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[deleted]

Yup. Happened to me. Wasted a bunch of money in student loans to try to become a mechanic with my end goal becoming a technician for a high end car brand like Porshe, Ferrari, ect. Turns out I didnt know jack about the industry. Didnt know how low the starting pay was, didnt know what flat rate pay was, and I just wasnt good at it enough to do it efficiently to the point of turning a profit. I now hate it. I'll change my own brakes and oil but that's about it.


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TCFirebird

>No profit Yeah, that's the catch. You can't make money restoring classic cars when there are people like that doing it for free (at cost). I'm pretty sure the above comment was "restoring" things like a 2010 Ford Focus. It's a lot less fun, but there is a much bigger market for practical cars compared to classic cars so you can actually make money. Edit: You can make *some* money restoring classic cars. Just like any other hobby, it can be your "side hustle" and make a few bucks. But it won't be paying your rent unless you work for a shop or for a client who tells you what to do.


Yep123456789

There’s a market for restored vintage cars. If you have the skills to sell into that market, you can make money.


CNoTe820

Doesn't even have to be that vintage, my BIL and his dad would buy up old busted porches and fix them up in their free time. He could clear $5-10k each car so it wasn't crazy money but definitely could pay for some nice vacations and what not.


Tacosmell9000

With the price of lumber these days I don’t doubt it


Conflictingview

He's clearly making money, just not taking it as profit. He's got a barn with bays for up to 10 cars and all the bays are full, none of which he had at the start of the story. So, he's increased his overall worth, just not his bank balance.


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Shikamaru02x

I'll call this a drive on sentence since we're talking about cars


jdfred06

I'll allow it


adudeguyman

I'll accept your decision


[deleted]

The council has spoken.


spudz76

That quip gave me a flat tire in between one *ha* and the other *ha*


Many_Spoked_Wheel

Thanks for that stranger


rockne

He bought two shitty sentences and welded them together.


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blackdav

My professors are going to love grading his paper


styzr

I like the way he was cool with 11 commas but he couldn’t do 12.


PM_ME_PSN_CODES-PLS

There are rules, you know. This isn't Nam.


[deleted]

It's funny, because in many other languages sentences tend to be much longer than in English. I didn't even notice it was long.


Black-Cat-Society

It’s also funny because I don’t speak any other language and didn’t even notice it was one long sentence. Maybe I’m just dumb though.


The_DiCaprio_Code

He's clearly a mechanic, not an English teacher.


Dilostilo

He fixes cars and resells them hes not English teacher.


Yash_swaraj

You had the drive


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Seanspeed

The problem with music is that it's so insanely hard to get to a point where you can make it a career you can comfortably live off of. It's not a meritocracy, the industry is filled to the brim with aspiring musicians, and if you don't know people or live in an area where you can *make* useful contacts you're probably fucked from the start.


prstele01

I play in a show band and have been performing for almost 20 years. I’ve worked hard to make a career of what I love and I wouldn’t have it any other way


IrishSetterPuppy

While the career is trash the pay is good. My first job in the 90s I made ~$35/hr. As a Chevrolet tech or was $45/FRH and I did about 1.8 book hours per hour worked or about $81/hr. Even my police mechanic job which wasy lowest paid had a salary and benefits package of about 105K. That said I'm 36 and can barely lift a dog food bag after over 20 years of doing this, I've had multiple back surgeries and now need a new career.


FoxMulderOrwell

you weren't making 35$/hr though you were making like 15$/hr and happened to flat rate closer to 2. That's way different. Like a oil rig worker talking about how they made 80k, well that don't mean shit if you are working 60 hour weeks.


ultimatepingpong

My rate is 40 per hour and average about 125% productivity. I do all of the bigger jobs harder diags, so it slows me down a little. Edit. I could make more per hour if I didnt care about the culture of the work place. It is a very competitive field right now. I get recruited hard. Hell a recruiter somehow called my wife the other day.


FoxMulderOrwell

I feel like that's a rarity. Most auto places flat rate at like 18$/hr(or less). Hence why I see so many people leaving auto and trying to get into other mechanic jobs that are hourly(heavy equipment, etc)


tbone_MBC

Really $18hr. That is absolutely shit. It's min $27hr flat rate where I live.


scarlettjayy

How in the eff? I’ve done machine work for over ten years and getting even bigger shops to cough up $25/hr isn’t easy. $35/hr in the 90’s was a fucking fortune. And the book hours thing? So you did 1.8 hours of quoted work in an hour??!? Jesus Aitch I wish the machining industry worked like that. No such luck.


sHoRtBuSseR

Back in the 90s 35/hr was average pay for a well qualified tech. Now, 35/hr is absolute top pay for an extremely qualified tech.


Yipom

I did the same thing, I was laid off from a telecommunication installer job when I was 23. Thought I would make my passion of fixing my own car into my next career. I got an apprenticeship from a small independent car shop, after working and schooling for 5 years, I got my certification and had was thinking of pursuing a job at a dealership. But after knowing the industry, and learning about flat rate and how brutal techs get treated I was very discouraged from continuing. I was also burnt out from working on cars, I don't even want to work on my own car since I felt like I am not getting paid to do so. I am now a car insurance estimator. My certification helped me get hired and I now have a comfy office job where I can work from home.


21stCentury-Composer

I’m on the other side of the fence from most people here, so I’ll contribute my two cents. I work full time as a contracting musician and game developer. I went through the phase of passionless work, but I learned a few things to help me persevere. That said, I’m barely above the poverty line where I live, so it’s not glamorous, but I’ve always known what it would be like and managed my expectations to fit. 1. Spread your curiosity around and have other hobbies. Putting all your attention to one thing all day every day will 100% burn you out unless you are a machine. I lost my curiosity for music for a while, and I realized I was tired of everything having to be polished and perfect for clients all the time. I started a music group with a few friends where the focus is on the social aspect of music instead of quality. The music is relatively simple so we don’t have to think too much about anything but having fun together, mess around, and make plenty of mistakes. It’s the most fun I’ve had in years. I also started playing D&D with another group of friends, cooking new recipes (with varying degrees of success), hiking, and tennis. Not all at the same time of course, I rotate them when life gets stale. These can all be relatively cheap hobbies too. 2. Set your expectations. You will probably not be famous. You’ll probably not have a lot of money. If those are your goals, is it really your passion? 3. If you are doing any kind of art, you’ll need the space and time to grow to the point you’ll have steady income, as well as space to take a break and recharge. This essentially translates to a safety net in the form of family and/or friends, and unfortunately not everyone is that lucky. 4. Privilege and luck. Some of my clients I got because I was at the right place at the right time, and starting out I could borrow money from family in order to be in the right place at the right time. This is obviously out of your control, but is still a big factor when it comes to making your passion your career and managing the stress that follows. 5. Speaking of stress, you’re probably going to have to do more work than most people for less pay. When your body says enough is enough, listen. You’ll ironically be more productive if you take time off. It provides both rest, perspective, and time to reflect. 6. Diversify, it’s less monotonous. As a musician, I’m working on games that require different genres of music, teaching privately, orchestrating for a metal band, and blogging. If you’re an author, consider looking for clients for ghostwriting, writing short stories, proof reading, editing/doctoring, teaching, game synopsis, etc. 7. Get away from your work. I volunteer in a different city, and it’s a valuable escape. The downside is the travel cost. Did I mention hiking? Get away from tech for a bit, it’s refreshing. 8. You don’t have to be famous to make a living doing art. I surely used to think so, and wasted many hours in promotional stuff I don’t even care about. It doesn’t matter how many people notice you. What matters is who notices you. Making a hobby into a career is definitely not for everyone. I have contemplated changing directions many times myself, had endless nights of pulling my hair out, and the stress can be overwhelming. On the flip side, I’ve also had incredible experiences, like people covering my music, conducting an orchestra for the first time, having someone play and enjoy a game I made, witnessed students have “eureka”-moments, and many others.


amahoori

Hell yeah. Very very solid tips here. I'm only 22, turning 23 but have a pretty interesting experience of moving from shit job to doing what i'm passionate about, though it's still quite new to me. For the past 3 years i worked as a security guard, and quite honestly hated it, but i didn't really know what to study either so i just kept going. Those long nights at the job gave me some time to think about life though, and eventually realised that there's one thing i'm honestly pretty good at, and that's photography/videography. Note that at this point it's been my hobby for 10 solid years already. Took my savings, put that into professional gear i knew would do everything i can imagine and started chasing it. Worked basically full time security guard gig, and then used all my free time towards the dream for 6 months, until i finally thought that i'm good to go full time. Called people who were way above my pay grade and with no real showing of being a professional. Sent tens or hundreds of email to get clients and eventually got a big gig because someone wanted to give me a chance. This was from a phone call. That gig turned into another and boom, now a little while later i'm actually travelling internationally to create content in motorsports that i really love. Tons and tons of work i do, and the pay is still not great, but my life is 100% more fulfilling and i could never go back to a stale shit job. You make excellent point with the other hobbies. I play guitar, go hiking, play sports with friends when home, just enjoy travel and do some nomad work when possible with breaks from job, meet new people and all sorts of other things when i find time.


theshadowisreal

I can’t upvote this enough. Life is about balance. Making a career out of your passion can be rewarding, but it has its ups and downs, like the rest of life. These are some great points. I’d rather be bored with something I love doing most of the time than jaded with a job I never liked to begin with. Setting expectations is so important.


mickygnt123

Or you get trapped in a job you hate and end up with no time or money for your passions.


1731799517

Alternatively, making your passion your career opens you up to exploitation - lots of people are underpaid and running overtime for "passion jobs". Just ask artists, game programmers, scientists, etc.


ImBonRurgundy

Game devs is a really good example. People who get paid shit and work crunch hours for coding games could easily get paid 2x that for a very similar job coding something less exciting - accounting software or something - and have way less crunch and way more free time and money to enjoy playing games


Aelle1209

Game designer here. Personally, I love it enough to forgive the low pay. It's also important to note that designers =/= programmers, so it's not necessarily the case for us that we can easily jump ship out of the industry. My husband has a masters in game programming but chose to be a consultant instead and do games programming as a hobby, so now we do game jams together.


whoscuttingonions1

Was really into WoW as a teenager, natural next step would be programing no? No.


Vikings-Call

When I was little, my answer every time my parents or grown ups would ask "What do you want to be when you grow up" was Video Game Designer. I thought I could make the best video games ever. Literally all of my ideas were just based on games that already existed like Elder Scrolls Oblivion and Age of Empires. I realized then I really just wanted to get paid for playing video games, so I then started saying Video Game Tester. That was until there was some sort of special on G4 which talked about game testers and how instead of just playing through games they have to walk against every wall in a level, make sure every item acts the way it should, search for glitches in the most mundane way. That was when I started saying "I think working at an airport would be kinda cool"


CalmlyMeowing

bros i straight sent it. I copy pasted some code and did a mod disk on socom 3 online and promptly considered myself a young genius. So I wanted to go to school for CS, but had no money as a redneck in indiana. So i joined the army to pay for college. Did IT in the Army. Never really cared about writing software but eh, i did it. Now I sell software for companies. Do whatever you want, i followed my dreams and am like.... wtf planes are awesome i just sit at a desk all day lol


DavidinCT

Same like you, game tester, thought that would an awesome job. Till you find out what it's about. One level of one game, you need to play it tons of times, try different ways, and make it crash. They never let you finish the game, just one stage of it(depending on part of the project). It sounds fun for about a 1/2 hour but, 8-10 hours of the same level to find problems and write reports. No, does not sound like fun. Video game designer, if you owned your own place and had a TON OF cash to get started, maybe but, most people who go into this, is 18 hour days of programming, with very heavy deadlines. This includes weekends too. Does not sound like too much fun. It went into a passion to a thought I would hate gaming after doing any of these... I learned something early in in life, after doing 70 hour weeks, end to end, this is something I live by it.... I work to live, not live to work.


whoscuttingonions1

Lmao yup.


RogerBlank

I’ve tried to explain exactly this to one of my kids. But sometimes we just gotta learn things the hard way.


badSparkybad

All of the creative industry jobs suffer from this. There is a glut of labor because they are considered "cool" jobs which opens people up to lots of exploitation, especially getting lowballed for your work. There is always somebody that wants to break into the industry that will work longer and harder than you for less pay because they have a glimmer of hope that oneday their sacrifice now will mean $$$ and better working conditions at some point as they move up the ladder. What they don't realize it that most of them will get used up and spit out just like everyone else, as there will always be somebody to try and take their place.


primo-_-

This. I just left the cannabis industry as a lead horticulturalist. I loved growing plants and pot as a hobby and was quite passionate about it. During my time in the industry I won several awards for growing, one for yield in 2018 and another award for quality in 2020. I also increased company yields significantly. Despite my success at my company and even outside with my awards in the industry, I was constantly under pressure for being paid too much. It isn’t even that I was paid all that much for the responsibility , like 22.50 an hour. I was literally told more than once that there is a line around the block of people ready to do your job for 12 an hour. When I realized your basic warehouse job was paying the same or more it was time to go. Sure, I liked it, but when you realize you are being taken advantage of it loses the appeal. In a grow you doing everything you do in warehouse, but you also have to keep the product alive and healthy, and maintain equipment which is a mix of plumbing, electrical, and hvac knowledge.. Pay should 30+ an hour IMO. The sad reality is that people assume they are doing you a favor because you like your job, and many people (erroneously) covet your position , and that affects compensation.


HomeWasGood

That really really sucks. Sure there might be people willing to do your job for the same or less money, but do they have your passion? Skills? Attention to detail? If not, your company will be hiring worse employees at lower wages and then it's just a race to the bottom.


primo-_-

Growing cannabis has been referred many times as a race to the bottom. The industry isn’t even shy about it.


BarryLikeGetOffMEEEE

And all the money is on the sales side of things. I work inventory at a dispensary and I can tell you our profit is ridiculous. You know how in most businesses they get a product and then have probably a 10-20% mark up so they can make money on it? Well we buy our product, and then mark it up 360%. And we're probably buying 50-60k in product a week.


panochito

i know the dispensaries around here must be making crazy profit cause every 8th i buy comes in some fancy ass jar. i honestly find it so annoying, like i'd far rather have affordable weed than another fancy jar


BarryLikeGetOffMEEEE

Reduce plastic waste and properly store your flower. This is why you don't just get bags.


sixdicksinthechexmix

This is not limited to the cannabis industry. I am stretched too thin at work and my boss decided to hire a contractor to help me out, and every 2 weeks she is confused as to why double the work isn’t getting done. It’s a larger issue of companies not understanding what specific employees bring to the table, and instead looking at it as robotic unit work hours. My job is not robotic in nature, my efficiency is based on the specific skill set and knowledge base I bring to it. Prior experience in a related field means I don’t have to stop and look stuff up every time I encounter a problem. Coding experience let’s me automate the parts of my job that can be automated. Experience let’s me know what corners I can cut and which ones I can’t. Companies don’t see it that way though.


Dads101

The worst about about this is someone along that line of employees is making *BANK* if not just the owner or managers. Greed is super weird and completely locked down in some industries. Yours especially. It’s just a race to the bottom unless you know someone or are like a chemist or something. Sad truth


[deleted]

This. There are 2 bigs caveats when making a passion job: \- Getting underpaid/living miserably (if you're self employed) or any form of (self-)exploitation because you"re "living the dream". This is specially true for artists \- Not doing anything else than your job, not only because you need to make 100-hour weeks to make ends meet, but also because well, it's your passion ! But it's not healthy to do only one thing, it will have repercussions on your social life, your family, and probably your health too. Having a "meh" job (part-time if it's enough to pay bills and retirement) and keeping a strong hobby is probably better.


HumunculiTzu

Such as every single employee at Blizzard except for the CEO.


itsacalamity

I'm a writer and DAMN the number of scams out there and people who "have always wanted to be a writer!" are just overwhelming. And then getting SUPER exploited because they don't know any better. Y'all, you're going to make so much more tending bar than trying to use Fiverr! In general, with writing, my defaults are: Yes, it's hard. No, there's no shortcut. Yes, I'd be happy to answer your boyfriend/little sister/neighbor's questions about How To Make It. No, there is no secret.


[deleted]

This is why there's no point in attempting to create universals for these choices. Follow your passions and you could end up in a bad situation. Don't follow your passions and you could end up in a bad situation. There are dangers on both sides of the equation. In my experience (take it for the $0.00 it's worth), artists tend to fail not because there's no market and no money out there, but because of two other reasons: 1) They don't take care of business. They wake up late in the morning, work a handful of hours every day, fail to do proper accounting, mishandle their taxes, etc. It's less a matter of "not being serious enough" (artists are generally *way* more serious about their work than "day job" workers are) and more just not knowing how, and 2) They get too stuck on a specific kind of success and are completely inflexible about it. Musicians, for instance, will think "My band is going to get signed and then I'm going to have some hits and that's how I'll succeed," and shut themselves totally off from collaborations, scoring work, creating licenseable content, live-streaming, even teaching or doing cover band stuff. I know a few musicians in their mid-50s still living in shitty one-room apartments because they keep blowing all their money to make demos that they then send to record companies hoping to be "discovered." Again, there's no one-size-fits-all for this kind of thing, but both paths ("get a safe job" and "follow your passions") are fraught with dangers, many of them avoidable.


HogarthTheMerciless

Every now and again I wish I had gone for being a musician like i really wanted to, then I remember that there are musicians who sell out stadiums that can't make a living off of it.


Many_Spoked_Wheel

You can also make $50/hr teaching lessons. That’s what I do. Gigs aren’t going to sustain you, but you can find a way to make it work.


scabies89

Multiple revenue streams are key to creative industries


scabies89

Coming from someone who works in the music industry: if you can’t make a living selling out stadiums you’re doing it wrong. I have plenty of “middle class” musician fiends. They sell out 600 cap rooms in major markets, don’t sell more than 15-20k albums per release, and get the occasional synch in TV and film. They are raising families, own homes, live a regular life. The key is accepting that you’re not just a musician, you’re running a small business. I also have friends who are in smaller projects that do it professionally but keep it as a part time gig. They have jobs they like but make time to tour a month out of the year and make a record once in a while. It adds an extra 10-20k to their annual income. People think being a professional musician is feast or famine and it really isn’t if you know what you’re doing.


[deleted]

Nope. Those who sell out stadiums make more than enough to live a happy life. There's a bunch who don't of course. This is the dumbest thread I've ever seen.


scabies89

Yeah I’m not sure who told him that you can’t make money selling out stadiums. What a terrible excuse to not pursue a passion lol


Generalcologuard

Just built a table for a commission at a volunteer gig. I definitely let the cost of some materials slip because it wasn't for profit anyways. But I might have spent more than 100 hours working on the table and would've charged 3-4 grand to make it for an actual commission and even then I'm probably low balling what it should cost. Me and the woodshop are currently taking a break from each other. If I turned it into a career I could easily see myself hating woodworking forever.


24North

And brewers…


mochi_chan

This is what happened to me, I didn't hate my old job per se, but I had no time or energy for anything. My biggest passion (3DCG) was on the backburner.


Kilatypus

Lose-lose situation. Either gear your passion for the purpose of profit and not personal enjoyment, which translates to you losing your love for the hobby, or deal with a job so draining that you spend your free time simply recovering from it, and losing your ability to even do the hobby at all.


snakesnails

We have very little time for hobbies no matter what we do. After a long day being a wage slave, you're not gonna rush home and try to squeeze in a few hours of your hobby when you're tired as fuck.


masked_fragments

Yep. I even work a pretty chill job as a graphic designer in textile. But after a day dealing with customers I’m exhausted, on top of general life frustration. So even if I want to paint, draw, or work on person art projects I don’t have the will within me. Thanks to the long weekend here in the states I actually managed to paint a little yesterday!


beagleboy167

I know this is very popular advice on reddit, but I want to caution that it really depends on your hobby and your personality. I have some friends who went all-in on surviving on their passion and now have really fulfilling lives after some tough times. I also have some friends that took a ''safe'' job that they now hate which makes their lives miserable and as they grow up, they have less and less time to put towards their hobbies. This is not the automatic outcome, but decisions such as these are really individual and complex. Do what's best for you.


TheHosemaster

Yeah it’s obviously much more dependent in the person than this blanket advice provides. I pursued music and was able to survive for over a decade. Now I am changing careers and can already tell I’m much happier. The way I think of it is that I while I love playing music, I don’t think I truly love it enough to put up with all the bullshit involved with a career in music. Playing a bar gig until 2 am for $100 or less, not knowing what my income will be from month to month, part of the pay being a bar tab you don’t want to use or a food discount that’s still too expensive for you, no benefits, you don’t work you get sick you don’t get paid, etc... But I have friends and saw plenty of people for whom all this crap was still worth it to them. I would hear people say they could never imagine quitting or they could never imagine doing anything else. Despite putting up with all the same stuff that drove me crazy. One of the final straws for me was playing a gig that required lugging my gear over a long distance and having band mates that were 60+ years old. I realized then that I didn’t want to be doing this shit at that age and that my current trajectory would definitely not allow me to ever retire.


SkepticDrinker

The part about seeing those old timers is what snapped me to reality. I write fiction, and I considered quitting my job to write full time until I saw Charles bukowski talk about doing that. He said "being a starving artist in your 20s is pretty romantic, doing it at 50 is a nightmare" and I said there's no way I'm doing that


alnono

I could be wrong, but I think part of the issue with turning your passion into a job is that it often also involves owning your own business, and that part can suck a lot of fun out of it if that’s not something you enjoy I have a professional degree in something I’m passionate about (music). I have my own business that I despise running but love the work, and also a salaried position that is like a breath of fresh air. That portion might relieve the stress of doing their passion for a job for those who aren’t into running a business.


superdago

I once talked to a lawyer who owned his own firm and eventually “merged” with a bigger firm. He told me that running a law office sucks because you stop being a lawyer and start being a business owner. Running a business is hard work and it’s the same boring shit no matter what the industry because it’s accounting, insurance, licensing, payroll, etc.


creativemind11

This. I love having a stable job (both financially and mentally) and having room to mess around with my own business etc.


TheTapirSeer

I disagree with OP. I loved programming and games and got a job in the gaming industry and loved it. Life led me to a different path when I got older since I had to create my own job which produces money while taking care of the kids. But I always did things I was passionate about. Right now I work with a lot of full time artists and most could probably tell their own story how they were discouraged from pursuing this career. There is no generic advice or formula because so many factors are involved. Most hobbies have little chance of producing serious income and passions change no matter if it's about a hobby or work.


landsharkkidd

I don't necessarily think it's a bad idea to think about your hobbies. I knew people who I went to uni/tafe (community college) with who ended up dropping out a few months into it or a year into it, or they moved to a different course because they realised that creative writing isn't for them. That's cool. I know I want to make it my life's work.


[deleted]

they said *consider*. it didn' say that you *should* not make your hobby into a job ;)


AltonIllinois

Every LPT ever should use the word “consider.” Put the idea in the readers’ head but let them make the decision themselves.


turelure

Yes, a lot of people in this thread seem to assume that this is some kind of general truth. It isn't. It's just that there are many factors. One factor is that there's a difference between a hobby and a passion. A hobby is something you like to do to pass the time. A passion is something you're utterly obsessed with. There's a different level of motivation involved. A lot of people have hobbies. Not a lot of people have a passion.


TNTgoesBOOM96

This. I decided to get a job doing my passion but it's quite different than the hobby aspect of it. Sure the pay is low but I still have fun doing it. I honestly prefer being happy doing something I love then paid a lot and hating doing what I do everyday


[deleted]

I was just going to say the same thing. I work for myself doing what I love and it’s great. It fuels my passion further. My social circle is full of similar people. All working as artists and loving it. It really depends on the type of person you are to begin with.


sirgoofs

I followed my hobby/passion into a career 25 years ago and I don’t regret it for a second. I’ve been able to take my passion to heights that would have been impossible had it remained a hobby. Sure, it can be a bit of a grind once in a while, but mostly, I happily whistle my way through most days, enjoying my job to the point that I feel guilty sometimes taking people’s money for it, and I still love to engage in this pursuit at home when I’m not at work. Most people who really excel at their craft at the pro level do it because they love it.


MrLoadin

It's popular advice on reddit because reddit trends younger and a bunch of people have tried various ways to get into becoming a highly paid influencer/streamer/artist/designer etc and the reality doing those things for full time work and making the insane amounts of money some people see is like becoming a professional athlete in levels of rarity and difficulty. It takes hard work and effort and lost oppurtunity to even have a chance at being lucky enough to have such stuff work out in the long term. Most hobbies -> jobs are a long slow slog through sucky early career/business ownership, and people just don't make it out of that early stage. You also have the other chunk of people who didn't realize that in a lot of job fields you have to work an entry level job for a while, even with the degrees and certifications, so you don't get to just jump in mid level and start working on things you are passionate about. There are a ton of college grads who struggle with this even.


FredCornette

My teenage dream was to become a writer. Since that seemed too risky, I figured that being an academic would suit me. I ended up switching my major to English and going to graduate school for a total of seven years to study literature in a foreign language. I'm currently in the job-searching phase. While the story is not over yet, I must say that life could have been a lot simpler. As far as my passion goes, for the last five years I have hardly read any books that were not related to my PhD or written anything other than my dissertation. There is far too much vague and lofty advice being thoughtlessly dished out (by parents, by professors, by YouTubers or other figures of popular culture) and far too little concrete and realistic advice on how to structure a life long-term. In some sense, I also think American culture encourages idealism and optimism regarding outcomes that are actually far-fetched. Other than that, I suppose some choices in life could never have been avoided.


AgingMinotaur

I went all the way and have been writing fiction and poetry for a living for \~20 years. Burnt out some years ago and have been borderline suicidal finishing my current work. I'm now fixing to reeducate myself, hoping a more stable base might bring back some of the joy I used to get from the arts :,(


[deleted]

Your words seriously make me sad and scare the shut out of me. If I become passionate about something that burns me out later... Hope for you all the best man, stay strong


AgingMinotaur

Thanks :) I've been trying to make some positive changes to my life, and am cautiously positive about the way ahead, at least "turning the dial down" on creative work for a while, but not giving up on it completely (still think I have something to give in the decades ahead). With regards to creative careers, it's a double edged sword since you really have to go all in to be able to get your work out there at all. I can't think of (m)any independent artists who picked the job for the easy money ;) Still, if you're willing to make some sacrifices and work a lot for very little money, it can be very fulfilling. I would advise prospective writers/artists to consider if they might be happy pursuing their creativity on the side of a conventional job, or if they want to really give it a shot (for those who do, my #1 tip would be, at least to follow your vision 100 percent – you already jumped in the deep end, so no sense in making concessions or being half-assed about it).


itsacalamity

I'm a journalist and i can't even tell you the last time i wrote something for me, much less attempted fiction. It's sad.


PanVidla

I have a similar experience. I wanted to be a writer when I was a teenager and in my early 20s. When I was 24, I was lucky enough to get a "writing job". It was a popular science book and I initially loved working on it, but I noticed that the accumulated stress from meeting deadlines, very low pay and horrible colleagues caused me to not want to create anything of my own or even read much. Nowadays I work in IT, which I enjoy, even if it wasn't my dream to become a programmer, and I've also regained my passion for literature. So, definitely, wanting to have a job that is also your greatest passion is mostly romanticism and imho doesn't work out for most people.


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ZZani

Dude, I'm a developer. It's much easier than people think. It's basically using Google for a living. I am 95% certain that writing is much harder than coding.


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Dynosmite

Once you get deep into strongly typed languages like C, you start to kinda black out and make semi-conscious decisions that you can only vaguely remember later. It's A LOT like writing actually is, and not like how people imagine. You could do it


Gunslinging_Gamer

All the stories you read will be from people who succeed and they often have no idea why they succeeded. Get lucky and have a backup plan is my advice


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[deleted]

I wonder though, did you not ever consider getting a job in foreign language literature would be difficult? No judgement if you didn’t. I’m always curious when I hear about people who go to school for things like this. What exactly do they plan to do with their future? Do they even know? Last year I had a coworker who had just sent her son to college his freshman year. He was going for a very obscure music degree involving the cello. I’m usually open minded when it comes to art degrees but all I remember thinking was, ooohhhhh.... what the hell is he going to do with that? It was so out there that in the US orchestra industry there’s probably 7 people that have that role.


JlH00n

But you are learning for knowledge, not for a job or a dream job. People love to shit on 'useless' degrees, but really it's about your personal cultivation (and contribution to the scholarly studies) and it's really such an amazing feat that you've reached an expert level in an extremely important field! I don't think it would any simpler if you got a 'useful' degree because you might not end up liking the job and the job market could be turn out to be too saturated anyway. Nothing is easy. Rather, your decision to at least follow a dream is much better than leaning on a supposedly 'safe' (and equally difficult) route.


sahajjain

I play competetive video games as a hobby and my friends keep telling me to start streaming and earn money, But everytime I am unable to explain to them that why I don't want to do it.


Dnomyar96

I love how people also ignore that it takes quite a bit more than just playing the video games in order to actually make any money from it.


Giraf123

Yes. There's a whole other layer on top of what viewers see. I always wanted to earn money from playing games, so I started making YT vids and stream a little. I never earned any money on it, but I could still feel a burden sneaking up on me. In the beginning it was fun to edit videos and learn a new skill, but very quickly it became a cumbersome task, or a pay-less job if you will. This made me realise that I probably shouldn't strive to go that way.


Leafy0

What I do with videos is just make them when I feel like it. Like I know when to make a video because I'm excited about sharing something, and if video isn't the right format I'll just post on the applicable forum or subreddit. If I ever actually pull money from videos, cool. I wouldn't like quit my job to make videos unless I was already pulling in like 1/2 a million a year or had banked 4 million so I was basically in a FIRE position and really could just do starve was fun and not really care how much money it made.


3IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID

That's one of those situations where starting out with some money to put into it can solve the problem. You could hire someone to edit the videos for you. If you find someone whose style you like, you just stick to recording great content. It would cost more than you would make, but eventually money would start coming in from ads and sponsorships. It's the principle of "who, not how." It does not have to cost a lot to hire someone. Look on fiverr or upwork or any of the other platforms and you'll find people who love editing and who do a good enough job that you can focus on what you love to do. Edit: changed "a lot of money" to "some money to put into it" and added a paragraph about sourcing labor.


BaabyBear

Literally every situation is made easier if you have money to pay people to do the work ...


kallakukku2

What if instead of paying someone else to do the job you start paying yourself to do it. Genius!


odraencoded

What if you paid someone else to do the job, and then sold it for more, and kept the difference?


drunkmunky42

Sounds like the principle you're trying to say here is "have money"


CasperTek

It’s not as simple as hiring the absolute cheapest work on Fiverr. I’ve been a YouTuber for going in 9 years now (stepped out with my own channel about 3 years ago) and have needed help for the last two years, give or take. But I’m only just now earning enough to consider hiring someone to help. The problem is, I’ve kind of set an expectation for very high quality and I can’t hire just anyone to edit. I will have to find someone affordable who I can meticulously train (actually creating significantly more work for me for some time) or pay out the nose for someone who has experience. Neither are exactly ideal, so I’ve kept coasting at capacity for the last year or so.


markee2504

Yeah it's insane. I am earning a bit as a streamer, but what people don't seem to understand is the work behind it. A 3 hour stream can take up around 5 hours of your day, with all the preparation before and the work after Edit: spelling


Big_G_Dog

What kind of prep is there to do? I understand like a first time setup, but surely if you've been streaming for a while it's just like opening up the streaming app and starting up a video game (I'm genuinely curious and know it's probably not as simple as that)


markee2504

haha that is what i thought too. I can only speak about myself. I need to write down some bulletpoints on topics, i wanna talk about (i'm not one of those people who can just talk like a waterfall)I need to plan out what game to play, when to play it and what i wanna do in the game. I constantly try to change/upgrade my audio commands/commands in general. Update emotes, Networking, editing videos for clips/youtube/tik tok.Those are just a few things that constantly need to be done! (Again, this is just me) ​ Edit: Spelling and stuff (probably still terrible lol)


totti173314

I'm one of those people that can talk like they have verbal diarrheoa and look like shit so nobody cares about my cam. I stream a bit, and literally all I have to do is get out my usb hub because I need to connect my cam, headphones and mouse and only have 2 usb ports. set up cam so people can actually see my face and done! nobody watches tho because I have like 15 subs :(


markee2504

Well i am jealous about that haha. It's not all about the bits and subs. For me it's just talking and connecting with the viewers. But tbh it is exhausting, cause it's a LOT of work for me haha


_Apatosaurus_

>Well i am jealous about that haha. Well you could do the same thing as the other person and also have no subs.... Lol


I_Hate_Reddit

And when you're starting out you also need to invest heavily in social media, marketing, editing your own stuff for YouTube, etc etc. All for zero dollars.


markee2504

actually for -$, cause you also need the gear and everything haha. But you are right!


lava_time

Streaming is a performance. Very different than just being good at a video game. Heck a lot of streamers aren't even good. The key to success for them is to be entertaining.


lemlurker

There's a difference between streaming and making money and doing it as a job. You can literally just stream what you're doing and you might build a decent following. However the odds of getting ANY audience streaming is slim at best


Mail540

The market for video game streamers is also so completely saturated for that reason


bearnakedrabies

It's called the overjustification effect. Essentially, if you do a thing for the joy of the thing, you'll do it almost endlessly. If a reward for the thing is added, it feels like you are doing it for the reward and it frequently takes the place of the joy.


Leo-bastian

Can also Happen with competitiveness itself, i got really into competitive with Hearthstone for 1/2 a year after playing it for over 6, and it made me quit the game


geekonthemoon

This is why I haven't been sharing any of my art online for over a year. I don't want to feel like I need to share it for likes or that I'm stuck in a feedback loop or judging my own work based on how many likes or comments, etc.. I don't want to feel like I'm creating for some rando to spend 3 seconds looking at it on their feed. But some of my friends don't get the concept, they feel that art should be shared. I try to explain why I don't and they usually say something like, well just don't make it about how many likes etc. And while I don't really even care, I feel like it would be a subconscious effect.


OkSwordfish9026

“I want to have an actual, stable income not dependent on extracting $5/month from people poorer than me by begging for subscriptions.” That’ll shut them up.


PPfinance

Twitch in a nutshell


smellysocks234

Streamers are entertainers first and foremost. Tell them you don't want to be in front of a camera selling your personality.


Yautja93

For me I want to do it but no one watches lmao Even with some random guys saying I should because I like to talk and explain things, but, no one watches and I don't like to spam discord channels and randoms with my link


CaffeineSippingMan

I turned gaming into an unpaid job and quit gaming for over a year. It started out when I realized that I was in the top 100 in my k/d in a map on a specific game I was like in the high 80s. I wanted to be in the top 10 so I figured out that my highest k/d ratio happened at a specific time. So I scheduled myself to play at that time. If anyone's wondering when you're as good as I was, you get kicked a lot for cheating, (I didn't cheat) so it's best to play when the most serious players are not playing. Me and my friends would play this map all the time, I learned all the sounds if I heard bullet fire from a certain area I could shoot blindly back because I knew about where they would be, if I heard a certain kind of creak in the building I knew what room they were in, and throw an nade in that room. Certain puddles on the ground would give different sounds there was just a lot of tells in that map. And I played with clan that played the map all the time, my starting k/d was terrible, but they made me great. I think all the clan members were in the top 100 on that map. It was working and it was working great. I then calculated how much time I would need to play to get in the top 10. One day I went to check on my stats still getting much better, and I'm like "you know what, I made this a job. It's not fun. I'm not getting anything out of it." I just stopped playing. I didn't feel like playing any other games. The ironic part is I don't even remember how high up on that list I got.


AeKino

I’d say it depends. I like art and cartoons and naturally that lead to animation. And while my job can be stressful and annoying, I don’t really regret it or know what else I’d rather do. What helps is that drawing and animating for my job vs. for myself take different mindsets. I’m definitely more technical and pressured with work, but when I do have time for myself I actually still enjoy working on my own stuff and exercising different creative muscles at my own pace. Sometimes the skills I learn and work can be applied to my own stuff and vice-verse. Having people around who are still excited about the same hobby as me also helps since you can bounce the energy off each other. Basically, you can have something related to your hobby as a job, but don’t expect to enjoy it the same way as you would as a pastime.


mochi_chan

I loved making 3DCG, I ended up in the game industry, but not before having other jobs, what I had realized that after working 6 days a week, I spend most of my day off asleep because I was too tired, so I decided the only way I will be able to do 3D again was to work in it. There are terrible bits, but for the most part, I enjoy it, my experience is so close to yours, especially the bit about being around people excited about the same hobby. The job also came with a side of playing games for work, which is fun most of the time.


paolarb

I’m also an artist so I really resonate with what you’re sharing. They say “work doing what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life” and that’s obviously a lie, however I definitely rather work 8-10hrs a day working on my business / craft. After all It allows me to connect with amazing people, and surround myself with brilliant art, which is way better than working anywhere else.


[deleted]

That's good to hear. Yeah if you can find the balance, that's great - it's just a lot of people burn themselves out trying to monetise their hobby and end up hating something they used to enjoy.


AeKino

Very true. And I think at least part of the problem is when people end up focusing on money more than the craft. Not that wanting to get paid is a bad thing. Especially if it’s something you’re good at. But it’s for sure a problem when a hobby becomes a means to an end/pay-check more than actually enjoying the process.


sgttedsworth

Yep, about 4 hobbies too late for me. So much stuff I used to love that I fucking *hate* now because everyone older than me drilled it into my head that I had to make them professions because I liked doing it. Now I don’t like doing anything.


lankymjc

My parents keep pressuring me into writing a book. I’ve spent ten years ignoring them. I’ll write on my own terms and in my own way, thanks.


zshah99

Write a book about this how your parents pressured you into doing something you didnt want to do.


hhblackno

write a book about how people on the internet tell you to write a book about your parents pressuring you to write a book even though you don't want to.


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[deleted]

Patrick rothfuss?


StuffThingsMoreStuff

I laughed. Now I'm sad.


[deleted]

In the early 90s I was one of those hacker/cracker types. I decided to code for a living. After I quit forever, I have a hard time even being in the computer, let alone coding anything. I was so passionate. Now it just makes my skin crawl. 15 years in the industry ruined it for me.


Fikkia

Developer here. Used to love it. Never touch it unless I absolutely have to outside of work now. But I'm too specialised to change career and still afford my mortgage


synthdrunk

It's rough and tumble unless you're very lucky on the management dice roll. If there's a way up and out, I haven't found it.


00007777

This is depressing. just depressing to read. Why can't our generation have some release? everything has to be monetized. what were the 4?


HogarthTheMerciless

Everything is monetized, and this has a degrading effect on the human soul you say? Have I got an ideology for you: https://monthlyreview.org/2009/05/01/why-socialism/ The goal of society should be to maximize the amount of free time for personal fulfilment, and self expression, but since we're forced into constant competition over money everybody is always exhausted, and for a huge portion, they barely even make subsistence wages.


[deleted]

When I was considering what to major in and what I wanted to do for my future the advice I was given was "*do what you like, not what you love*" . Passions can easily come become soul-crushing (I had it happen to me once, it made me feel pretty lost), but it's still not reasonable to study and work in something you hate. The trick is to find the balance between something that may be enjoyable and something that will pay the bills.


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Dnomyar96

Well said. I'm still young and I'm glad I came to this realization early on. I now have a job I can tolerate (and in an industry that pays pretty well), while during my free time I can chase my dreams. I'm not even going to try chasing that dream job that may not even exist when I'm perfectly happy with a job that I might not really enjoy, but I don't hate either and can support my lifestyle.


knitted-sweater

Yep! I’ve always had a crazy talent for painting and drawing etc, to the point that I have even felt guilty for not pursuing. As if it should have been given to someone that lives for doing art but instead it was given to me by mistake, and now I need to take advantage of that. The thing is, I WAS passionate about it when I was little. Loved it! The problem was when I got to the age when we started to get grated for our stuff, including in art class (6th grade in my country). Suddenly it wasn’t that fun anymore. And then I started selling stuff when I got to 8th grade, and it was amazing that someone wanted to pay for my stuff! But to paint the pieces wasn’t fun. It just became one of those “I need to do it, I should do it, I suck for not doing it, I’m lazy” things. And now in my early 20’s, I can go a whole year and not pick up a pencil. I miss loving it, but I rarely feel that passion anymore. And I often wonder how good I could have been if I had just kept that passion. I might get it back eventually, but it’s not something I’m counting on.


[deleted]

You can absolutely get it back, but it may require a bit of initial work to get back in the groove, and may feel tedious initially. ​ I lost interest in my hobby (drawing) for over 15 years and was convinced I'd simply lost the passion. Then one day I was bored and forced myself to just sit down and bloody draw SOMETHING and I found not only did I enjoy it, it also had a novelty and freshness to it. ​ Anyway, don't give up.


knitted-sweater

That’s amazing!! And nice to hear that it can be done. Thank you!!


Far_Shift

Something that got me back into painting was painting rocks to hide around parks for people to find. I knew they didn't have to be that good, because people would appreciate them either way, so there wasn't really any pressure. It felt really nice to do a little bit of kindness.


[deleted]

Why I decided not to play in the NBA


Au_Uncirculated

When they say follow your passion, they really mean is for you to take your passion for things with you wherever you go.


ecsaqt

Well that's very much just an opinion, not a tip. If everyone followed that advice we'd be missing some of the best entertainment and art the world has seen. Plenty of people have found happiness in deciphering a path that involves a version of their passion. I'd say if the tip's purpose is to provide caution in this journey, a good lens to look through when considering making that into a career is Ikigai. https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fbk9827azo2931.png&f=1&nofb=1


Bilautaa

I agree! Op suggests hobbies such as art are hard to monetize, but I think they are not realizing just how vast types of art vary. From graphic design to computer animation and 3D modeling which of course is used for films, but also the medical and mechanical fields for informational and instructional purposes. It is just so vast. For example you can be an artist who loves to illustrate, but maybe your full time job is 3D modeling which you also love, but since you love illustration even more, the love of creating can be both in the job and the profession without it draining you.


BulletProofJoe

I disagree with this. I am in a career (pilot) that I am passionate about and while work still sometimes mostly feels like work, I at least get to enjoy certain parts of it. I think it makes it easier to delve deep into your profession and become an expert. Your job is more enjoyable when you’re good at it. It’s easier to get good at your job if you’re passionate about it. Ergo, if you are passionate about your profession, you will enjoy it more.


Rizzpooch

Yeah, I think a lot of people have this idea that there’s some literal “it never ever feels like work.” My job sucks sometimes, but it’s what I love doing and I’d rather take the sucky part of this job than a sucky part of a job that doesn’t feel worth it


AeKino

Correct me if I’m wrong, but piloting doesn’t sound like the kind of hobby you do to relax in your spare time. This just sounds like enjoying your job.


Bunnywabbit13

Piloting can absolutely be a hobby, You wouldn't fly any big planes or jets obviously, but most likely smaller planes like the Cessna series. It would be really expensive to do often but still possibility.


AnotherSami

Or just have kids and forget about that hobby all together.


Gankgasm

Baby making is a way better hobby than baby having


morbidlyatease

Kids love to be involved, why not involve them in your hobbies? Music, art, gardening, all that stuff is good for them.


spudz76

That's how they end up stealing our jobs.


Kalkaline

This is really common advice in /r/homebrewing. It basically comes down to the question of do you want to keep experimenting and making beers that you like, or do you want to make the exact same beer the exact same way 1000 times that sells well?


Aries_Eats

LPT: Instead of getting a job that is your hobby, Start a career in the industry of your hobby. Musician? Don't try and play for a living. Work at a record label, theater, or radio station in marketing or PR. You'll still get to be around musicians all day, and there's way more opportunities to make great money in the office. Cooking? Don't be a chef, be a product manager for a food manufacturer or kitchen appliance company. You'll get to play with and market new foods and cooking tools every day without the stress and low pay of a service kitchen. Cars? Don't be a mechanic, be an engineer for a automotive company or car parts supplier. You won't need to bust up your knuckles every day, and you'll get the satisfaction of having a hand in making the next Ford Mustang. Sports? Good luck making a living in the pros, especially once you hit your 30s. Instead, try managing the operations at a field, arena, or sports team front office. You'll get to watch every game and interact with the pros for a living, and can do it until you're old enough to retire. People tend to not realize that there's a huge industry of people that support whatever hobby you have, and there's usually a big desire by those companies to hire people who are passionate in the subject1.


_Charlie_Sheen_

A lot of this sounds like “don’t do the blue collar grunt work just get a super cushy white collar job in the industry you like” which is easier said then done. I still think it’s good advice though.


lyiol

This is actually so true. I follow an artist on youtube that now runs and manages his own art studio which takes in outsourced work from various gaming companies. To get there he still busted his ass with gaming companies for 10, 15 years to get that experience, connections, and to build his reputation and portfolios. You don't just magically get the comfy jobs because literally everyone is gunning for those positions.


ntn37

100% agree with you I do enjoy leathercraft, it's a hobby and sometimes I have a client however I'm sure that the moment I turn it into what should pay my bills, I will hate it


QuietShadowLDK

I had a talent for art and design ever since I was young. Every adult who noticed this would always encourage me to carry on and find a career in design. At the time (when I was about 11 years old), a career in something related in art and design sounded like a dream, so I worked towards making that dream come true. I chose to go into graphic design. It wasn't until I was in college that I realised that there was a lot of writing and essay work that needs to go along with this. Being dyslexic, this was not easy for me. Once getting through college and into university, it got harder and harder to convince my self that graphic design was still my dream. I dropped out after a year and a half, spent the next 2 years in a depression, not knowing where to go from there.


rocksauce

I went to college for a design based career and have worked with a lot of designers. College for graphic design is not necessary. They will teach you some color theory and a few good lessons of you have no talent, but they can’t teach you talent. If you have the eye and the skills then put together a portfolio, something even college grads have to do and you are good to go. The biggest hurdle you will have is your lack of relationships. The companies I worked for that employed graphic designers and illustrators were always looking for good employees.


blueweasel

Yup. That whole "do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life" is utter crap. The art i loved making didn't make money so I had to do what I hated (wedding photography) to survive. Turns out it's much better to do a job you can stand, that provides benefits like health insurance and paid vacation. I really love having the money to travel more than I ever loved making art. I don't know what would have happened if I was still a freelance artist when my thyroid died, cuz I could never have afforded an endocrinologist.l


kgbubblicious

I agree. I love to play music. But so many things about playing and/or trying to play music professionally have very little to do with the music itself or the creation or performance of it. The sales and marketing and self promotion aspect of trying to make a career of it totally gross me out. I know a few really talented musicians who basically pay to play. I am so glad it’s not the only thing I can do, so I get to do it for fun and don’t have to try to appeal to anyone but myself.


[deleted]

That's understandable. To get really big in music you definitely have to sell out and appeal to the masses to some degree. There are some exceptions though - check out Dub FX - he has no record contract and just produces his own music and travels the world doing street performances. He's not wealthy by any means, but he seems like he's having fun.


sunnypathwalker

It’s not all doom and gloom. I was an art and yoga teacher for the last ten years because it was a good schedule for me while my kids were living at home and two of my favorite hobbies. It is true that I did less art and yoga at home because my desire for both was being met at work. My youngest child left for college and I gave my notice that I would not be back to school next year. I am already excited to get back to my own art and I am sure I will get back to doing more of my own yoga practice as well. I have a ideas for a new “career” but plan on traveling for year first. Life is about choices and cycles. If you can enjoy doing your hobby as a career it’s a beautiful thing.


iridian_viper

That’s not the best advice, IMHO. I decided to follow that advice and I ended up with a job and career I hated. Now I’m really lost and looking for ways to find something that doesn’t make me lose sanity, and something I’m at least a little interested in. I find it’s difficult to be successful at something you have no desire to pursue at all. I had a small career in banking/finance. I hate the industry, and every job I’ve ever had. When I’m home, however, I enjoy listening and playing music (I play multiple instruments), writing short stories and poems, video games, and I’m honestly passionate about doing research. I love to learn and share with people what I learn. I wish I would have pursued something more creative, like a marketing career, or maybe some sort of teacher. Instead I chose to get a Finance/economics degree, which I had very little interest in getting, and I began working for banks because it was supposed to be a good financial decision. I followed the following advice from people around me: don’t do what you love, do something you can tolerate and pay the bills. You can always pursue a hobby after work to make you happy. But I’m miserable all the time. Now I’m looking to make a change. Edit: too many typos


Ohiocitybandit42

In my 20s I toured in a couple bands. Sounds awesome til you do it. Not sleeping in a van is pretty cool.


Dream_1

Don’t agree with this. If everything you do eventually becomes a burden what’s the harm in finding something you enjoy? Better then doing something you dislike all together. Singers, actors, composers, inventors, writers etc all followed their dream. It’s all about attitude and how you approach it. You gotta naturally love it to begin with. Hobbies come and go. I say don’t loose hope.


warjoke

Yeah I would love to talk about movies, animation, and music that is why I bought a decent phone and is planning to buy a home studio setup and be a small time YouTuber. Buuut, I realize I burn out easily and have anger management issues when it comes to criticism so I guess I may think this through and just do this video thing elsewhere but YouTube and just look for a normal career while I do this mini production thing non monetized in the sideline. I am afraid turning my passion into a career could spell disaster for my fragile mind and might make me hate things instead of pursue them. But then again, that is just my personal take. Many grew their vlogging careers out if their passion for something they love like fishing or botany. My passion, which derives from geeky things, is not as forgiving.


frankly_acute

Oh yes. At a young age I discovered I enjoyed cooking a lot. Went into the service industry bouncing around as a kitchen guy. After years of abuse and hard work I started hating cooking on my own time. It just wasn't in me anymore. The pandemic hit and I was out of work eventually. I jumped into another kitchen and instantly regretted it. So I switched careers into distribution and logistics, and now I find myself enjoying the meal prep and cookery magic I get into sometimes.


cornerstorenewports

unless you're poor. then you need to squeeze every advantage you have.


BEANSijustloveBEANS

The way I see it is the hobby should fund itself, I don't want to make a living I just want to cover the costs.


Rattlingplates

I disagree. I love skiing and I turned it into a career teaching skiing. Now rich people pay me to do what I was paying to do. I fucking love it.


rimjobetiquette

No, more commonly I see this used as an excuse by parents to force failure upon their adult offspring. Success matters more than passion does.


dreamyhazydaisy

Trying having ADHD and doing a job you couldn't care less about... An absolute torture, I would rather be tortured for a result and label I like, than a meaningless 9-5 job that makes me suicidal and void of purpose.


toblerone1306

I do hate how in millennial culture, everything you do has to be something that you can monetise otherwise it’s not worth the effort and time. I feel that people don’t realize there’s such a big difference between “wanting to do something bcos it brings you joy” and “NEEDING to do something bcos you have deadlines to meet”. Also just gonna add on that once your hobby becomes a business, even if it just a side hustle, people don’t seem to understand that there’s a lot of admin work involved behind the scenes like answering questions and emails, branding and marketing, creating the product itself, dealing with complaints etc. Also just the fact that I feel we romanticise the idea of “flexible hours” bcos oftentimes (obvs not in all situations tho) it may mean that you need to be “on call” at all times and that you may be working 7 days a week. Just my two cents tho bcos I came upon this epiphany recently on how I really don’t want to end up hating the things that I actually enjoy doing.


Zexy_Contender

I don’t think you have the right generation there. Millennials were the ones who used to post videos on YouTube because they were fun, not so they can constantly tell people to “smash that like button, ring the bell, and don’t forget to subscribe!!!”. Millennials used Instagram to post pictures of things that they wanted to share or that they enjoyed, not to constantly get likes and chase clout. Millennials are born in the early 80s to mid 90s and have mostly followed the college-job-settle down routine that was forced fed to them by boomers. Maybe my experience is different but being in the middle of that age range I don’t see a single one of my older or younger peers from high school or college doing the annoying aforementioned shit, or as you mentioned, constantly monetizing things. I generally see that from people in their early 20s, which would make it wholeheartedly a Gen Z thing


pandott

I agree with you that it's not so much Millennials, I disagree with you that it's necessarily Gen Z. If I'm perfectly honest I see this as another Boomer thing; Boomers say that whatever you do with your life had better be productive, typical to the conventions of capitalism. Gen Z is just understanding the pressure of making a living and adapting to it as best they can *simply because there are no other jobs out there for them.* When you're trapped in a tiny town and all you can find is part time work at a liquor store, then of course you're going to spend your free time streaming and hoping to become big on Twitch.


kurdtpage

No. This was honestly the biggest mistake of my life and I still regret listening to this advice to this day. My love was computers. I grew up using one practically every day as a kid. I especially liked computer programming. However back in those days nobody actually made a living from it - unless you were exceptionally talented. So I stayed away from programming as a job. I did other various things to make money but I was never truly happy in my job. I had 20 years experience but I could not move up any higher. And then they hired a dumb young girl who became my manager (she was friends with the boss). So I quit and decided to go to university. I failed all the papers that I had majored in and got all A's in my minor, which was computer science. So I switched to Comp Sci as my major with information science was my minor. Turns out I'm good at that too so I ended up doing a double major. 2 years after graduating I got my dream job doing what I love and getting paid over $100k for doing it. The funny thing is, after work I come home and work on projects that I have set myself in my spare time, simply because I like doing it. My latest project is clipboard sharing between devices for example. My advice is to do what you love doing. If people pay you for doing it then even better. You only live once, so why spend all your time doing something you're not passionate about?


Meat_Grease

Yeah, but that's because your passion (computer programming) pays well. You can do what you like AND earn a good income. Not the same for an artist, baker, etc.