Nowadays, the phrase “Follow your passion” in relation to finding a job has become a sure-fire career suicide mission; that is, unless your passion is numbers or something computer-based. It is unfortunate how some people go into school or into a job search with one thing in mind – money. I argue to say that this is a sure-fire suicide mission.
Many seasoned workers have probably already experienced that it is important to enjoy what you do. They might actually understand the cliché of “Money doesn’t buy happiness.”
Who better than The Frontier Group’s own President and Owner, Patrick Lynch, to testify that he made a mistake similar to this and now that he is doing something he loves, he is more personally fulfilled.
Patrick: “I started out my career as an accountant. My reason for choosing this career path was based on the fact that my Dad was an accountant. I soon realized that I hated every minute - every hour - every day in this line of work.
I was blessed though that I found what I could be passionate about – marketing, more specifically - consumer product marketing.
From that point forward, I had direction and purpose. I earned an MBA in Marketing and was able to pursue a career path that would take me through brand management, trade marketing, category management, market research, national account management and eventually becoming the President of The Frontier Group. The common thread that ties all of this together is marketing a consumer product.
Marketing is something that I love. I love talking about it - reading books about it - learning more about it.”
At The Frontier Group, one of our primary coaching objectives is to help our clients find their passion. Our career coaches do not want to help you just find a job quickly or get a position with higher compensation. These are important, of course, but we always strive to help them develop careers that they can get personal fulfillment. We want them to look forward to going to work and not have that knot in their stomach on their morning commute.
Following your passion is important not only for personal fulfillment, it can help you professionally. When you love what you do, you will work harder and learn to be better. If you are entry-level, you may start out with lower compensation, but you will have much more room and more motivation to grow in your career because of your passion.
So there’s a reason why “follow your passion” is a cliché. It is because it’s smart! Take it from Pat; you’ll be happier and more successful doing what you love.
