By Christopher Harper
Most students and college administrators wouldn’t like my message in a graduation speech.
Don’t follow your passion. Instead, prepare and perspire.
Had I followed my passion, I would have been the lead singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band. I almost certainly would have failed, although I am a member of the South Dakota and Iowa rock halls of fame.
Instead, I planned for three options: an immediate career in journalism, graduate school in journalism, or a doctoral program in English literature.
I planned my future for at least five years out. Fortunately, I chose correctly. Graduate school in journalism led me to contacts at prominent news organizations and provided a credential I needed 25 years later when I joined academia.
In a Forbes article, Julia Korn explains why following your passion is probably the worst advice someone can give a graduating high school or college student.
According to researchers at Stanford University, the “follow your passion” recommendation can be detrimental to an individual’s success due to narrowmindedness and dedication to a single passion. See http://gregorywalton-stanford.weebly.com/uploads/4/9/4/4/49448111/okeefedweckwalton_2018.pdf
Here’s why “follow your passion” is terrible career advice:
–It assumes we will only have one passion in life. People are dynamic and have more than one specific life interest. It can be limiting to select merely one passion, as it leaves no space for other passions yet to be uncovered.
–It assumes passions don’t change with time. Humans continually evolve in every stage of our lives. What we once loved may now be a fond (or not so fond) memory.
–It assumes we already know what our passion is. Many people cannot confidently state a specific passion and how it can tie to a career. Most people need time, education, and exposure to different jobs and companies before they can concentrate on a passion.
–Just because you are passionate about something doesn’t mean you are good at it. American talent shows are a great example of this concept. If you aren’t good at your chosen passion, you’re unlikely to rise quickly in the professional rankings. In the long run, you may ultimately be hindering yourself.
–It’s a privileged message not afforded to all. Perhaps money is not a necessity for you. However, for most of the working force, money drives what profession you choose until you can establish yourself enough to make alternative decisions.
Korn suggested: “Commit to learning and re-learning what energizes and drains you. By dedicating yourself to what sparks your interests and what doesn’t, you can more easily align with a successful career path that highlights your true talents.”
I would add another perspective from Thomas Edison: “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
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