Like most millennials, I grew up hearing career advice along the lines of, “Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” It sounded lovely. I mean, we spend 40+ hours a week working. Shouldn’t we want to do work that lights us up, work that doesn’t exactly feel like, well, work? This advice stuck with me. I come from a South Asian immigrant family (yes, my dad is a doctor), and as the stereotypes suggest, “find a practical, high-paying job in a stable industry” was the career advice I received at home. Ultimately, the “find your passion” ethos won out for me. So, I decided to pursue a career in magazine journalism. When the economy tanked in 2008, magazines started to shrink (or fold), and jobs began to disappear, I made a subtle pivot into digital journalism. That’s where I’ve been throughout my career.
Not everyone will equate passion with creative work, of course. There are people out there who find passion in traditionally “safe” industries like medicine, law, or business. But for many people, going into a field like media, fashion, entertainment, philanthropy, or even education feels like the “passionate” choice. The…
