“What do you desire? What makes you itch? What would you do if money were no object?” This quote is from this year’s viral YouTube video narrated by Alan Watts, with the latter sentence being the most commonly associated headline of the different iterations of the film. It emphasizes the need to go off to pursue your passion with no regard to amassing wealth. If you truly work to hone your passion, someone will recognize it, and you will be compensated.

With all due respect to the late philosopher Watts (deceased in 1973), the advice associated with his beliefs are a bit outdated in a slightly more modern time. With care, almost anyone’s talent and passion can result in a career with financial stability. However, in this hyper-competitive market, simply waiting for someone to recognize you is dangerous.

According to the United States Government Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average tenure at one job for people between the ages of 25 and 34 is 3.2 years. Almost each year the tenure shortens. One reason for the turnover can be attributed to a lack of either opportunities to advance or content regarding the job.

This discontentment probably stems often from initial job choices. Usually people think they have one of two choices: do something they love or make money, and then (maybe), at some point, do what they love. There is also a greater emphasis placed on higher paying jobs because they may be deemed better than others purely because they pay more and offer financial stability.

There should not be a sacrifice of one over the other as long as expectations are reasonably managed. There are many unique positions that can combine interests with some form of guarantee that you won’t be living your life off of ramen noodles. Doing what you love doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up a good life. The key is to be wise.

There should be three fairly simple (not easy) steps.

First you should know yourself.

What are all your passions and what are all your talents? Sometimes people have a hidden passion that they are simply waiting to tap into. Sometimes passions are not truly talents. One may love to sing in the shower, but break crystal glasses and windows when singing outside of that environment.
Is your talent your passion? Sometimes, although it may be hard for people to understand, just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you like it. To be successful you need to find the intersection between talent, passion and hard work.

Second, you should figure out the different options you have.

If you like to draw, there are many ways to make a living as an artist beyond being in a gallery. Perhaps you can work on a creative team to make cartoons or logos for advertisements. Maybe you can assist an engineer in having an artistic approach to their designs. It’s up to you to think outside of the box, so you can be happy.

And finally, it is best to have a multiyear plan.

You need a strategy. Regardless of what Watts thought, it is rare that someone will recognize your talent and simply advance you through the ranks. Put yourself in different situations where you have the opportunity to shine. The best way to do this is to give yourself some sort of road map to achieve the things you wish to do. This requires sweat, research and perseverance. But if something truly keeps you up at night, go for it.

Fran Walker is a senior finance and accounting major. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at fwalke01@syr.edu.

Published on September 30, 2013 at 12:21 am