if I did eventually make much, it would take years.  It’s different with accounting (or any business job for that matter).  Jobs pay well and offer great benefits.  You might not go home at the end of the night feeling like you changed the world or even did anything that made you feel alive inside, but you did make a decent salary to enjoy all the good things life has to offer.  Plus, like I said, I don’t dislike my work.  In general, I enjoy working, having something to do, not being lazy, so I’m very fortunate that I have a good job.

G and I have worked really hard and made smart choices in our twenties (okay, so we did make some dumb choices 😉 )so we wouldn’t have to struggle as we got older.  We sacrificed interests and passion early on so we could focus on it later in life.  People might call that lucky, but I just call that smart.

Do you work in a field that you’re passionate about?  Or did you choose a passion so you could have a good job?

Networking, showcasing a strong portfolio, and offering competitive rates are just a few effective strategies for landing a freelance client and building a successful freelance business.


Image source: Quinn Dombrowski

56 Comments

  • Luckily, my passions and talents combined (I never had a head for numbers)!

    Yet…it’s still a job. I don’t have a burning love for it; if I had the choice I’d read, cook, learn new songs on guitar and blog all day. I don’t know if that’s because I need a change (not fields, but a new environment perhaps) or if it’s simply to be expected – after all, a job is a job no matter what, as I recently blogged: http://eemusings.wordpress.com/2011/01/20/the-job-that-you-wake-up-excited-for-propaganda/ – I definitely am sick of people blindly espousing “do what you love”!

    Journalism also means crap hours. I would take a paycut for better hours – and that’s going to happen, there’s no doubt about that. I’m lucky to currently be well paid to make up for that, so I’m just banking it and making the most of it while I can (while of course racking up some good resume fodder.)

  • To add: I believe it’s equally valid to work a stable job that gives you the means and time to be financially stable and pursue your other interests on your own time.

    • I agree completely. It looks like that’s starting to be a common trend in the comments. My readers are freaking brilliant! 🙂

  • Great post! I made the conscious decision in 2009 to quit the job I was passionate about go back to the job that gave better salary/benefits. Of course, school played into that decision a lot. I needed a job that was more flexible so I could focus on school. But when I quit, I told myself, “Okay, you can work at this job you don’t love for a few years, until you’re out of debt, and then go back to the job you love.”

    Now I’m thinking the job that gives me financial security is better. Like you, I don’t LOOOOOOVE the work, but it’s easy and there are things that I enjoy about it.

    Ditto what eemusings said – it’s just as valid to do something that provides you and your family security.

  • My coworker asked me the other day, “if you had a billion dollars, would you still work here?”

    Uh… No! I like my job, but if I had a billion dollars, I certainly could think of even more fulfilling ways to fill my days. I like it, but if someone would pay me to live every day like a Saturday (running! Relaxing! Hanging out with T!) I’d very much prefer it. He claimed that he still would, and that just struck me as insane. I like my job, but I can’t fathom liking it so much that I’d do it for free. It just seems so unimaginative to me to say you’d still report to work and do what someone else wanted you to do.

    This isn’t because I’m a sell out, it is because I fall into the same boat as G. There are no reasonable ways to make a secure living doing anything I love, and security is IMPORTANT to me!

    • Ha ha ha, yeah I’m sort of suspicious of that guy now! I agree … my weekdays would turn into something similar to my weekends if I didn’t have to work every day. 😉

  • I work for an education institution and my company is a business within an institution. In the last two years I have learned more about business than any other time in my life. I followed my passion and majored in history and religious studies. Now that I work in business I wish my degree would have been different. I wish I knew more about what I am learning now. My job is not my passion, but it is enjoyable. I make enough money to enjoy other things in life. The things I am passionate about can always be done on the side. If my passions turn into something full time then I’ll cross that road when it arrives. Thanks for the great post!

  • I have a job that is mind-numbingly, soul-crushingly boring in an industry I could not possibly care less about. It is not the least bit engaging or challenging, and does not make good use of ANYTHING I’m good at.

    That said, the company itself is first-rate, with incredible leadership and generous pay – especially when taken in the context of what I was being paid when I WAS “passionate” about my job.

    And while I miss caring about and enjoying my job, I’m in no hurry to go back to earning the salary that comes with that kind of work, because while it might feel good, I’m positive that Bank of America is not going to let me pay my mortgage with warm fuzzies.

  • Great post. I have been thinking about this a lot since eemusings’ post a few weeks ago. I want to point out that it is possible to find something you are passionate about that also makes good money and provides a nice lifestyle – these two things are not mutually exclusive. It is not a dichotomy of great job with crap pay or crap job with great pay.

    Am I just lucky that the field I chose was well compensated? No, I’m a dang sociology major, the classic “what are you going to do with that?” major. I have given up five years of my life to get into grad school, and I’ll give up six years of my life here, rotting away in a basement cubicle. I have to do this for fun and rarely take days off. I can’t spend time learning photography, being a good cook, or learning an instrument. I have to be the top 1% of people who try to go into this. I have to be okay with the strong possibility of failure at every step. I have to feel unsure every day if I am as smart as my colleagues, and I have to be okay when the answer is often that I am not. I have to be okay with telling my boyfriend that he is not as important as my work most of the time. I have to be okay with living away from my family, I have to be okay with moving anywhere in the country where there is a job. These things might all sound really unappealing to most people, and I will be the first to admit that, but if a job you are passionate about plus great salary is all you want, it is achievable.

    • That’s a great point! They don’t have to be mutually exclusive. But it’s generally true that the “passion” industries are also the less lucrative, as you know – many more people would like to play music or write a book compared to those who crunch numbers or writ code.

  • Wow, this is great work. Many people around the internetz are always saying “do what you love, the money will follow” Unfortunately, that’s not always true. Like eemusings said, people often find themselves following that advice, only to sacrifice security (financially speaking) for it. Now that I’m secure in my finances, *that* is something I wouldnt sacrifice for anything! Like many of the other posters, I dont LOOOOOVE my job, but it is alright most of the time. I’m very keenly aware of the fact that I do this for a paycheck and nothing else, and all the time spent there cuts out my time doing the things I like to do when I’m at home.
    I’m of the mindset that you dont need to LOOOOVE your job – You give them your 8 hours, then you leave. You’ve got 8 more hours (less if you commute, more if you can get by on less sleep) to explore your passions and make something of them. Because you’re doing them for the same amount of time each day, you should be able to get by reasonably well. Say you hate driving a dump truck (although I have no idea why you would hate that!) but you like to take pictures. You can drive a dump truck for 1/2 of your waking hours, then spend as much of the other half of your waking hours taking pictures (yes, you still need to eat). If someone was able to do that, they should be perfectly happy in their life (and financially secure).
    As an aside, I too could watch basketball all day, but only from mid-feb to april – I cant get enough college hoops, I’m not a big fan of the pros.

    • I like the thinking of “having them pay you to give up 8 of your hours each day”. Somehow makes it less depressing … 🙂

  • I’m definitely not doing my current job because I’ve always wanted to be a Financial Analyst – I make pretty good money and I’m able to live the kind of life that I want to at this point in life. I know there is a lot of talk about making a difference in the world at this point in time and not selling your soul to corporate America, but I would like to think that myself and others like myself are whats driving corporate. I/We work really hard, put in late hours, reap the rewards and then leave for something a little more “meaningful” which ultimately makes way for a new class of young, ready to work, urban professionals. I don’t mind that I’m not doing something meaningful now, but I would certainly mind if I wasn’t in the financial position to make that an option later on in my life.

  • Amber, thank you so much for this post. I can relate to it, since I am a teacher. Somedays I love my job, other days I hate it. Although it’s great to have two months vacations in the summer, it’s not so great when you don’t have enough money to travel for two months. Right now I am considering going back to school during the nights and major in something where I can make enough money to enjoy my time off. I also agree with Jeff when he says: “you don’t have to LOOOVE your job, just give them your 8 hours”, then leave and do something meaningful with the rest of your day. It’s better to have a love/hate relationship with a job that gives you financial stability, than to have a love/hate relationship with a job like teaching. Teaching is a very rewarding career sometimes, it just doesn’t pay the bills.

  • seriously?! what’s the view like from wayyy up there?! give me a break, the post reeks of a level of privilege that MOST people will never even encounter, regardless of how “smart they are.”

    do you actually think that people that have debt but are doing work that makes a difference in the world aren’t smart!? the average doctor/veterinarian/lawyer/dentist right now is graduating with more debt than is financially solvent or manageable… should people get “smart” and stop going into medicine?? thankfully, not everyone takes that approach or would we have very view teachers, health care workers, social workers, firemen, etc.

    the main problem with this mindset is what underlies it. it’s easier to feel superior and to look down on others when everything you’ve accomplished is a result of being smarter than others… when this simply isn’t the case. certainly, people make dumb mistakes, but not everyone in a shitty position has. instead of writing people off, cultivate compassion in yourself for others. it’s hard, but worth it.

  • My husbad and I are both accountants. I’m a state auditor, and while the hours/pay/benefits are great, I absolutely do no like what I do. I have always wanted to just be a mom, so we have been doing some serious saving, and I plan on quitting my job in a few years when we plan to start having kids. I will definitely keep my CPA license active after I quit my job, just in case I do need to go back to work for some reason. Do you plan on working after you have kids? I just can’t imagine dropping my (future) baby off at daycare every morning.

    • I can totally empathize with you. Nice job on the CPA btw. I do not plan to work after we have kids, but that is going to take a LOT of work and planning like you guys are doing. Good luck!! 🙂

  • this is a really great post! I enjoyed reading some of the comments to. Lots of perspective. I use to hate my job, but I decided your environment is something you create and since I have changed my perspective I have enjoyed it allot more. I am use my current job as a learning curve for my future job and the main reason I am there so that Mr. (my boyfriend) can go to school and better our futures. thanks for sharing a great post

  • I had a passion and talent for business! Most of my career was as a Controller, VP finance and CFO, however I did not like accounting. I loved helping the businesses report better results because of numbers abilities. Eventually, I went into business and was financially independent at 38 years old. Ten years ago, I decided to go into teaching and brought my version of a personal financial management class to a high school. I love what I do, although it is very different than the private sector. Recently, I started a personal financial blog and my students read it every day. From my experience, your interests, passion and talents can lead you into very interesting things. It is up to you to accept or reject these experiences.

  • This post is refreshing to read from all the things you read online about following ones passions. I don’t think that everyone has to follow their passions to make money. I think its nice to make a living off acting, writing, playing basketball if you can get that gig. BTW, from what I’ve read in interviews by actors and other celebrities they say that it gets harder and they have a lot of expectations to fulfill because people expect a lot out of them.

    An actor/actress get criticized for not bringing in enough people to a recent movie. Happened recently with Megan Fox with her movie Jonah Hex. They also have to worry about being on top so they can continue to be on top. While the movies are very glamorous, so much of it is about business, which actors can bring in the audience, etc. And that’s not always glamorous.

    But since those jobs are pretty competitive and limited, there’s nothing wrong with getting a job in accounting, or computer science, or any “real” other job. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting a job just because it pays more. IMO money itself is a tool and not evil. IMO even if you are a celebrity, you still have to deal with reality and no one can escape the real world.

    There will always be problems you will need to get through. I’m sure that even celebs have days when they are bored, and they have to do boring stuff like go to the bank, work out at the gym, etc. Even an assistant or two can’t work out for you or give you financial sense, that’s something a person has to do for their own personal enrichment. I don’t think people should hate their jobs, but its highly possible to think a job is okay enough to do it so that it supports you.

  • My passions change on the daily. I got into what I do for the passion and today, I kind of hate it. I stay because I like my boss..yea really. He’s a great guy and treats me well and that makes me want to stick around. Good company, ya know?

    As for all my other interests? I pursue them on my own time. Some have made a little money here and there. Some take a lot of time and earn nothing but I love them and can’t give them up.

    I commend you for looking ahead and choosing a career path that would grant you freedom later on, but don’t let your real passions die no matter how busy you get, like this bloggie here. Find a way to pursue your real passions and you’ll enjoy life.

    • I hear ya on constantly changing passions. It’s hard to keep up! 😉 A great boss is a huge incentive to stay. A great boss can make the worst work seem doable. I have an AWESOME boss so that helps things quite a lot.

  • I’m in a similar field as you, and it’s in no way my passion. Like you, I chose it because I knew I could get a job in it out of college and I knew it paid decent. However, just 6 months into it, I’m already thinking of ways out. The hours are terrible, and the pay doesn’t make up for the mind-numbing boredom of it. I’m not really sure if sacrificing my 20s is worth it. I think I’d be much happier making $10k less per year with normal hours. I could then focus outside of work on growing my online business and then eventually make the transition over to that. Right now it’s hard to grow my online business when I’m working 14 hours a day and commuting 45mins each way.

  • I’m in accounting too(CPA woot woot!), and i started working after i graduated in 2009. .but I’m Public Accounting..which means I make a decent salary (depending on how you look at it) but like will, the hours are terrible and the pay does not justify the fact that I’m at work 80 hours a week during our busy times and 50-55 during ‘regular times’. Diving my salary by my hours might make me slightly depressed. lol

    I’m ok with my job…for now…but we’ll see!

    • Interesting … I’d love to compare salaries just to see what public accouting offers these days. E-mail me at [email protected] . I never work more than 40 hours … except maybe during fiscal close. But even then we get paid overtime.

      CPAs unite! 😉

  • I want to say that we’re pretty lucky if we can debate whether we’d choose passionate or practical jobs. I read somewhere that if you live in a wealthy country such as the U.S., Canada, England, Australia that you’re already on top of the world. Most people in the world make less than $2.00/day. I’m sure plenty of poor people that work in sweatshops would happily trade places with us. Most people are worrying how they’d meet their basic needs around the world.

    I don’t want to diminish the fact that everyone has problems even people that live in wealthier countries, their problems are different. We debate about retiring early, most people can’t afford to retire and retiring is a more modern concept. Even a poor person in the U.S. is considerably wealthier than they would be if they had to live in a third world country like North Korea. At least poor people in the U.S. can get food stamps and get other help from the government if they choose to.

  • YES. I am also an accountant and I went through a very similar path in college – I switched my major about 5 times before going into accounting!

    What did it for me was that once I was in the business school, I noticed that there was a huge emphasis placed on college recruiting by large accounting firms – so I got hired as an intern, had a job offer going into my senior year in college, and haven’t looked back since! I like where I work currently, but I know if I had to/wanted to move somewhere else, I could find a job. It’s not something I’m particularly passionate about, but I’m good at it, and I like the people I work with – and the steady paycheck.

    I do admire people who do things that they love, but I feel like to be successful you have to not only have the passion, but also the talent. There are lots of people who love to sing and act, but not as many successful singers and actors. I like to do lots of things, and my job allows me to have the means to pursue my interests and hobbies without having to worry about making rent.

  • I hate that so many college students ARE following their passions instead of being practical.

    Seriously – just because you think psychology is interesting doesn’t mean that every single psychology major is going to end up DOING psychology. (I’m picking on psychology here, but other majors are culprits as well).

    So many students when they’re in their college years don’t think about the job market or anything like that when they’re picking their major. The truth is the majority of jobs available aren’t all in art or theatre or communications or psychology or whatever major most people think they want to do because it is easier than all the others or their “passion”.

    Frankly, I think college needs less passion and more focus on abilities + strengths + job market. Save the passion for the electives.

    Yah, I’m already getting cynical. 😉

    • ha ha, that is too funny. I thought I wanted to be a psychologist in high school. I love that perspective, SS4BC, especially coming from a college professor. Passions need to be followed, but maybe not always in career form.

  • Why does it frustrate you that teachers (etc.) go into debt? I can understand it if they were complaining to you — and they sure do complain — but don’t let other people’s decisions bother you too much. There are many reasons for someone to sacrifice financial comfort in order to do something they’re passionate about, particularly if they can still get by. That sacrifice — perhaps being in debt for a long time in order to teach needy children or transfer knowledge and passion to a younger generation — deserves as much credit as someone sacrificing his passion for financial security. Maybe more, because what would we do without teachers (etc.)?

    Around here, teachers can make an excellent living and are generally set for life when they retire, if they manage to avoid budget cuts. Not bad at all, but it’s a hell of a lot of work (for those who care to do it right). The teachers who go into teaching with the sole purpose of having summers “off” don’t usually last long in the industry.

    Help desk technicians, on the other hand, well, who cares about them? 🙂

    • Ha ha, I was totally pulling from my real-life on the teacher/help desk technician example. 🙂 I guess my point is that it bugs me when people that only make $20 or $30K get into debt that is much greater than their yearly income … because it will take forever to pay off, if it ever happens at all.

      But you’re right, I shouldn’t let others situations bother me at all! 😉

  • To be totally honest, I don’t love this post. While you do make a good point and I agree that sometimes you have to do work you don’t love to get and stay ahead, you also sound like you think you’re a better person than people that choose following a financially unsound dream. Money isn’t everything and the voice in this post is really superior. 🙁

    • Hey Clare, I appreciate your honest opinion. I was a little caught off guard that people were thinking that because when I sat down to write it, my main focus was to write about why I chose to be an accountant. I have a lot to learn when it comes to writing precisely and conveying my thoughts accurately.

      • Don’t worry, I know how you feel. Sometimes when I post, I get the opposite reaction of what I expect to hear! I think it boils down to defenses- you’re defensive that people would question your career choice and others are defensive that you would question theirs if they follow a passion and aren’t making great money from it. Personal finance is…personal!

    • I thought this post was very cynical and depressing. The tone definitely seemed smug. I have really enjoyed your blog thus far, so I will keep reading, but this post left a bad impression. :-/

      • I think I was too harsh in my previous comment. I am coming from a different perspective and this topic just rubbed me the wrong way. I think this post offers a pragmatic perspective that is definitely worth considering, although I think passion has a very important role to play, as well. Why spend 40+/hours a week doing something you don’t like just so you can live it up on the weekend? Thanks, Amber, for offering your perspective.

  • What is the average starting salary for teachers where you live? I think they must be way more underpaid in the states then in Canada. I am not sure what the average starting salary is here in Canada, and of course it depends what school board, but i do believe teachers make a decent wage here. It may not be great to start but if youre working for the same school board for a long time, they can make a really decent income.

  • i’m kind of surprised at the way some people have attacked you about this post (enough with the “third-world” stuff–we’re all aware that horrible stuff goes in the world, but this perspective is coming from a middle-class US citizen who’s worked hard to acheive what she has–she’s not a bad person for that). I found it to be very honest. I majored in English, my passion, and while I loved it, it was NOT the way to a great financial future. My dad begged me to major in something more financially viable, and I refused, although I do wonder now where I would be if I had chosen a different path. For the most part, I’ve made peace with the fact that I like what I do, I make OK money, and that I’ll never be in the six-figure club (or even close to it). I think it’s awesome that you took your strengths (math, etc.) and parlayed them into a career that you may not LOOOVE but that you enjoy and will provide you with a really comfortable life. Plus, it’s not easily outsourced, which is a problem in my industry (publishing).

    • Um I wasn’t attacking her, I was merely pointing out that most of the world is busy getting their basic needs met, we’re pretty lucky if we can debate whether we should follow passionate jobs or practical jobs BUT that doesn’t take away from the fact that we still have things to deal with. I’m not at all taking away from Amber’s achievements. No way.

      I mean I’m an accounting major in college myself. I chose it because its practical as well. So please don’t think that I’m being rude to her because I’m not. I’m sorry if it came across that way.

  • Hey, this is great and I completely relate. I am also an accountant and for some reason every time someone finds out what I do (or what I was studying while in Uni) the first response was “wow you must really love it”! I am currently working on obtaining my designation and there are times where I right out hate it…but at the same time much like you I am doing it for the future benefit that everyone keeps telling me about. I like my job, do I think I am going to change the world? Probably not. But I know that I made the right decision going into the field.

    Great post!

    • I don’t think everyone needs to join the peace corps to change the world. I think everyday people keep the economy going just by living their lives and going to their jobs. I respect people that work and that don’t mooch off the hard work of others. Granted there are times when people need to get food stamps but some people abuse the system. I think the moochers are killing our economy instead of going out to work when they’re bodily able and healthy.

      I think there are different ways to change the world. I think you can make a difference even through simple things such as listening to a friend with a problem, helping a co-worker with a ride, donating to your local charity, etc. I think the world needs is philanthropists, but the world needs its business people, scientists, engineers, accountants, artists, etc.

  • I think there is something to be said about finding passion within your chosen field to pursue. I too am a CPA and chose accounting for the same reasons you did, but concentrated in tax. My first job out of college was with a public accounting firm working on partnership returns for clients who invest in real estate. I HATED that job. I always felt something was lacking. Then I found a new job where my focus was individual tax and financial planning and found that passion. I was actually helping REAL people navigate our tax and legal system. Also, being gay, I found my niche in helping the LGBT community with planning issues that go ignored. Anyway, all that background history to say that no matter what industry you fall into, find a way to express yourself and make it your own. This is the only life you get.

  • Wow, great post! I made the same choice for similar reasons. I decided to go into a field in which I’m at least decently interested, and pretty well compensated, to do work that I mostly enjoy. It leaves me enough free time and fun money to do what I want in the evenings and on the weekends. And it means that my interests haven’t been killed by turning them into my profession – one of the things I was really scared would happen.

    *shrug*

    Does it always feel like the right decision? No. Has it allowed me to pay off my school and car loans damn fast? You bet. So…. most of the time, it works. And on the days that it doesn’t, I try to remind myself of all the things I’ve gained as a result of making, in my opinion, a very practical choice. I don’t live a fancy life, or spend a lot of money. But I do make enough to pay off my debt, keep up with my bills, save, and donate to charity. I feel very fortunate, and I’m pleased with the outcome of the decision.

    Glad to hear that there are others who have made the same decision.

  • I find that a balance of both is good — get paid to do what you want BUT also keep some of the stuff you love separate. I’d hate for all of my passions to be combined with a career, since I suspect that would make me start to resent my passions if they felt like work. That’s why, although I loved theatre in high school, I didn’t do a theatre degree in university. I didn’t want to have to make my hobby into something I had to write essays about and treat in a “work”-like manner.

    That being said, I find ways to apply my passions and hobbies into my current job by getting involved with the work social committee, etc.

  • This is a really thought-provoking post! I think that some people’s identities are more interwoven with their jobs. For those who feel that way, it’s probably best to do what you feel passionate about or else you will just be miserable at work. But for others, it’s more possible to make that separation between work and personal life. Life is often about making compromises and ultimately accepting or embracing the outcome.

  • Wow, you know, your decision was sound and most likely will pay off greatly over a journalism degree…but you can definitely write. I can tell you LOOOOVE writing too – it shows in your posts.

    Thanks for letting us in on your mindset of your accounting career.

    Cheers!

  • Someone once told me, “I heard you recently graduated from college. You’re so lucky!”

    Right. That’s why I cobbled together my income from three different jobs at one point. That’s why I stayed home when everyone else was out having fun. And that’s why I stayed up all night doing calculus and writing programs. Because I’m lucky.

  • hi, i love your blog!

    i chose a career i love- i am an architect.
    it pays better than average, but the education and licensing requirements are very onerous, and it doesn’t pay anywhere near being a doctor or lawyer (although you go to school and intern for the same amount of time)
    the pay goes up to a pretty comfortable level once you become a partner in a firm
    i hope to become a partner, but in the meantime, i am really happy to being doing what i do.
    i don\t mean to sound smug- it can be very demanding, long hours, lots of alpha males to deal with (i am female) and impossible clients. but it is so cool and worth it in the end to see something you designed built, and exist in the real world!

  • Wow, I just read your blog and it really motivated me a lot more about a career in accounting! I too would have loved to do something else…and here I am in the end of my sophomore year of college dreading all the business classes I have to take that have to do with accounting. I thought about Architecture but with the economy, I wanted a job that wouldn’t be affected too much with swings in the economy and people in architecture were doing horribly. My father is also an accountant and maybe that also convinced me that it was a good career to get a job in…but here I am struggling and hating what I’m doing all because I want a job in the end?? I don’t even know if I will get it since it’s so competitive. I’m just scared that this will all be a waste of time…I’m afraid that I will regret this decision and there’s always that what if…in the back of my head…I just don’t have time or the money to keep changing majors and I just wanted to stick with one.

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