Millennials got sold a truckload of one liners like "make your passion your job and youll never work a day in your life", myself included. And I've been telling people who say that to go shove it because generally no one likes "work", and if what you enjoy becomes "work", such as being an artist - you end up hating it and have no escape from the BS. What I've found works the best is just find something you're good at rather than what you enjoy - people are good at many things and have many aptitudes than they think they have. Simply by being good at whatever you're doing even if you don't enjoy it - you end up enjoying it and you still have your escapist hobbies and passions. I've encountered so many "passionate" burnouts around my age who grew up and into their 30's still chasing the magic dragon and wondering why it doesn't work.
People don't talk enough about how much you have to work for what pay, what you have to do to get to that point, etc., maybe because you will be perceived "lazy". Some jobs "on paper" sounds really cool but in reality you're doing "what you love" at 10x pace to just survive and that isn't good for mental health.
@@lilBabyBornInCalifornia I'm not saying that you don't have to work for your hobbies, its called diligence and undertaking a process; there's work involved in anything. The difference between your hobby or "passion" being "work" is when it brings in money, meaning theres more expectation out of that value of work beyond simple self satisfaction and peer recognition.
Don’t forget “you can do whatever you want in life.” Like the world is just supposed to magically pay you top dollar for whatever tf you want to do regardless of demand.
Man this is SO spot on! I never thought video editing/post-fx would be a passion - but ‘just starting’ and doing it just to learn something was what has now turned into my passion nearly halfway into my 18 years of working in media design. Always tinkering and trying new things.
I'm an electrician and can attest that he is correct. I love finishing a task or job and seeing it work. I also enjoy troubleshooting problems and finding the solution. But I hate crawling around through cobwebs in dirty crawlspaces or through hot attics. No matter what career you get into you have to become highly skilled in it and you will find things to love about it. If you find you aren't acquiring the skills you need you need to find another career. It is rare to start with passion and end up doing what you are passionate about and being able to make money doing it. Sometimes people are surprised by careers that they dismissed because they didn't realize that it required skills that they have and love.
Worst thing is that you have to decide this so early in your life, because some fields block you if you do not have education in that field. There is nothing worse being stuck in job A and discovering, that you would actually be good at job B, but job B requires you to have a 5 year degree and you are already in your 30's.
This was really true like 20 years ago. Realistically what information isn't obtainable for free through the internet anymore though? yeah a lot of places still require the paper but it's easier than ever to brute force your way into any field by just knowing more.
If you have good references and work experience from your previous career, that's still valuable. Any leadership skills developed, managers/bosses that liked you, financial or time management skills, etc. That shit is valuable in any career. It's only lost time if you choose to see it that way.
Couldnt agree more. Ruining a hobby by making it a job is a shit plan. I made CGI my job after finding i enjoyed it as a teenager and hated it for about 8 years but ended up finding a little niche i love where its paid well and isnt stressful and im pretty good at it. I love cooking. Theres no way id want to work in a commercial kitchen.
Scott Adams has talked about this. He didn't become wildly sucessful with Dilbert because he was passionate about cartooning. He just threw a bunch of stuff against the wall and that's the one that stuck. So he became better at it as it gained traction and he realised it was making him successful.
Good points! Here's a related one: Process, culture and ethics. If you find that the process in a company sucks, their culture feels harnful, and their ethical behavior turns out questionable, your passion will likely not compensate for that. Some companies try to abuse passion to justify such problems ("if you are passionate, XYZ should not matter"). Find a different employer where you can develop peacefully and freely.
I feel the auto industry is like this. I had the kind of passion for it Louis is talking about here, but the more I was in the career, the more I hated it, to the point where I quit. I tried going to a different shop with better pay and better bosses, but my hatred just grew and now try to convince people to ditch car culture.
The difference here is that Louis means that you should be putting in extra time to learn things, to improve your efficiency etc., not to do what your boss asks you to do. This cannot be forced, you have to feel like you should do more.
He wasn't unemployed though. He worked in government (he was hired precisely because his teachings gave him such a high reputation in fact) and later went into exile for a while because of some powerful enemies he had. But then he was invited to return to his native land when things became less turbulent in the government, where he retired and sometimes worked as an advisor again to the governor who invited him back. If Confucius was just some unemployed shmuck we probably wouldn't even know he existed like all the other peasant farmers who didn't get written about lol.
I gave up on my passion years ago. Its now my hobby. I am great at data analytics but it is no fun. That being said, because I'm good at it, I make literally 10x more than i made doing what I'm passionate about. Now im passionate about both and can afford to do the other thing as a hobby and enjoy both.
My passion is paying the bills and not being homeless or in jail from debt. If that doesn't motivate you to do any kind of work, I don't know what will!
I have a Van and trailer expressly for the purpose of staying dry and semi stationary despite being homeless. Gotta prepare for that shit in advance. This $200 a month apt is a unicorn that won't last forever.
In a capitalist economy everyone is born a slave. And true money you can buy your freedom. In a socialist government you are free but you depend on the system if it fails there is no backup.
I have that will and desire but a body that is broken (Multiple sclerosis and 5x spine surgeries). I have done IT and repair work like Rossman for 20+ years, I enjoy it and wish I could be doing so often. That said, y body fails e daily, and its a struggle just to move in the morning. I have so little energy that what little I get for the day, sometimes isn't even enough to do the basics like cook a meal. It sucks, MS is a wicked and fickle beast, and the spinal issue are just a cherry on top. I look around at my peers and feel like I was left behind, and a not good enough because I got some shitty hand dealt at the start of my adult life basically (spine surgeries at 17, 19, 21, 2x @ 24 plus the MS diagnosis iirc). I had a bright career ahead of me, that just could never gain traction dealing with the variety of issues one faces dealing with the medical problems, I just couldn't compete. Much of this happened before the ACA was around, so getting the care and medicine I needed was often a struggle. I had insurance on and off from the jobs I had, but it became a cycle of find work, get insurance, medical issues hit, lose job, loose insurance, more debt, and cycled through that about a half dozen or more times. Eventually I had to move over a state to MA because the safety nets at the time in CT would not cover the MS medication, at the time medication was a weekly injection that had me feel like I had the flu for 2 to 4 days after, so that was no help either in the work department. It would take another 3 or 4 years before I realized I just couldn't cut it and was doing myself more harm than good spinning my tires working for 3 to 6 month at a time before my health would fail me, my performance would start to slip, and I would be looking for another position. It took some time, but eventually my ego would be broken. I am good at tech and fixing broken gadgets, I love troubleshooting, building PCs, and the hunt for a solution to a tough problem. I wanted to do something here like Rossman does, wanted to have an educational offering to teach the skillset as well, so watching Rossman is some bit of vicarious wish fulfillment. Its hard not to break down knowing what the disease and medical issues have cost me. But I digress, as I did manage to overcome my Ego's resistance to accepting my lot and applying for disability. But it was like being hit with a ton of bricks when I found out how little that was. And I don't want to get into such stuff here, but we need more safety nets. No fault of my own for being born with a Neuro degenerative disease that likes to strike right at the start of ones adulthood. I'm 42 now, and this life is a miserable one, still fighting my body on a daily basis not knowing what shitty symptom will rear its head from hour to hour (its currently 3am and I a awake due to muscle spasms), and that is with the newer meds that aren't quite as bad as the ones I started with. It just sucks, I have been homeless before because I can't work and when I can it never lasts, with all but one exception (new management meant bye bye for the disabled guy after 5 years, getting ), I have never found a job that was willing to deal with someone who can't always be there and has such an unpredictable and broken body...I get it, no employer wants an unpredictable employee. But to go from middle class, having such a bright future, to getting hit with MS told the medication wouldn't be covered by my employers insurance, finding out the medications to keep the disease at bay was about $75k a year, having to move out of state to get a safety net that would cover such, and how this all sent me into medical debt and financial ruin. My uncontrollable disease, has left me barely hanging on, with a constant fear I might end up homeless again, as its just how it is... I guess. I don't know what the answer is, but I do know if it happened to me it can happen to pretty much anybody! Actually I know its happening to far too many. We waste money on endless war and we can't even help those that are sickly, not mentioning the elderly and veterans who also get shafted whn it come to finding help for issues one is dealing with that are no fault of their own. Just try to remember not everyone is playing with the same starting stats....
Luis, this is definitely one of the best videos you’ve ever put out. It took me 30 years to learn what you learned. I’ve been in the oil and gas instrumentation business since 1986 and I consider myself a problem solver. It’s what I do best. And I get the same satisfaction that you do when I saw the customers problem he’s having. I just happen to love what I do also.
I’m glad I found your comment. My dad has been in this business for 20 years and is still trying to get a break. I dabbled a bit and found out it was the most stressful but yet most fulfilling time of my life. The thrill of chasing a deal , getting people to the table or even trying close was very fun. By any chance , it will be great to tell me about some of your stories or how you started out.
This advice applies so well to my current field. I am a maintenance technician for an apartment complex. Lot of people ask why I like the job even though its mundane crap all day, but I always tell them that at the end of my day, I dont take work home, I take home the smiles and appreciation from our tenants who had their problem solved and got their life back on track. No one wants to sit there and take apart old dishwashers or water heaters, its not "fun" and im not passionate about it, but damn does it feel good when everyone tells you they appreciate you for resolving their problem.
I was caught up in the "do what you love" bullshit... I heard it all my life from all of my teachers, so i thought it was true... all the way to getting my useless masters degree. Didnt take long after that, that i was mistaken and that i was trying to get a job in a saturated and dying field. I'm kinda stuck in a "bad" job now with no real outlook of getting better later... Ill survive, but it sucks cause of my feelings of failure and regret. But its important that people speak more about this subject so other people dont get caught up in the same bullshit i did...
This is gold. The one thing you need to understand to have a great life. Something that you need to make sure that your children will understand if you give them nothing else.
As someone who’s in the software industry, I kept nodding to this over and over I see so many people try to get into coding because there’s good money in it. What happens to most of these people? They suck at it. Like, absolutely suck. I’ve seen people who have completely blown me away at work because of their knowledge, and half of them don’t necessarily love to code. Yeah, the difference is that they’re competent first, and then they find their passion for it.
I love the real computer geeks at my company who really love the technologies but they are a small minority. I don't think that most others suck, but their is no 'passion' and it just becomes a job.
Yup. Have now spent a lot of my career mentoring more junior software engineers. The difference between the people who just try to "get it done" vs the people who try to "do things right" is HUUUUGE after a few years.
But without passion to coding you unlikely to stop suck at coding. I'm in coding because of passion and if someone's here just for money or "status" - stop. Passion is everything. Imagine hating your job for "competence" until you just "settle" and "give up" and this relief of giving up you then call "passion after competence"
There's only two way of working - doing what you love and tolerating each day of "fucking job" and waiting to the end of the day. You MAY create your "grown-up" sad philosophy with lots of "buts" - "but they pay well", "but it's near to home", "but it's just life" etc... Sound like excuses not to searching your passion to me. I worked with many people on 10+ jobs and the more passionate person is - the more inspiring and competent he is. Yes, there's lots of burnout ones but it's rather bug than feature.
That's pretty much me. I gave computer science a shot in college because everyone nowadays basically says "CS or Engineering or don't even bother going to school, just go into a trade that'll pay well but leave you with a beaten down ass body when you're 50." Well, I tried CS and I royally fucking sucked at it. I like programming and think it's really cool, but CS in general is just way too out of my league. So now I'm in college doing the thing I enjoy more (and coincidentally am way better at) but is kind of seen as one of those "why tf are you even bothering?" majors, while keeping programming as just, as Louis might describe it, the hobby I suck at but like doing anyway. However, if people actually do research, there are still a LOT of interesting careers for those of us who are less gifted in the CS / IT side of life, so to speak lol.
Mike Rowe has been saying that for years. I’ve had four careers the first of which was my passion. I got older and my “passion” became: eating, living in a nice neighborhood and making sure my kids ate and live in a nice neighborhood.
Mike Rowe, the guy who's spent his entire adult life in the entertainment industry? "Shucks, I really wanted to be a carpenter, but I had to settle for being a multi-millionaire TV personality ;_;". Poor guy. I'm sure the stories he likes to tell are 100% legit.
@@hermitxIII so he was lucky as well as talented in that field. there a law against that? He can’t understand other people’s problems cause he’s rich? Remember he didn’t come from money.
@@hermitxIII who is more likely to be trustworthy, someone that actually reached success in life or a butthurt guy posting on youtube with a "hermit" nickname
@@damiangrouse4564 He doesn't have the proper life experience to be preaching career advice. When he was young he allegedly wanted to pick up a trade, didn't try very hard, quit, went to college, and he's been in entertainment all of his life until his ripe, old age. What weight does his opinion have?
Don't forget the spoken/unspoken thing here: He got to pursue what he thought he was "passionate" about *first* and learned it wasn't for him. So many people who have this viewpoint that you don't need to do what you're passionate about have a similar background. It's a good thing to chase your passions. Just be ready to move on and find a new path and a new passion if it doesn't work out. Some people will be lucky enough that their youthful passions will match up with being something that they're good at. And good for them! Find out if you're one of those people! But if you're not, understand that it's okay to move on. That's the only addition I'd make to this video.
This. Passions are often like hobbies. Great to do for yourself but not so much when you _have_ to do it for someone else, in ways you don't like, at times that you don't want to.
This is great advice. I myself when I was younger always wanted to work IT, so I decided to try out Computer Engineering and I could only find myself feeling miserable and near depression, until I decided to switch to Civil Engineering and I really enjoy the public sanitation sector, stuff like building sewer and drainage systems. Thing is that I love it, but don't particularly enjoy it, or better, the feeling I get from studying and working as an intern (about to finish college later this year) is more of a satisfaction than actual joy, it's not the same as the fun I having while playing the guitar or painting Warhammer miniatures, and it's a totally fine feeling, and I would dare to say that it is a necessary for getting a fulfilling life.
@@pedrobastos8132 I realize I'm a year late, but if you play Nurgle as a sanitation engineer I would be so happy. (Also, do me a favor and work on whatever the next tallest building in the world is going to be. The Burj Khalifa uses poop trucks cause there's no sewer! Blech.)
I feel for you and others. My hobby was electronics and computers and I am now a retired Electronics and Computer engineer. I have a masters and 3 bachelors and who knows how many associates degrees in all the fields I love. And I loved being in the Military and I was a good soldier and good tech and mechanic. I am now retired and electronics and computers and programming are now just a hobby to fill my time and make a little extra money. And I am happy to have done and do what I love. :) I never worked any job I did not like or just punch in a time clock for just money. 24/7 was my passion/craft/love of what I do and did for a living. And I still learn every day working on broken crap or building a good killer machine or repurposing old machines. My specialty was reverse engineering old IC chips no longer made or supported and usually have no spec sheet or schematic or logic layout. I love all aspects of electronics and mechanics and programming that people call coding. I can code imbedded chips at every level. I love it. Always loved fixing and building crap from my earliest memories. I have always been hands on and never minded getting dirty. I was promoted to a supervisory engineering position that paid a lot for the day and lasted 1 week and resigned and went back to the work shop and floor work in the data center. I was and am good at what I did. They let me keep the salary but modified it to accommodate overtime and let me keep the benefit hike. I retired from that company and retired from the military, a combination of active duty and state national guard. Blessings to all and the best of good fortune to all.
@@goblinslayer5404 I have, thank you. I have been to many places and done many things. I have no regrets. Even my service in the war, I would do it all again.
I wish someone, anyone, framed it like this when I was young. I’ve only within the past couple years started thinking of it this way, and I’m way behind where I want to be, or at least where I could have been. Better late than never, but to anyone younger that sees this, I would strongly consider what Louis’ message here means to you. This is one of those messages that is profound enough that, even if you wind up disagreeing with it, you’ll learn something really important about yourself.
Hi Louis, you make a good point, I have always believed in loving what I do, and have always done best at work I enjoy. But, I have seen so many people "following their passion" and totally sucking at what they did. I cringe when I hear people speak about following their passion without any reference or concern for being good at what they do as though having a passion for it will automatically lead to excellence. Displaying an attitude that says that having passion is a substitute for self-discipline and the hard work required for developing the skills necessary to do excellent work.
I think there's a complex bridging process between your passion and what is economically viable. I wouldn't discount passion, it is important, but you can't discount economic viability either.
I truly hope that people of all ages will take this sage advice seriously--- being able to distinguish between a hobby vs. what one is truly good at and can market said skill. This video is a gem---required viewing for my young nephews. Vicarious learning is a beautiful thing; thank you for taking the time to post this, Louis!
Being in my early 20s, I'm a handyman/maintenance worker at a small company. Dad does the same work, and taught me what he could. Given I've only been working in this field for a few years I'm not bored yet. I'm doubting the longevity of the company and hope to diversify my skills enough while under them. Separation between hobby and work starts at computers for me. Started listening to you for oddity technology stuff and then mostly philosophy
start your own business you will be a millionaire. it's hard finding people who are good at fixing things and are reliable. People always need something fixed.
You should consider becoming a contractor. I bought a dump of a house, because it was cheap. The contractor I hired is a friend of someone I know. He's just a guy with a van. He doesn't have a fancy office and he doesn't advertise, he gets customers entirely by word-of-mouth. And he always has a long wait list. A homeowner like me will pay big bucks for a contractor who is honest, does quality work, doesn't do drugs or have a criminal record, shows up on time, and has a great reputation. If you like handyman stuff, maybe fix up the house of someone you know, have them recommend you to their friends and family, and expand your business from there.
Really good points. I’ve loved music all my life and wanted to score films. I had every indication that I am remarkably talented, etc. Yet, I ended up going down the root of software engineering. Now I’m making at least 5x what I’d be making as a struggling film scorer, and I have time to make music on my own terms anyway. I have some short films I’m working in too. The stable route ended up enabling my hobby more than pursuing the hobby as a career. Lots of extra income to fund the hobby + not having to pump out junk to satisfy a publishing deal or whatever.
For me, the secret was to find something that I can always do - whether I am in the mood or not. Some days it is fun, some days not, but I can always get it done.
I turned my hobby into my job, and I’m good at it. It was amazing in the beginning, but having to do it on someone else’s terms instead of mine, can be incredibly frustrating and annoying. In fact it can even ruin the hobby and make it only a job. So the way I see this is pretty much what you said. You don’t need to look at the work you do specifically, you need to look at the whole picture, how your work affects other people etc. Find something that is suitable for you, something with enough compromises. Eventually the job (in the total picture) should grow on you. If you’re not working in a job that ever grow on you and you hate it, keep having negative thoughts about it when you get home. You need to consider your options. You either need to find a way to solve the issues you have with this job, or that job isn’t for you. The most important thing about this saying is probably to avoid doing something you hate solely to make some money, but it costs you your happiness. You’re not doing the right job. A happy you is a much more efficient you, and you’ll be able to grow in your position and invest in your future opportunities.
For me, working in a job where im doing what im passionate about has only lead towards doing something else in my free time and not being able to Like the work, i do as much as i did when it was only a hobby. BUT: this can still be good, because when you are passionate about something, you often know a lot about it, which gives you the edge in career progression. So no, its not bad to chase after a job in a field you like. The thing you have to consider is, that you should look for a different hobby, because doing the same thing at work and in your free time isnt good, because you will eventually get tired of it.
Worked in first line tech support for 3 years, loved my job, had fun, immensly satisfying and constantly helping multiple people every day. Now i work in OPS and every change or success takes months if not years. And im less happy and less satisfied with my job. The pay barely makes up for it. The satisfaction i get for helping someone else out of their problems was much bigger than i will ever get from a more complicated job.
Louis, this is so true. I fell into doing IT in my 20s, but it didn't feel "passionate" about it so I wasted time chasing more "artistic" things that I sucked at. I finally came back to IT in my 30s when I got married and had to find a "real job". And what do you know, I found out that arriving somewhere to do something that I found really easy only to be greeted by "We're so glad you're here!", and getting all sorts of gratitude and monetary compensation (that I could use to support my famili) - was actually pretty nice! So my advice to my son and any other young people who will listen (not many) is not "Find your passion" - it's "Find what you are good at, no matter how you feel about it".
My thinking is that it is best to do what you are good at. If you are good at something it becomes easy. Your passion can be a hobby. If your hobby becomes your career you can begin to resent it because it now becomes an obligation to strangers.
My ex-boss always said to me "its just a job" I went into the store the other day, they replaced the whole staff LOL Also at another job, I always thought I wanted to repair computers. But as soon as it became work I quit after the first day. This is all too true.
As a structural engineer, I totally agree with you. The day to day job isn't always the best, but seeing the end product of my work serve people and make them happy is the best part of what I do.
It used to upset me that I couldn't figure out what my passion is. I was searching for the one thing I can do that makes me happy, so I can have a career out of it. I felt like I HAD to find this passion in order to be happy. What I've learned though, is that it's OKAY to not be passionate about what you do! It's okay to choose a career that doesn't necessarily fulfill you. I'm an RN and I admit I am not in love with this career. I originally chose it because I wanted to help people, but these days I don't even care much about that aspect either. After dealing with the amount of stress in this career, I just want to do a good enough job and leave. Don't get me wrong, I treat my patients well and do the best I can. But I'm not seeking to be the best nurse ever or go super above and beyond. No it is not my "calling" and that is okay. However, I'm doing well financially so hope to use that to fund things that truly makes me happy, what truly fulfills me. I'm still figuring out what my passions are, but not for a career like before. You don't HAVE to make your passion or hobby into a career to be happy.
This! I recently got in to the nursing program in my city after completing a bsc in biochemistry and trying to do a masters in bcem, only to realize it's not for me. I chose nursing after talking it out with my family that it'll give a more stable life. I feel horrible about 'doing it for the money' but after working for a bit and realizing that there is a stability component that one needs, and for me there's a certain lifestyle that I want, that there's no shame to do it for the money. There's truth to doing things on the side that fulfill you in a way and just doing a job for the sake of making a living. I'm not expecting a 6 figure salary or anything, just enough to have a family with a dual household income, and actually afford things for me and my family, like a house. And as I've grown older, it's shifted away from being passionate and doing something unique and interesting, and with academic research being doing something in the background that can help people, to more so doing something that society needs and values. This hit hard for the past few years. But I totally get what you're saying. Even the 'helping others' part isn't motivating me anymore, I'm sorry. I'm bracing myself to having to deal with horrible patients yet still needing to give good care (as you said, one still needs to be professional and do their job) and 12 hour shifts, and management that doesn't care, per se. All I know going into this program is that I wanna be a good nurse to patients and have semi-good relationships with my peers, and that's it. And hopefully move on to the next stage of my life, start a family, and not need to study and make ends meet anymore. Anyway, here's me hoping for a slow but steady journey to become an RN!
Mike Rowe nailed it. Do what you're good at and learn to love it. I went to college for my hobby and discovered that people find amazing ways to ruin my enjoyment of it so I changed my career choice to what I'm good at.
You may have a "passion" for something, but usually when you do it for a living it loses its luster. Case in point, I used to love programming.. Now as a software engineer, I can't really bring myself to work on code outside of work, because it *feels* like work.
It's a coinscidence you mention that. I'm also a software engineer and love programming outside of work. IDK your situation, but it doesn't feel like to work me to me when I'm working on my own stuff.
I am in engineer too but I am not sure what you are describing is losing your passion. You already programmed for 8 hours or more, so sure when you get home you want to do something that is not mandated from you.
Or is it all the procedures at work that drain you? unit tests, scrum, continues delivery, code reviews, living documents, artificial deadlines, artifical goals, moved goals, meetings, meetings about meetings, drawing your feelings. Programming was never the part I got tired of, it was the rest of it.
@@eightsprites when working on my own projects its refreshing to not have to adhere to coding standards or make unit tests for every little thing I add, even if it creates a brief problem later on. To add to that, yeah, it's nice to have to do the whole agile thing and have to document everything. Having said that though just thinking of coding it will still feel a bit like work so since it became a job I don't do it much in my own time.
Truer words never spoken. I have encountered a few “professional” musicians who seem to think of being in a band as a clock-in, clock-out type of thing, and that attitude frustrates and baffles the hell out of me. Truthfully, it’s exactly as you say… those of us who are able to keep doing this year after year never really clock out. We’re always engaged one way or another.
My passion was to be an opera singer. I had some technical issues with my voice, but the thing is, even the most qualified ppl I knew over the years, only 1 guy ever made it. And as covid hit, the entire industry was out of a job, in many cases their whole career gone. Meanwhile in my well paying job which I enjoy a lot and am good at, I’m doing better than ever. The issue is, that regardless of how well I do I still feel like a failure as a man, because with the thing I really wanted to do, I failed.
Tip: Find different job(s) that you "really like doing" while getting paid well, but keep some passion / love / hobby separate enough so you don't burn out a single set of skills over 35 years. Lex, sing in a choir, solo at churches and/or teach voice part time, with passion (to avoid bad habits / crack in range or whatever, etc.). Your instrument is way more than good enough; enjoy it 100% and share that hobby/skill with others!
Have you ever tried a Summer Stock type program? Though you may have an issue with your voice, that may matter less and you can be a hit, and practice what you love. A good friend of mine in a huge band out of NYC told me when I wondered how they weren't famous " this is our bass boat. Some guys live fishing so much they"ll spend 60 grand on equipment. I have a little less then half of that, but I get to use it year round. We'll never be famous. We hate producers!" Lol
Couldn't agree more. By doing what you're good at to make descent amount of $$, to be respected by everyone, and the fulfillment of positively impacting your customers is the best motivation for me
I've been fixing computers since I was a teen, when MS-DOS was still relevant. Troubleshooting used to be fun for me, now it's more like a chore...however, I'm still improving my skill and I still get satisfaction from solving peoples' tech problems and making them happy. Dopamine and benefiting society should be everyone's motivation to work, not money.
This is a great message Louis. The best parts of our "jobs" are when we are actually doing or fixing something and there's a real impact. It's even better when you can have ownership of this. Unfortunately most work environments lack both the true "doing/fixing" and the ownership. You are building someone else's project and when you feel like shit, if you look closely at it, it's because that's probably how you are treated. It's not any great mystery, it's not a feeling that arrives from nowhere, it's a cumulative realization based on feedback signals from your employer that they don't really give that much of a shit about your daily work. It's a shame, and it's a shame being an entrepreneur has so many barriers to entry.
I hope all of the teens and 20 something’s paid attention to this spot on advice. The ones that did will always be moving up. The ones that don’t, will be watching the ones that did pass by them.
I do too, but unfortunately most of the advice we get is these half-truths in public schools and universities. We'd need a soft revolution in order for someone like Louis to get into an instructor position
spot on advice? fuck no, life is way more complicted that listening to an video on an bloody advice that won’t work in WAY TO MANY LIFE SITUATIONS!!!! he is basing this vidon on how his life has gone in terms of career, but their are way to many life situtions were his advice falls flat on it’s face
@@RavenL1337 This is good perspective and rational. No two people will have the same path but I think, like most ideology, its the principles that outline and frame a path and this is just good framing for people who are maybe lost and need counsel.
More and more people I respect are saying this: I heard it first from Jordan Peterson, but I'm happy to hear it from you. _MEANING_ - that's what you need in your career. Not "passion". If you're doing something meaningful, you will get passion as a result of that.
i don't agree with it, some of the stuff peterson is saying feels wrong to me. This is one of them. I got doing what I'm doing simply because i'm halfway decent at it and stumbled upon it. Not because its meaningful, not because its my passion, or because its omg the most amazing thing ever. However, I do end up thinking about some problems that I encounter even at night. Even if I play videogames that day and not working, or if i decided to take a walk downtown. I still end up thinking about the problem, and eventually come with a few assumptions, or theories. Apply them and see what works and what doesn't. I don't know the actually theory, half of the time I barely understand what the client wants. Yet I'm doing pretty well without a lot of effort. Just some curiosity and thinking about stuff. Not because it has a meaning, but because it didn't work, so: why the fuck do you not work???!!!! I SAID YOU WORK!!! NOW YOU WORK!!! GET WORKING LIKE I WANT TOOOOOO!!!!
Thank you for this message. Struggling lately, and I'm hungry for truth--not coddling, not "support", not more comfort, compensation, etc. I'm so pissed because for 20+ years I was told by school, well-intentioned mentors, and finally college this "passion" stuff, and then blind-sided by the professional world where everyone is still seeking "passionate people" and good work ethic while setting up whole corporations around just getting a paycheck. It never feels right, and it's so difficult to place a finger on why. I just want companies, leaders, messaging...to be truthful.
I see what you did there 13:37 ... Anyway, I completely agree and understand this point. I am a software developer, and its certainly a passion and I often code outside of work, so I would consider it a hobby too. However, what I couldn't tell you is what came first, my passion or my skill. As a teen, I knew I wanted to work in computers, and a family member said to me, "well, so does every kid, you need to specialize". So i started learning to code, by the time I was 17, I got a job doing it and the rest is history. I found in interesting for sure, but I found everything in computers interesting. Some of the learning was tough, even the first few jobs but it got easier and for the most part I enjoyed it. Now that it's a passion and a hobby, similar to you, I do think about it outside of work hours. I used to drive an hour to work and the number of problems solved just thinking in the car was unreal. I too sometimes dream of stuff, come up with ideas and solutions. I read/watch tech stuff online, some related to my job, some not (board repair ;) )... and from that I learn stuff that helps. But you are right, if I wasn't good at this, or didn't earn the money I need, i probably wouldn't be doing it, or be as passionate. I would probably still be passionate about computers, but definitely not as personally invested in coding as I am. When the job does become a passion and a hobby, I've learned its important to live a balanced lifestyle. Its quite easy for time to fly because you enjoy it. However, that doesn't mean you should work 4 hours unpaid every day and get burnt out. The one piece of advice I've given myself over the years (and its especially true in coding but probably other professions too). Is that there is always going to be someone more knowledgeable than you, and you shouldn't be offended by that. That same person who is more knowledgeable than you, will be less knowledgeable on another subject. They will come to you for help on X and you will go to them for help on Y. Learn everything you can and don't take it to heart when someone else is doing it better, use it as an opportunity to better yourself. It works in reverse too, just because someone isn't as knowledgeable as you on a subject, don't belittle them or get annoyed with their questions. There's going to be something you need their help on eventually.
This really helped motivate me to keep going. I'm not the sort of person that needs outside motivation, but sometimes outside reassurance that what I'm doing is right does really help.
Also probably depends how to define passion. I really like solving problems and helping people - i work in IT as programmer and I get to do these 2 things constantly. I probably could do these 2 things any many other fields in both blue and white collar fields. For me getting to work with a computer is the cream on top as I am interested in computers and other technologies So i might call myself luck that i could choose this path in my life... i also know people that have done real hard work to turn their hobbies into work - that for sure looks hard from outside, but probably also really rewarding
That studio story of the guy staying late to find and answer reminded me of my college days, where I would spend over 20 hours on a 1hr project because I want to find better ways of solving it and have proper, valid explanation of why I did it that way and why it was better than the way it was supposed to be done
I have come to realize that I am not doing what I love, but I love what I am doing. I think about what I do all the time, and I have come to accept that not only I couldn't do otherwise, but I don't want to anyways.
regarding your 4am problem solving, it reminds me of a great quote from Einstein--- "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
shadiversity talked about something like this too. when he was in high school, he thought he wanted to draw/be an artist for a living b/c he was decent at it and liked drawing his medieval fantasy people... but when he got paid to draw someone else's scifi character it was a slog and he just didn't want to do it. after a few years of soul searching, he realized what he actually liked, were the stories he made for each of those fantasy people. he realized that he was passionate about story telling, he just happened to be good at drawing as well.
100% man. I got a fantastic piece of advice when I was younger. I worked construction and demolition for 8 months after I got out of the army. The crew leader told me, “You won’t be able to work this hard forever. Whenever you’re on a job, find the guy that does less work and gets paid more money than you. Figure out how to do his job.” Always learn everything going on around you. You never know when that could be an opportunity for you. I’m making the money I am now because I can combine several different skill sets and do 3-4 people’s jobs by myself.
What a refreshing take than all the antiwork shit you read on the internet nowadays that preaches about stealing company time, clocking out at 4, doing the bare min at your job, seeing work as nothing but slavery that you do for 8 hours a day, etc.
There are 3 things I love: Music, teaching & technology. I've been a professional musician, a teacher (from junior high to college) and now I repair Macs as a way of living. And it's worked for me my whole life. Guess I've been lucky.
i disagree. i've been programming my whole life because i love it and i guess that's how i got good. i would have also continued programming as a hobby if nobody paid me for it. i also think i'd be depressed all the time if I was forced do so something that I don't love for a dayjob. besides, i don't think it's even possible to spend 40 hours a week on a hobby you love and not get good at it over time.
One thing I learned from my rocket scientist brother is that once you have a job you want to keep, a good portion of your job is to make your manager look good. If you can do that, it'll go a long way. I recently had some health issues and my job performance suffered. I learned that my boss protected my job from upper management. I didn't even tell him anything about what was going on. After I did tell him, he explained that he was going to be better able to protect me. My attitude of helping him look good saved my job.
I would take this advice with a grain of salt. There’s a great message in this video with “Become passionate with the outcome of what you’re doing.” I like that sentiment. It’s a noble way to live. But have a similar story with a different ending. I was really REALLY good at being a sales guy, I was helping solve people’s problems, maybe I could’ve made good money doing it if I climbed the ladder more or went to a different company, but I hated doing it, and am very happy to be past it. I wanted to be an audio engineer, I sucked at being an audio engineer, but kept at it until I got good at being an audio engineer, and now work as an audio engineer and producer, and am pretty darn happy as a result. I’d never considered “looking to the outcome” as Louis recommends here, it’s a different way of thinking about it, but it is NOT for me. I’m doing what I want to do, every day, and getting paid for it, which is fine I guess, I can pay my bills, but then when I’m done working for the day, I go home and do it some more. Cause I love it. But if you can find enough joy in what you’re doing in what you’re doing to grind it out for 40 years and not die full of regrets and backpain, that’s awesome and I wish you the best.
You made some nice points, but there's a very important factor in your story that I don't think you're considering: you were interested in audio engineering, practiced audio engineering and became good at audio engineering - good enough to get a job. That is not a common occurrence. The premise of "You can do anything if you put your mind to it!" tends to set many people up to fail. Not everyone can learn about something and as a result become proficient in doing what they have learnt about. Many people can learn new skills and knowledge and only ever be average. That isn't to say that people shouldn't try, but you should remember that just because you spend so many hours each day doing something, that doesn't guarantee you will become the best. We all have our own varying limitations on what we are able to conceptualise, contextualise and execute. This is why Louis' point of focussing on your strengths, rather than what you would like your strengths to be, is important. Otherwise, the majority of people are going to spend a lot of time, energy and money chasing a hobby/career that they will simply not achieve.
@@HaneeFannee I think I can see where I think your mistake is. The 'you can do anything' (within reason) is right, but it's not something you can magically do, it usually involves actually learnign it. I see nowadays a lot of people don't have this concept of working hard for something, but also expect completely unreasonable wages when starting out, and sure, that rarely works out. You start with a crappy wage as anyone else, you can get a decent earning bump maybe around 2 years mark, and by the 5th year you can make a living. It still means you have to actually learn stuff instead ofjust sitting on your ass for those years, and you need to be able to talk like a normal being because you either do intervuiews for a new job, or talk to customers. I don't think that general concept changed much.
I’m curious, how exactly did you get into and start learning about audio engineering? I’m partially interested in learning it myself as a potential job in the future and would like to hear you’re experience/advice!
@@iamjass005 I went to school for it, watched a million RUclips videos, begged people to come record with me, and got good enough at it that I was allowed to charge for it as my ears got better. After a few years of working with people, I got to work with some slightly more important people, charge a little more, work my way up to the point that now, I’m a hand full of people’s first call, and bunch of people’s second call. Be a good listener, learn how file hierarchy works, be organized, know the craft well enough that you can anticipate people’s needs, learn to communicate with people, and advocate for everyone’s ideas. These are NOT skills I started with, I have ADHD, so these things don’t all come naturally to me.
@@HaneeFannee All that may be, but I would feel a lot worse about my life knowing that I didn’t try to do the things I wanted to, and then try again a couple more times, when it didn’t work. Maybe you gotta know when to quit and do something else. But all the people that I started out with at audio school that stuck with it, are still doing it. The ones that haven’t, aren’t. Simple as that.
Golden advice, especially point #2 about investing yourself instead of looking at a job purely in terms of salary. It does require that you love and believe in what you're doing, otherwise you'll have a limited shelf life working harder than your colleagues. Keep that up for 5 or 10 years and you'll be at the top of your profession.
I got brainwashed by that notion, now I'm 39 and have no career, just a string of minimum wage jobs. My father didn't take an interest in my development into a man, he decided to chase a new family.
You can turn it all around. Nowadays you can learn how to code and build a portfolio of projects and use that to get an entry level software dev iob. Within a few years you can be making a great salary and have a career if you follow the demand. GL.
You still have to be extremely careful, and whilst mostly true, employ this advice with reasoning, and temper it with your own life experience. I'd be willing to wager that Louis is firmly against anyone blindly following anyone else, without forethought. Case in point, I just turned 30, and spent my 20s dedicated to academia. My father was a lawyer, and holds a doctorate. My sister is currently @ Stanford studying microbiology. My mother, studied aeronautical engineering. 3 out of her 4 siblings, also engineers, along with 2 of their respective spouses. My maternal grandfather, a man I was around since childhood, was head of a college science department. I know it sounds fanciful, but hear me out. You'd think I was almost destined to follow in the field, yes ? I aced all the aptitude tests, scored ridiculously high, and consistently so, on required IQ tests (I won't bother posting the score, those things are open to interpretation anyhow), was enrolled in accelerated classes, and bumped up 2 grades on my arrival to the U.S. (I was a foreign national). I say all this to preface the following: I studied electrical engineering,, then econ and I.T. in college, before going on to double major in Mathematics and Physics. I was able to land a decent job in a medium sized medical company's I.T. department towards the end of uni, that carried with it the opportunity for advancement. My family was "pleased". In short, I was miserable 24/7, even when I was around friends and family, smiling. I drank heavily, hated my job, hated school, and eventually became bitter and full of vitriol. My one respite outside of my mother, was my ex girlfriend, who was tremendous at the time. A relationship I eventually torpedoed one drunken night, pre-breakdown. I eventually crashed and burned. My point is, I had all the genetic markers/prerequisite conditions to be a STEM success, and I was GREAT in the field. But every waking moment was spent in my own personal hell. Yes, Louis is right in that practicality and pragmatism have to be utilized in making career choices. But NEVER @ the expense of your sanity, mental health, and first and foremost, peace. Sure he can stomach his daily routine, but our situations are all obviously subjective and unique, and for some of us, doing what we're "good" @, would eventually take our lives. Just my two cents, have a good one, all.
Straight GOLD, thank you Louis Rossmann! I don't always enjoy warm fuzzies in doing electrical work, but the appreciation I get from customers and contractors for a job well done make it absolutely worthwhile.
That’s excellent! Pretty much my life philosophy. I never felt passionate about anything and was worried what to do after high school; it was probably the depression, but honestly Idk. I was great at science, like money, and am a decent person. I decided to go into medicine, lol. Turns out, I’m really good at it! Am I an a-hole doctor? No. My coworkers, staff, and patients love me. Suffice it to say, my boss comes to me when she needs a consultation. I often spend hours researching treatments for my patients or berate insurers on the phone because they are denying them the treatment they needed. I do the prior authorizations myself to make sure it is alright. I advocate for my patients and am compassionate, not out of a desire to help humanity, but out of being the decent human being my mother taught me to be. Did I enjoy volunteering and helping the underserved in undergrad? No, I did not. It was all a show for medical schools. Do I help out charities financially? Yes, I do. At least in medicine, I wish people stopped thinking that you need to have a special calling and be freaking Gandhi in order to simply be a good doctor. Just because you like the money doesn’t mean you’ll be bad at your job. I found I was good at it and that’s been personally rewarding and motivating.
Nursing is also similar in the sense that people feel like it has to be your "calling" in order to be a good nurse. That is absolutely not the case though. Plenty of people who aren't in love with the profession are damn good nurses. I'm not passionate about being a nurse and it's nice to be in a profession that's pretty much always in demand and pays well. But even though I don't love nursing, I treat my patients well and try my best.
I really like your points. I always saw passion as what you describe as a craft. It's that dedication to wanting to get better at something, not just something you find fun kind of passion or that 9-5 and clock out kind of not wanting to deal with it anymore.
You can do what you love but be terrible at it which means low job satisfaction and likely a path to being broke in retirement. Do something you’re good at and you’ll feel good about what you do. You’ll also be able to provide for yourself and your family..
Preach. This really hit me, I was not aware of these things but this is the way I've thought about no matter the work I was doing. Get satisfaction from your craft, stop caring how much you making. You will be making more as you grow without even realising it.
Great advice for the "up-and-coming" workers! I'm nearing retirement age and have a different perspective on work. I have found that in my position there's no reward for "improving my craft" beyond a point. My advice is, find a union job. And if you can't find a union job, seek those who want to start a union and give them your support.
Well said Louis, " making from your hobby your career" will not only not work, it will also take the fun out of your hobby... and then you have nothing left.... Seeing your occupation as a craft is a good approach , but be aware that the craft spirit can only thrive in a work environment where it is appreciated and acknowledged... Those who go out of their way to make their occupation a craft are not necessarily the one's valued in their work environment... it is just taken for granted and those, with the "right connections " - who do far less - gets the credit....or get favored....
Really great insights. Some of the biggest issues people have are exactly related to "just having a job" vs having pride in their work. That type of work ethic does translate to a better result when that person moves on to something new or invests in their own business. And they will be happier to see that kind of person working for them too.
I'm split on this. On one hand you say passion is BS but on the other hand you say a job isn't just a job, but a craft. One can't become a master of one's craft without passion. One can't put in the effort you describe is needed without having a passion for ones work. But yes. One can't find out what work would be ones passion without giving it time and effort. I would argue that your attempt at being a recording technician ended up showing you it wasn't your passion. Sure. It was interesting and exciting. But not your passion. When I see your videos, especially the right to repair stuff, I can see the fuckton of passion you have for your field and your craft. I think the crucial difference you are trying to explain is the difference between a superficial passion and a deeper passion. Deep passion is complex and difficult, but extraordinarily rewarding once one find the right one.
@@jglee6721 I can't say I agree. I don't suck at office work, like sorting papers and admin work. I've done it for short periods at a time, and I can say, while I am good at it, I could feel the spark in my life slowly dying. I would never be able to make it into my life career, despite being good at it.
@@asbjo let me put it this way if you suck on something your pretty much never be able to make a career out of it. Cause no one wants to hire you. Instead of your spark dying you might actually just die.
This is a great video and very spot on. I also want to add that that thing that you're really good at, doesn't HAVE to be some extremely "technical" skill like computer science or board repair like Louis (although those are some amazing skills to be good at and do work in obviously). There are SO many different types of jobs that will actually pay well if you get good enough so that people want to pay you a lot for them. Plumbing...ruck driving...electrician...marketing...museum work...music...digital art. Hell, even being a writer of some sort, which is one of the most memed "useless pipe dream" careers out there (and there are also many different types of writers). I just wanted to point that out because I dealt with it when reading about college majors on the internet, where a lot of people just basically say "do computer science or engineering, or don't even bother with college." I struggled in computer science which is basically my version of audio engineering; something I do enjoy and wish I was good at but I just have to face the facts that I suck at it and especially the math involved in it. But when you actually do some searching...there are a LOT of career fields you can go into with liberal arts programs when you actually put in the effort to use the skills it teaches you to something. So what's the point of my 500 word essay? Get creative and think HARD. This is for my "better at a 'creative' hobby than a technical hobby (even though those can be creative too of course)" peeps. Stop watching youtube videos at 2 am and put in some actual research into the types of careers you can turn your "good at" hobby into, whatever it is, and start giving it a serious try. You can't actually start working in the field that you're good at until you start applying and marketing yourself. That's probably the one thing that keeps people with the more "creative" skills working at Wal-Mart. They don't actually give it a serious try.
I followed my passion into a career simply because it was something that I had an interest in (which is very important for someone with ADHD, like me) and I happened to be very good at. Now I've come to realize that I only enjoy the work when I'm doing it on my own terms, for myself or for close friends, not when I'm forced to do it to earn a wage. You couldn't pay me to care about doing ANYTHING for ANYONE anymore, unless it was a life changing amount of money, enough to never have to work again. Now I'm stuck at age 35 with next to no passion and I can't think of job that would put me in a better place other than something part time where I don't have deal with anyone. And no, I don't want to run my own business. I just don't want to work anyone, period. I'm starting to think that I should start throwing money at crypto or the stock market and hope something hits big.
Sounds like a tad bit of depression sprinkled in there my friend. I too am struggling to put in full workdays but I am working out of an excel sheet 5 days a week. You may just need to find work that meets the criteria you stated. The best part about being free is choosing how you want to live your life. I know that is easier said then done. We do not have derive our value from what we can offer others but it is conducive to a functional society.
Absolutely correct. On every point. From my personal experience, I would add that turning a passion into a job/career isn't a guaranteed win even if you're great at it. Two of my favorite hobbies were almost ruined because the professional environments of both were toxic. I'd come home and not want anything to do with either. After leaving both behind as career options, I found my passion and happiness in them as hobbies again. Now I work in a totally unrelated field. And I like doing what I do and take pride in being my best at it -- I even put in effort during off-hours to always be better. And I like coming home to my passionate hobbies, too.
hobby isnt passion. You are clearly passionate about helping people with their devices, so not sure how you think it doesnt apply to you :p many people dont do words well, but that doesnt invalidate the expression .. Edit: I think it goes without saying that you should be passionate about it AND be able to make money .. and I dont think its about passion for a certain job, but more towards a type of work. Every job gets old over time, thats why you want to advance your career over time, and by doing a type of work you can do a lot of things that will keep you in that mindset and condition you like, while not doing the same shit over and over and over again. People often dont investigate why they like something and thus wont find the real passion, just the current interest.
Yeah gonna have to say no to this one Louis. What I am passionate about is drawing and it was really just a hobby for me for the longest time. Multiple times in fact since I stopped and started again after pursuing certain niches for music and video editing but in my whole life I have never at all had the feeling you had of "Whoa. I kind of hate doing this, but I am good at this, so let me do that instead" I think this Mike Rowe thing only applies to certain kinds of people. But also not to others. It is not something I take on face value and it also strikes me as "Just shut up and accept that fact you won't rise above being either broke or miserable, because you cant have both doing what you are doing" I reject that notion 100000000000%. THAT is a lie. Flat out.
Definition of lie by Merriam-Webster. a: an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker or writer to be untrue with intent to deceive b: an untrue or inaccurate statement that may or may not be believed true by the speaker or writer. But yes. Tell me more its not a lie and just wrong which is the same thing amd also just as wrong like thinking you can't be passionate doing what you love and have a better living off of it than what you were doing oh wise one. /s
I’ve been working for myself for about 20 years, flipping houses, playing poker, owning/operating a remodeling business. The self determination and self responsibility has become my passion. I’ve been on my own too long to start taking orders now, and it’s wonderful.
Thanks Louis, usually when I talk with others about my working habit of working and thinking about a problem until i solve it (even if it takes me 18 hours per day) or actually dreaming about a problem and having a solution pop up, people are always shocked or stumped, and whenever they ask me why, I'm never able to put it into words, but, from now on anytime I get asked about it, I'll just link your video as an explanation because you were so spot on!
Excellent video. I work in Finance/Data Analytics in health care. I don’t love working in Microsoft Excel and crunching numbers all day, but I’ve figured out that that’s something I’m really good at, it adds value to my customers, and I’ve made it my craft to the point where I invest the extra hours and time mastering what I do so I can incorporate that into future work. It’s a hard truth to tell people that if they only treat work as a job then and not a craft that they won’t be as successful as someone like me, but it’s the truth.
Excellent presentation, you explain it very well. I feel like it's gone full circle for me. Years spent honing my craft. Working for the passion of helping people. Now it's all about paying my bills and keeping busy. Give me something to do so I don't get bored. Pay me enough to live and I don't care about much else. I'm no longer interested in becoming a better automotive service technician or learning new skills. The spark is gone.
1. Sometimes filling a niech is better than brute forcing a dream 2. following a hobby can open doors to other avenues (careers, interests, relationships. ect) 3. focus skills that are transferable. nothing is a 'waste of time' if it builds work ethic
Good video. You have made me think about the literal, etymological meaning of the word 'vocation'. It is not just a job, it is your 'calling'. It has to be something you feel you are inherently good at and are willing to do for the sense of fulfilment it gives you, not just the wage.
10:00 Excellent point there. I've had the idea of leaving work at work for a long time. But I also admire those who call their work 'craftmanship'. Because it shows a life time dedication to mastering a skill. So I shall change my attitude. I still will not work for the company a second longer than what I'm contracted for. But if I can spend extra time improving my skills for the job, I'm certainly doing that. Just got to make sure whatever extra work I do goes to building skills I can take to someone who's willing to pay better.
Reminds me of that book So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport. Don’t chase your passion, develop your skills and expertise and it will become your passion.
I completely agree. I always enjoyed working on computers and learning how other electronics work and trying to fix them. Today I've been working in lawn care on the health side of it and it's nice helping people get their yard to that perfect look, feel and health they want. I've received hand written leaders from customers thanking me and stuff like that allows me to keep pushing forward and shake off the bad.
100% agree. If you'd like to move up in life, you have to put in the extra effort. If you need a little motivation, figure out what works for you and do that. Motivation could come from a friend, someone online, spiritual, or even within.
Gotta say Louis you make so much more sense than many others, refreshing to hear what you say for sure. trying preach same to my kids , its better to do what your good at rather than pursue hobbies as work
This needed to be said! There’s a huge difference. I’m fortunate to be self employed and have a career in passionate about for a few reasons. Primary reason, I really love hearing someone appreciate the work I do and seeing their reaction. I’m third generation in my family in my career and many other reasons. But… huge but… it’s it a free ride and I am not a millionaire! It’s a good trade off to do something you’re good at and enjoy versus forcing your hobby into a career!
I'm in school still for mechanical engineering and sometimes I feel like it's an endless battle. I'm passionate about certain aspects but I really despise some others. It's extremely fulfilling when what I learned in class finally shows an application in real life, I started an electric vehicle club. Thanks for you insight
Reminded me of that time I quit a job for a worse paying one because I needed the experience on a particular skill, I had a good time in that job with the bad pay, learned what I needed and jumped to the one I'm currently in, now I make very good money and am in constant growth. I'm also not passionate about my career, but once I decide I want to solve something with it I can work 90 hours a week to get it done. But really, there are weeks were I barely work more often than the other way around. My passion is singing, but I have the feeling whether I succeeded or not my life wouldn't be as nice as it is now (I don't care for being rich or famous). Now I sing a lot on my free time, and it's awesome.
The fun of the craft indeed! Wisely spoken, and I can't agree more. It's about learning, learning and learning again, getting inspiration from others, honing your skills for years, drawing conclusions from your successes and mistakes, doing the next job better than the previous one. That's how I evolved from trying to resolder that 0.3mm raster flat cable connector on an old laptop mobo destroying the thing in the process, to actually succeeding at SMD rework. That's how I built better and better amps/preamps over time too. I definitely feel it's my calling, and you couldn't have said it better when it comes to the genuine joy and gratitude from a customer who now has a working device. Sometimes it's also facing real challenges and difficulty, and overcoming them... but at the end of the day, it's rewarding if you succeed. And if not, which happens, one can hope one learned something. :)
When I was young, my family were commercual printers for generations ( going back 100 years). I quit school and started at a printer on the back end of a press loading pallets. I LOVED it, it paid 1.65/ hr. As the weeks rolled, I would get bored and wander to other presses learning what to do when we were changing jobs, or maintenance. Forman took note and within 9 months I was 2nd man on a crew, I made more than most of my friends parents at the time( early 80s) My passion has always been fast dangerous machines ( printing, racing, but a competitive car is hideously expensive though I tried) I ended up driving busses when the industry went away, which lead to trucking and after several shitty jobs learning all the while, I've been with the same co. For 18 years. And doing very well. Every fail is an opportunity if you learn from it.
All Louis needs is some protein powder on his desk and he'll officially be a bodybuilding life advice channel.
Coach Louis. Hopefully he will make videos debunking Athlean X too
>Louis freaking out at people on Twitter for calling him out on not being natty without @ ing him
Would be better than suburban Mom life coach types
Nah we already got shreddedsportscience for that
"Lift yourself out of the chair and start taking life seriously, push your insecurities out of your way and carry your own weight trough your life"
Millennials got sold a truckload of one liners like "make your passion your job and youll never work a day in your life", myself included.
And I've been telling people who say that to go shove it because generally no one likes "work", and if what you enjoy becomes "work", such as being an artist - you end up hating it and have no escape from the BS.
What I've found works the best is just find something you're good at rather than what you enjoy - people are good at many things and have many aptitudes than they think they have. Simply by being good at whatever you're doing even if you don't enjoy it - you end up enjoying it and you still have your escapist hobbies and passions.
I've encountered so many "passionate" burnouts around my age who grew up and into their 30's still chasing the magic dragon and wondering why it doesn't work.
People don't talk enough about how much you have to work for what pay, what you have to do to get to that point, etc., maybe because you will be perceived "lazy". Some jobs "on paper" sounds really cool but in reality you're doing "what you love" at 10x pace to just survive and that isn't good for mental health.
fuck that, you even have to work at your hobbies... i make music for fun but that shit is still hard work
@@lilBabyBornInCalifornia I'm not saying that you don't have to work for your hobbies, its called diligence and undertaking a process; there's work involved in anything.
The difference between your hobby or "passion" being "work" is when it brings in money, meaning theres more expectation out of that value of work beyond simple self satisfaction and peer recognition.
Some of us found it.
Don’t forget “you can do whatever you want in life.” Like the world is just supposed to magically pay you top dollar for whatever tf you want to do regardless of demand.
Man this is SO spot on! I never thought video editing/post-fx would be a passion - but ‘just starting’ and doing it just to learn something was what has now turned into my passion nearly halfway into my 18 years of working in media design. Always tinkering and trying new things.
Video editing is so much fun, getting that cut “just right” is always so satisfactory!
I'm an electrician and can attest that he is correct. I love finishing a task or job and seeing it work. I also enjoy troubleshooting problems and finding the solution. But I hate crawling around through cobwebs in dirty crawlspaces or through hot attics. No matter what career you get into you have to become highly skilled in it and you will find things to love about it. If you find you aren't acquiring the skills you need you need to find another career. It is rare to start with passion and end up doing what you are passionate about and being able to make money doing it. Sometimes people are surprised by careers that they dismissed because they didn't realize that it required skills that they have and love.
How tf to be passionate about editing it's more like ocd
@@alvareo92 ocd
@@ianbelletti6241 yooooo I luuuv crawling in nasty dusty weird places it's so fun gimme ur job even if it pays less lmao
Worst thing is that you have to decide this so early in your life, because some fields block you if you do not have education in that field.
There is nothing worse being stuck in job A and discovering, that you would actually be good at job B, but job B requires you to have a 5 year degree and you are already in your 30's.
This was really true like 20 years ago. Realistically what information isn't obtainable for free through the internet anymore though?
yeah a lot of places still require the paper but it's easier than ever to brute force your way into any field by just knowing more.
If you have good references and work experience from your previous career, that's still valuable. Any leadership skills developed, managers/bosses that liked you, financial or time management skills, etc. That shit is valuable in any career. It's only lost time if you choose to see it that way.
Omg so true. 🔥
Nah fam. If you gave a fu©k at all about your dream job, you learn that $hit in months. Not years. Why? It's your passion! You wanna stay stuck learning the nuances or the simplicity behind your passion? There's doing it and trying it.
Louis is neither of those, right? Not stuck. No 5 year degree.
Couldnt agree more. Ruining a hobby by making it a job is a shit plan.
I made CGI my job after finding i enjoyed it as a teenager and hated it for about 8 years but ended up finding a little niche i love where its paid well and isnt stressful and im pretty good at it.
I love cooking. Theres no way id want to work in a commercial kitchen.
food and service industry is basically hell, nobody "likes" it
@@marcogenovesi8570 I have to admit i absolutely loved being a bartender even when it was 4 deep at the bar because i was really fucking good at it.
@@jpjapers being good at something is very under rated as motivation.
@@jpjapers Me too, in my early 20s... All the women may have had something to do with it.
Scott Adams has talked about this. He didn't become wildly sucessful with Dilbert because he was passionate about cartooning. He just threw a bunch of stuff against the wall and that's the one that stuck. So he became better at it as it gained traction and he realised it was making him successful.
Good points! Here's a related one: Process, culture and ethics.
If you find that the process in a company sucks, their culture feels harnful, and their ethical behavior turns out questionable, your passion will likely not compensate for that. Some companies try to abuse passion to justify such problems ("if you are passionate, XYZ should not matter"). Find a different employer where you can develop peacefully and freely.
Save Big Money at Menards...
I feel the auto industry is like this. I had the kind of passion for it Louis is talking about here, but the more I was in the career, the more I hated it, to the point where I quit. I tried going to a different shop with better pay and better bosses, but my hatred just grew and now try to convince people to ditch car culture.
Yea you really should not put your passion into these kind of companies.
The difference here is that Louis means that you should be putting in extra time to learn things, to improve your efficiency etc., not to do what your boss asks you to do. This cannot be forced, you have to feel like you should do more.
Burn down the company so that they can't hurt anyone else
"Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life." Confucius (an unemployed philosopher)
and joseph campbell said "follow your bliss". but what if your bliss is something awful.....
Lol, he had many jobs. Stupid.
He wasn't unemployed though. He worked in government (he was hired precisely because his teachings gave him such a high reputation in fact) and later went into exile for a while because of some powerful enemies he had. But then he was invited to return to his native land when things became less turbulent in the government, where he retired and sometimes worked as an advisor again to the governor who invited him back.
If Confucius was just some unemployed shmuck we probably wouldn't even know he existed like all the other peasant farmers who didn't get written about lol.
@@saitodosan9377 But- but- Sun Tzu was unemployed and we know all about him. Oh nvm he was a general...
Well it's kinda true lol
I gave up on my passion years ago. Its now my hobby. I am great at data analytics but it is no fun. That being said, because I'm good at it, I make literally 10x more than i made doing what I'm passionate about. Now im passionate about both and can afford to do the other thing as a hobby and enjoy both.
I think the idea is to learn to be passionate about what you're good at.
data analytics? That is your job? You graduated from business school or? please humour me im interested
@William Schlass lmao hahahahahahaha
My passion is paying the bills and not being homeless or in jail from debt. If that doesn't motivate you to do any kind of work, I don't know what will!
I have a Van and trailer expressly for the purpose of staying dry and semi stationary despite being homeless. Gotta prepare for that shit in advance. This $200 a month apt is a unicorn that won't last forever.
In a capitalist economy everyone is born a slave. And true money you can buy your freedom. In a socialist government you are free but you depend on the system if it fails there is no backup.
I have that will and desire but a body that is broken (Multiple sclerosis and 5x spine surgeries). I have done IT and repair work like Rossman for 20+ years, I enjoy it and wish I could be doing so often. That said, y body fails e daily, and its a struggle just to move in the morning. I have so little energy that what little I get for the day, sometimes isn't even enough to do the basics like cook a meal.
It sucks, MS is a wicked and fickle beast, and the spinal issue are just a cherry on top. I look around at my peers and feel like I was left behind, and a not good enough because I got some shitty hand dealt at the start of my adult life basically (spine surgeries at 17, 19, 21, 2x @ 24 plus the MS diagnosis iirc). I had a bright career ahead of me, that just could never gain traction dealing with the variety of issues one faces dealing with the medical problems, I just couldn't compete.
Much of this happened before the ACA was around, so getting the care and medicine I needed was often a struggle. I had insurance on and off from the jobs I had, but it became a cycle of find work, get insurance, medical issues hit, lose job, loose insurance, more debt, and cycled through that about a half dozen or more times. Eventually I had to move over a state to MA because the safety nets at the time in CT would not cover the MS medication, at the time medication was a weekly injection that had me feel like I had the flu for 2 to 4 days after, so that was no help either in the work department. It would take another 3 or 4 years before I realized I just couldn't cut it and was doing myself more harm than good spinning my tires working for 3 to 6 month at a time before my health would fail me, my performance would start to slip, and I would be looking for another position. It took some time, but eventually my ego would be broken. I am good at tech and fixing broken gadgets, I love troubleshooting, building PCs, and the hunt for a solution to a tough problem. I wanted to do something here like Rossman does, wanted to have an educational offering to teach the skillset as well, so watching Rossman is some bit of vicarious wish fulfillment. Its hard not to break down knowing what the disease and medical issues have cost me. But I digress, as I did manage to overcome my Ego's resistance to accepting my lot and applying for disability.
But it was like being hit with a ton of bricks when I found out how little that was. And I don't want to get into such stuff here, but we need more safety nets. No fault of my own for being born with a Neuro degenerative disease that likes to strike right at the start of ones adulthood. I'm 42 now, and this life is a miserable one, still fighting my body on a daily basis not knowing what shitty symptom will rear its head from hour to hour (its currently 3am and I a awake due to muscle spasms), and that is with the newer meds that aren't quite as bad as the ones I started with. It just sucks, I have been homeless before because I can't work and when I can it never lasts, with all but one exception (new management meant bye bye for the disabled guy after 5 years, getting ), I have never found a job that was willing to deal with someone who can't always be there and has such an unpredictable and broken body...I get it, no employer wants an unpredictable employee. But to go from middle class, having such a bright future, to getting hit with MS told the medication wouldn't be covered by my employers insurance, finding out the medications to keep the disease at bay was about $75k a year, having to move out of state to get a safety net that would cover such, and how this all sent me into medical debt and financial ruin. My uncontrollable disease, has left me barely hanging on, with a constant fear I might end up homeless again, as its just how it is... I guess.
I don't know what the answer is, but I do know if it happened to me it can happen to pretty much anybody! Actually I know its happening to far too many. We waste money on endless war and we can't even help those that are sickly, not mentioning the elderly and veterans who also get shafted whn it come to finding help for issues one is dealing with that are no fault of their own. Just try to remember not everyone is playing with the same starting stats....
Luis, this is definitely one of the best videos you’ve ever put out. It took me 30 years to learn what you learned. I’ve been in the oil and gas instrumentation business since 1986 and I consider myself a problem solver. It’s what I do best. And I get the same satisfaction that you do when I saw the customers problem he’s having. I just happen to love what I do also.
I’m glad I found your comment. My dad has been in this business for 20 years and is still trying to get a break. I dabbled a bit and found out it was the most stressful but yet most fulfilling time of my life.
The thrill of chasing a deal , getting people to the table or even trying close was very fun. By any chance , it will be great to tell me about some of your stories or how you started out.
Luis
@@deeznutt666 I blame "Speech to Text" on my IPhone. Fucking Grammar Nazis.
This advice applies so well to my current field. I am a maintenance technician for an apartment complex. Lot of people ask why I like the job even though its mundane crap all day, but I always tell them that at the end of my day, I dont take work home, I take home the smiles and appreciation from our tenants who had their problem solved and got their life back on track. No one wants to sit there and take apart old dishwashers or water heaters, its not "fun" and im not passionate about it, but damn does it feel good when everyone tells you they appreciate you for resolving their problem.
I was caught up in the "do what you love" bullshit... I heard it all my life from all of my teachers, so i thought it was true... all the way to getting my useless masters degree. Didnt take long after that, that i was mistaken and that i was trying to get a job in a saturated and dying field. I'm kinda stuck in a "bad" job now with no real outlook of getting better later... Ill survive, but it sucks cause of my feelings of failure and regret. But its important that people speak more about this subject so other people dont get caught up in the same bullshit i did...
Just curious, what field is this? Hope things work out better for you, my guy, maybe you can leverage these skills in another, more lucrative field
why it's bullshit? It's obvious and reasonable thing - do what you love. What's wrong?
"do what you love is wrong because they pay better for things I don't love". Bruh
This is gold. The one thing you need to understand to have a great life. Something that you need to make sure that your children will understand if you give them nothing else.
As someone who’s in the software industry, I kept nodding to this over and over
I see so many people try to get into coding because there’s good money in it. What happens to most of these people? They suck at it. Like, absolutely suck.
I’ve seen people who have completely blown me away at work because of their knowledge, and half of them don’t necessarily love to code.
Yeah, the difference is that they’re competent first, and then they find their passion for it.
I love the real computer geeks at my company who really love the technologies but they are a small minority. I don't think that most others suck, but their is no 'passion' and it just becomes a job.
Yup. Have now spent a lot of my career mentoring more junior software engineers. The difference between the people who just try to "get it done" vs the people who try to "do things right" is HUUUUGE after a few years.
But without passion to coding you unlikely to stop suck at coding. I'm in coding because of passion and if someone's here just for money or "status" - stop.
Passion is everything.
Imagine hating your job for "competence" until you just "settle" and "give up" and this relief of giving up you then call "passion after competence"
There's only two way of working - doing what you love and tolerating each day of "fucking job" and waiting to the end of the day. You MAY create your "grown-up" sad philosophy with lots of "buts" - "but they pay well", "but it's near to home", "but it's just life" etc... Sound like excuses not to searching your passion to me.
I worked with many people on 10+ jobs and the more passionate person is - the more inspiring and competent he is. Yes, there's lots of burnout ones but it's rather bug than feature.
That's pretty much me. I gave computer science a shot in college because everyone nowadays basically says "CS or Engineering or don't even bother going to school, just go into a trade that'll pay well but leave you with a beaten down ass body when you're 50." Well, I tried CS and I royally fucking sucked at it. I like programming and think it's really cool, but CS in general is just way too out of my league.
So now I'm in college doing the thing I enjoy more (and coincidentally am way better at) but is kind of seen as one of those "why tf are you even bothering?" majors, while keeping programming as just, as Louis might describe it, the hobby I suck at but like doing anyway. However, if people actually do research, there are still a LOT of interesting careers for those of us who are less gifted in the CS / IT side of life, so to speak lol.
Mike Rowe has been saying that for years. I’ve had four careers the first of which was my passion. I got older and my “passion” became: eating, living in a nice neighborhood and making sure my kids ate and live in a nice neighborhood.
Mike Rowe, the guy who's spent his entire adult life in the entertainment industry? "Shucks, I really wanted to be a carpenter, but I had to settle for being a multi-millionaire TV personality ;_;". Poor guy. I'm sure the stories he likes to tell are 100% legit.
@@hermitxIII definitely the wrong celeb to pick on but hey its in your name your an out of touch fool.
@@hermitxIII so he was lucky as well as talented in that field. there a law against that? He can’t understand other people’s problems cause he’s rich? Remember he didn’t come from money.
@@hermitxIII who is more likely to be trustworthy, someone that actually reached success in life or a butthurt guy posting on youtube with a "hermit" nickname
@@damiangrouse4564 He doesn't have the proper life experience to be preaching career advice. When he was young he allegedly wanted to pick up a trade, didn't try very hard, quit, went to college, and he's been in entertainment all of his life until his ripe, old age. What weight does his opinion have?
Don't forget the spoken/unspoken thing here: He got to pursue what he thought he was "passionate" about *first* and learned it wasn't for him.
So many people who have this viewpoint that you don't need to do what you're passionate about have a similar background.
It's a good thing to chase your passions. Just be ready to move on and find a new path and a new passion if it doesn't work out. Some people will be lucky enough that their youthful passions will match up with being something that they're good at. And good for them!
Find out if you're one of those people! But if you're not, understand that it's okay to move on. That's the only addition I'd make to this video.
This. Passions are often like hobbies. Great to do for yourself but not so much when you _have_ to do it for someone else, in ways you don't like, at times that you don't want to.
This is great advice. I myself when I was younger always wanted to work IT, so I decided to try out Computer Engineering and I could only find myself feeling miserable and near depression, until I decided to switch to Civil Engineering and I really enjoy the public sanitation sector, stuff like building sewer and drainage systems.
Thing is that I love it, but don't particularly enjoy it, or better, the feeling I get from studying and working as an intern (about to finish college later this year) is more of a satisfaction than actual joy, it's not the same as the fun I having while playing the guitar or painting Warhammer miniatures, and it's a totally fine feeling, and I would dare to say that it is a necessary for getting a fulfilling life.
Yeah kind of like high school sweethearts. It's great it if works out, but it usually doesn't and that's not the end of the world
Sometimes doing your passion for a job just turns your passion into work.
@@pedrobastos8132 I realize I'm a year late, but if you play Nurgle as a sanitation engineer I would be so happy.
(Also, do me a favor and work on whatever the next tallest building in the world is going to be. The Burj Khalifa uses poop trucks cause there's no sewer! Blech.)
I feel for you and others. My hobby was electronics and computers and I am now a retired Electronics and Computer engineer. I have a masters and 3 bachelors and who knows how many associates degrees in all the fields I love. And I loved being in the Military and I was a good soldier and good tech and mechanic. I am now retired and electronics and computers and programming are now just a hobby to fill my time and make a little extra money. And I am happy to have done and do what I love. :) I never worked any job I did not like or just punch in a time clock for just money. 24/7 was my passion/craft/love of what I do and did for a living. And I still learn every day working on broken crap or building a good killer machine or repurposing old machines. My specialty was reverse engineering old IC chips no longer made or supported and usually have no spec sheet or schematic or logic layout. I love all aspects of electronics and mechanics and programming that people call coding. I can code imbedded chips at every level. I love it. Always loved fixing and building crap from my earliest memories. I have always been hands on and never minded getting dirty. I was promoted to a supervisory engineering position that paid a lot for the day and lasted 1 week and resigned and went back to the work shop and floor work in the data center. I was and am good at what I did. They let me keep the salary but modified it to accommodate overtime and let me keep the benefit hike. I retired from that company and retired from the military, a combination of active duty and state national guard. Blessings to all and the best of good fortune to all.
You are living a dream my man. Good for you.
impressive, seems like u lived a good life
@@goblinslayer5404 I have, thank you. I have been to many places and done many things. I have no regrets. Even my service in the war, I would do it all again.
I wish someone, anyone, framed it like this when I was young. I’ve only within the past couple years started thinking of it this way, and I’m way behind where I want to be, or at least where I could have been.
Better late than never, but to anyone younger that sees this, I would strongly consider what Louis’ message here means to you.
This is one of those messages that is profound enough that, even if you wind up disagreeing with it, you’ll learn something really important about yourself.
Hi Louis, you make a good point, I have always believed in loving what I do, and have always done best at work I enjoy. But, I have seen so many people "following their passion" and totally sucking at what they did.
I cringe when I hear people speak about following their passion without any reference or concern for being good at what they do as though having a passion for it will automatically lead to excellence.
Displaying an attitude that says that having passion is a substitute for self-discipline and the hard work required for developing the skills necessary to do excellent work.
I think there's a complex bridging process between your passion and what is economically viable. I wouldn't discount passion, it is important, but you can't discount economic viability either.
I truly hope that people of all ages will take this sage advice seriously--- being able to distinguish between a hobby vs. what one is truly good at and can market said skill. This video is a gem---required viewing for my young nephews. Vicarious learning is a beautiful thing; thank you for taking the time to post this, Louis!
Being in my early 20s, I'm a handyman/maintenance worker at a small company. Dad does the same work, and taught me what he could. Given I've only been working in this field for a few years I'm not bored yet. I'm doubting the longevity of the company and hope to diversify my skills enough while under them. Separation between hobby and work starts at computers for me. Started listening to you for oddity technology stuff and then mostly philosophy
start your own business you will be a millionaire. it's hard finding people who are good at fixing things and are reliable. People always need something fixed.
You should consider becoming a contractor. I bought a dump of a house, because it was cheap. The contractor I hired is a friend of someone I know. He's just a guy with a van. He doesn't have a fancy office and he doesn't advertise, he gets customers entirely by word-of-mouth. And he always has a long wait list. A homeowner like me will pay big bucks for a contractor who is honest, does quality work, doesn't do drugs or have a criminal record, shows up on time, and has a great reputation. If you like handyman stuff, maybe fix up the house of someone you know, have them recommend you to their friends and family, and expand your business from there.
Really good points. I’ve loved music all my life and wanted to score films. I had every indication that I am remarkably talented, etc. Yet, I ended up going down the root of software engineering. Now I’m making at least 5x what I’d be making as a struggling film scorer, and I have time to make music on my own terms anyway. I have some short films I’m working in too. The stable route ended up enabling my hobby more than pursuing the hobby as a career. Lots of extra income to fund the hobby + not having to pump out junk to satisfy a publishing deal or whatever.
For me, the secret was to find something that I can always do - whether I am in the mood or not. Some days it is fun, some days not, but I can always get it done.
I turned my hobby into my job, and I’m good at it. It was amazing in the beginning, but having to do it on someone else’s terms instead of mine, can be incredibly frustrating and annoying. In fact it can even ruin the hobby and make it only a job.
So the way I see this is pretty much what you said. You don’t need to look at the work you do specifically, you need to look at the whole picture, how your work affects other people etc. Find something that is suitable for you, something with enough compromises. Eventually the job (in the total picture) should grow on you.
If you’re not working in a job that ever grow on you and you hate it, keep having negative thoughts about it when you get home. You need to consider your options. You either need to find a way to solve the issues you have with this job, or that job isn’t for you.
The most important thing about this saying is probably to avoid doing something you hate solely to make some money, but it costs you your happiness. You’re not doing the right job. A happy you is a much more efficient you, and you’ll be able to grow in your position and invest in your future opportunities.
For me, working in a job where im doing what im passionate about has only lead towards doing something else in my free time and not being able to Like the work, i do as much as i did when it was only a hobby.
BUT: this can still be good, because when you are passionate about something, you often know a lot about it, which gives you the edge in career progression. So no, its not bad to chase after a job in a field you like. The thing you have to consider is, that you should look for a different hobby, because doing the same thing at work and in your free time isnt good, because you will eventually get tired of it.
Worked in first line tech support for 3 years, loved my job, had fun, immensly satisfying and constantly helping multiple people every day. Now i work in OPS and every change or success takes months if not years. And im less happy and less satisfied with my job. The pay barely makes up for it.
The satisfaction i get for helping someone else out of their problems was much bigger than i will ever get from a more complicated job.
Louis, this is so true. I fell into doing IT in my 20s, but it didn't feel "passionate" about it so I wasted time chasing more "artistic" things that I sucked at. I finally came back to IT in my 30s when I got married and had to find a "real job". And what do you know, I found out that arriving somewhere to do something that I found really easy only to be greeted by "We're so glad you're here!", and getting all sorts of gratitude and monetary compensation (that I could use to support my famili) - was actually pretty nice! So my advice to my son and any other young people who will listen (not many) is not "Find your passion" - it's "Find what you are good at, no matter how you feel about it".
My thinking is that it is best to do what you are good at. If you are good at something it becomes easy. Your passion can be a hobby.
If your hobby becomes your career you can begin to resent it because it now becomes an obligation to strangers.
That’s where I’m stuck :/
My ex-boss always said to me "its just a job"
I went into the store the other day, they replaced the whole staff LOL
Also at another job, I always thought I wanted to repair computers. But as soon as it became work I quit after the first day. This is all too true.
As a structural engineer, I totally agree with you. The day to day job isn't always the best, but seeing the end product of my work serve people and make them happy is the best part of what I do.
It used to upset me that I couldn't figure out what my passion is. I was searching for the one thing I can do that makes me happy, so I can have a career out of it. I felt like I HAD to find this passion in order to be happy. What I've learned though, is that it's OKAY to not be passionate about what you do! It's okay to choose a career that doesn't necessarily fulfill you. I'm an RN and I admit I am not in love with this career. I originally chose it because I wanted to help people, but these days I don't even care much about that aspect either. After dealing with the amount of stress in this career, I just want to do a good enough job and leave. Don't get me wrong, I treat my patients well and do the best I can. But I'm not seeking to be the best nurse ever or go super above and beyond. No it is not my "calling" and that is okay. However, I'm doing well financially so hope to use that to fund things that truly makes me happy, what truly fulfills me. I'm still figuring out what my passions are, but not for a career like before. You don't HAVE to make your passion or hobby into a career to be happy.
This! I recently got in to the nursing program in my city after completing a bsc in biochemistry and trying to do a masters in bcem, only to realize it's not for me. I chose nursing after talking it out with my family that it'll give a more stable life. I feel horrible about 'doing it for the money' but after working for a bit and realizing that there is a stability component that one needs, and for me there's a certain lifestyle that I want, that there's no shame to do it for the money. There's truth to doing things on the side that fulfill you in a way and just doing a job for the sake of making a living. I'm not expecting a 6 figure salary or anything, just enough to have a family with a dual household income, and actually afford things for me and my family, like a house. And as I've grown older, it's shifted away from being passionate and doing something unique and interesting, and with academic research being doing something in the background that can help people, to more so doing something that society needs and values.
This hit hard for the past few years. But I totally get what you're saying. Even the 'helping others' part isn't motivating me anymore, I'm sorry. I'm bracing myself to having to deal with horrible patients yet still needing to give good care (as you said, one still needs to be professional and do their job) and 12 hour shifts, and management that doesn't care, per se. All I know going into this program is that I wanna be a good nurse to patients and have semi-good relationships with my peers, and that's it. And hopefully move on to the next stage of my life, start a family, and not need to study and make ends meet anymore.
Anyway, here's me hoping for a slow but steady journey to become an RN!
Mike Rowe nailed it. Do what you're good at and learn to love it.
I went to college for my hobby and discovered that people find amazing ways to ruin my enjoyment of it so I changed my career choice to what I'm good at.
You may have a "passion" for something, but usually when you do it for a living it loses its luster. Case in point, I used to love programming.. Now as a software engineer, I can't really bring myself to work on code outside of work, because it *feels* like work.
It's a coinscidence you mention that. I'm also a software engineer and love programming outside of work. IDK your situation, but it doesn't feel like to work me to me when I'm working on my own stuff.
I am in engineer too but I am not sure what you are describing is losing your passion. You already programmed for 8 hours or more, so sure when you get home you want to do something that is not mandated from you.
Or is it all the procedures at work that drain you? unit tests, scrum, continues delivery, code reviews, living documents, artificial deadlines, artifical goals, moved goals, meetings, meetings about meetings, drawing your feelings. Programming was never the part I got tired of, it was the rest of it.
@@eightsprites you have it exact. I love figuring out solutions, it's all the BS that gets in the way that I can't stand
@@eightsprites when working on my own projects its refreshing to not have to adhere to coding standards or make unit tests for every little thing I add, even if it creates a brief problem later on. To add to that, yeah, it's nice to have to do the whole agile thing and have to document everything. Having said that though just thinking of coding it will still feel a bit like work so since it became a job I don't do it much in my own time.
Truer words never spoken. I have encountered a few “professional” musicians who seem to think of being in a band as a clock-in, clock-out type of thing, and that attitude frustrates and baffles the hell out of me. Truthfully, it’s exactly as you say… those of us who are able to keep doing this year after year never really clock out. We’re always engaged one way or another.
My passion was to be an opera singer. I had some technical issues with my voice, but the thing is, even the most qualified ppl I knew over the years, only 1 guy ever made it.
And as covid hit, the entire industry was out of a job, in many cases their whole career gone.
Meanwhile in my well paying job which I enjoy a lot and am good at, I’m doing better than ever.
The issue is, that regardless of how well I do I still feel like a failure as a man, because with the thing I really wanted to do, I failed.
Tip: Find different job(s) that you "really like doing" while getting paid well, but keep some passion / love / hobby separate enough so you don't burn out a single set of skills over 35 years.
Lex, sing in a choir, solo at churches and/or teach voice part time, with passion (to avoid bad habits / crack in range or whatever, etc.). Your instrument is way more than good enough; enjoy it 100% and share that hobby/skill with others!
Have you ever tried a Summer Stock type program? Though you may have an issue with your voice, that may matter less and you can be a hit, and practice what you love.
A good friend of mine in a huge band out of NYC told me when I wondered how they weren't famous " this is our bass boat. Some guys live fishing so much they"ll spend 60 grand on equipment. I have a little less then half of that, but I get to use it year round. We'll never be famous. We hate producers!" Lol
Failure doesn’t define you. Everyone fails at something, so if failure defined us we’d all be failures and the word would lose all meaning.
Couldn't agree more. By doing what you're good at to make descent amount of $$, to be respected by everyone, and the fulfillment of positively impacting your customers is the best motivation for me
I've been fixing computers since I was a teen, when MS-DOS was still relevant. Troubleshooting used to be fun for me, now it's more like a chore...however, I'm still improving my skill and I still get satisfaction from solving peoples' tech problems and making them happy. Dopamine and benefiting society should be everyone's motivation to work, not money.
This is a great message Louis. The best parts of our "jobs" are when we are actually doing or fixing something and there's a real impact. It's even better when you can have ownership of this. Unfortunately most work environments lack both the true "doing/fixing" and the ownership. You are building someone else's project and when you feel like shit, if you look closely at it, it's because that's probably how you are treated. It's not any great mystery, it's not a feeling that arrives from nowhere, it's a cumulative realization based on feedback signals from your employer that they don't really give that much of a shit about your daily work. It's a shame, and it's a shame being an entrepreneur has so many barriers to entry.
I hope all of the teens and 20 something’s paid attention to this spot on advice. The ones that did will always be moving up. The ones that don’t, will be watching the ones that did pass by them.
I do too, but unfortunately most of the advice we get is these half-truths in public schools and universities. We'd need a soft revolution in order for someone like Louis to get into an instructor position
spot on advice? fuck no, life is way more complicted that listening to an video on an bloody advice that won’t work in WAY TO MANY LIFE SITUATIONS!!!!
he is basing this vidon on how his life has gone in terms of career, but their are way to many life situtions were his advice falls flat on it’s face
@@RavenL1337 This is good perspective and rational. No two people will have the same path but I think, like most ideology, its the principles that outline and frame a path and this is just good framing for people who are maybe lost and need counsel.
Studio Work Since '79. Repair Work.... Since 70 ish.
So I Love Your Story! Still a Musician. And your Advocacy For The Consumer Stellar!
More and more people I respect are saying this: I heard it first from Jordan Peterson, but I'm happy to hear it from you.
_MEANING_ - that's what you need in your career. Not "passion". If you're doing something meaningful, you will get passion as a result of that.
i don't agree with it, some of the stuff peterson is saying feels wrong to me. This is one of them.
I got doing what I'm doing simply because i'm halfway decent at it and stumbled upon it. Not because its meaningful, not because its my passion, or because its omg the most amazing thing ever.
However, I do end up thinking about some problems that I encounter even at night. Even if I play videogames that day and not working, or if i decided to take a walk downtown. I still end up thinking about the problem, and eventually come with a few assumptions, or theories. Apply them and see what works and what doesn't.
I don't know the actually theory, half of the time I barely understand what the client wants. Yet I'm doing pretty well without a lot of effort. Just some curiosity and thinking about stuff.
Not because it has a meaning, but because it didn't work, so: why the fuck do you not work???!!!! I SAID YOU WORK!!! NOW YOU WORK!!! GET WORKING LIKE I WANT TOOOOOO!!!!
Thank you for this message. Struggling lately, and I'm hungry for truth--not coddling, not "support", not more comfort, compensation, etc.
I'm so pissed because for 20+ years I was told by school, well-intentioned mentors, and finally college this "passion" stuff, and then blind-sided by the professional world where everyone is still seeking "passionate people" and good work ethic while setting up whole corporations around just getting a paycheck. It never feels right, and it's so difficult to place a finger on why. I just want companies, leaders, messaging...to be truthful.
I see what you did there 13:37 ...
Anyway, I completely agree and understand this point. I am a software developer, and its certainly a passion and I often code outside of work, so I would consider it a hobby too. However, what I couldn't tell you is what came first, my passion or my skill.
As a teen, I knew I wanted to work in computers, and a family member said to me, "well, so does every kid, you need to specialize". So i started learning to code, by the time I was 17, I got a job doing it and the rest is history.
I found in interesting for sure, but I found everything in computers interesting. Some of the learning was tough, even the first few jobs but it got easier and for the most part I enjoyed it. Now that it's a passion and a hobby, similar to you, I do think about it outside of work hours. I used to drive an hour to work and the number of problems solved just thinking in the car was unreal. I too sometimes dream of stuff, come up with ideas and solutions. I read/watch tech stuff online, some related to my job, some not (board repair ;) )... and from that I learn stuff that helps.
But you are right, if I wasn't good at this, or didn't earn the money I need, i probably wouldn't be doing it, or be as passionate. I would probably still be passionate about computers, but definitely not as personally invested in coding as I am.
When the job does become a passion and a hobby, I've learned its important to live a balanced lifestyle. Its quite easy for time to fly because you enjoy it. However, that doesn't mean you should work 4 hours unpaid every day and get burnt out.
The one piece of advice I've given myself over the years (and its especially true in coding but probably other professions too). Is that there is always going to be someone more knowledgeable than you, and you shouldn't be offended by that. That same person who is more knowledgeable than you, will be less knowledgeable on another subject. They will come to you for help on X and you will go to them for help on Y. Learn everything you can and don't take it to heart when someone else is doing it better, use it as an opportunity to better yourself. It works in reverse too, just because someone isn't as knowledgeable as you on a subject, don't belittle them or get annoyed with their questions. There's going to be something you need their help on eventually.
This really helped motivate me to keep going. I'm not the sort of person that needs outside motivation, but sometimes outside reassurance that what I'm doing is right does really help.
Also probably depends how to define passion.
I really like solving problems and helping people - i work in IT as programmer and I get to do these 2 things constantly. I probably could do these 2 things any many other fields in both blue and white collar fields.
For me getting to work with a computer is the cream on top as I am interested in computers and other technologies
So i might call myself luck that i could choose this path in my life... i also know people that have done real hard work to turn their hobbies into work - that for sure looks hard from outside, but probably also really rewarding
That studio story of the guy staying late to find and answer reminded me of my college days, where I would spend over 20 hours on a 1hr project because I want to find better ways of solving it and have proper, valid explanation of why I did it that way and why it was better than the way it was supposed to be done
I have come to realize that I am not doing what I love, but I love what I am doing. I think about what I do all the time, and I have come to accept that not only I couldn't do otherwise, but I don't want to anyways.
regarding your 4am problem solving, it reminds me of a great quote from Einstein--- "It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."
shadiversity talked about something like this too. when he was in high school, he thought he wanted to draw/be an artist for a living b/c he was decent at it and liked drawing his medieval fantasy people... but when he got paid to draw someone else's scifi character it was a slog and he just didn't want to do it. after a few years of soul searching, he realized what he actually liked, were the stories he made for each of those fantasy people. he realized that he was passionate about story telling, he just happened to be good at drawing as well.
100% man. I got a fantastic piece of advice when I was younger. I worked construction and demolition for 8 months after I got out of the army. The crew leader told me,
“You won’t be able to work this hard forever. Whenever you’re on a job, find the guy that does less work and gets paid more money than you. Figure out how to do his job.”
Always learn everything going on around you. You never know when that could be an opportunity for you. I’m making the money I am now because I can combine several different skill sets and do 3-4 people’s jobs by myself.
What a refreshing take than all the antiwork shit you read on the internet nowadays that preaches about stealing company time, clocking out at 4, doing the bare min at your job, seeing work as nothing but slavery that you do for 8 hours a day, etc.
There are 3 things I love: Music, teaching & technology. I've been a professional musician, a teacher (from junior high to college) and now I repair Macs as a way of living. And it's worked for me my whole life. Guess I've been lucky.
i disagree. i've been programming my whole life because i love it and i guess that's how i got good. i would have also continued programming as a hobby if nobody paid me for it.
i also think i'd be depressed all the time if I was forced do so something that I don't love for a dayjob.
besides, i don't think it's even possible to spend 40 hours a week on a hobby you love and not get good at it over time.
One thing I learned from my rocket scientist brother is that once you have a job you want to keep, a good portion of your job is to make your manager look good. If you can do that, it'll go a long way.
I recently had some health issues and my job performance suffered. I learned that my boss protected my job from upper management. I didn't even tell him anything about what was going on. After I did tell him, he explained that he was going to be better able to protect me.
My attitude of helping him look good saved my job.
I would take this advice with a grain of salt. There’s a great message in this video with “Become passionate with the outcome of what you’re doing.” I like that sentiment. It’s a noble way to live.
But have a similar story with a different ending.
I was really REALLY good at being a sales guy, I was helping solve people’s problems, maybe I could’ve made good money doing it if I climbed the ladder more or went to a different company, but I hated doing it, and am very happy to be past it.
I wanted to be an audio engineer, I sucked at being an audio engineer, but kept at it until I got good at being an audio engineer, and now work as an audio engineer and producer, and am pretty darn happy as a result.
I’d never considered “looking to the outcome” as Louis recommends here, it’s a different way of thinking about it, but it is NOT for me.
I’m doing what I want to do, every day, and getting paid for it, which is fine I guess, I can pay my bills, but then when I’m done working for the day, I go home and do it some more. Cause I love it.
But if you can find enough joy in what you’re doing in what you’re doing to grind it out for 40 years and not die full of regrets and backpain, that’s awesome and I wish you the best.
You made some nice points, but there's a very important factor in your story that I don't think you're considering: you were interested in audio engineering, practiced audio engineering and became good at audio engineering - good enough to get a job. That is not a common occurrence.
The premise of "You can do anything if you put your mind to it!" tends to set many people up to fail. Not everyone can learn about something and as a result become proficient in doing what they have learnt about. Many people can learn new skills and knowledge and only ever be average. That isn't to say that people shouldn't try, but you should remember that just because you spend so many hours each day doing something, that doesn't guarantee you will become the best. We all have our own varying limitations on what we are able to conceptualise, contextualise and execute. This is why Louis' point of focussing on your strengths, rather than what you would like your strengths to be, is important. Otherwise, the majority of people are going to spend a lot of time, energy and money chasing a hobby/career that they will simply not achieve.
@@HaneeFannee I think I can see where I think your mistake is. The 'you can do anything' (within reason) is right, but it's not something you can magically do, it usually involves actually learnign it. I see nowadays a lot of people don't have this concept of working hard for something, but also expect completely unreasonable wages when starting out, and sure, that rarely works out. You start with a crappy wage as anyone else, you can get a decent earning bump maybe around 2 years mark, and by the 5th year you can make a living. It still means you have to actually learn stuff instead ofjust sitting on your ass for those years, and you need to be able to talk like a normal being because you either do intervuiews for a new job, or talk to customers. I don't think that general concept changed much.
I’m curious, how exactly did you get into and start learning about audio engineering? I’m partially interested in learning it myself as a potential job in the future and would like to hear you’re experience/advice!
@@iamjass005 I went to school for it, watched a million RUclips videos, begged people to come record with me, and got good enough at it that I was allowed to charge for it as my ears got better. After a few years of working with people, I got to work with some slightly more important people, charge a little more, work my way up to the point that now, I’m a hand full of people’s first call, and bunch of people’s second call.
Be a good listener, learn how file hierarchy works, be organized, know the craft well enough that you can anticipate people’s needs, learn to communicate with people, and advocate for everyone’s ideas. These are NOT skills I started with, I have ADHD, so these things don’t all come naturally to me.
@@HaneeFannee All that may be, but I would feel a lot worse about my life knowing that I didn’t try to do the things I wanted to, and then try again a couple more times, when it didn’t work.
Maybe you gotta know when to quit and do something else. But all the people that I started out with at audio school that stuck with it, are still doing it.
The ones that haven’t, aren’t. Simple as that.
Golden advice, especially point #2 about investing yourself instead of looking at a job purely in terms of salary. It does require that you love and believe in what you're doing, otherwise you'll have a limited shelf life working harder than your colleagues. Keep that up for 5 or 10 years and you'll be at the top of your profession.
I got brainwashed by that notion, now I'm 39 and have no career, just a string of minimum wage jobs. My father didn't take an interest in my development into a man, he decided to chase a new family.
You can turn it all around. Nowadays you can learn how to code and build a portfolio of projects and use that to get an entry level software dev iob. Within a few years you can be making a great salary and have a career if you follow the demand. GL.
Sounds very much like that book ‘why skills trump passion in the quest for work you love’
You still have to be extremely careful, and whilst mostly true, employ this advice with reasoning, and temper it with your own life experience.
I'd be willing to wager that Louis is firmly against anyone blindly following anyone else, without forethought.
Case in point, I just turned 30, and spent my 20s dedicated to academia. My father was a lawyer, and holds a doctorate.
My sister is currently @ Stanford studying microbiology. My mother, studied aeronautical engineering. 3 out of her 4 siblings, also engineers, along with 2 of their respective spouses. My maternal grandfather, a man I was around since childhood, was head of a college science department. I know it sounds fanciful, but hear me out. You'd think I was almost destined to follow in the field, yes ? I aced all the aptitude tests, scored ridiculously high, and consistently so, on required IQ tests (I won't bother posting the score, those things are open to interpretation anyhow), was enrolled in accelerated classes, and bumped up 2 grades on my arrival to the U.S. (I was a foreign national).
I say all this to preface the following: I studied electrical engineering,, then econ and I.T. in college, before going on to double major in Mathematics and Physics. I was able to land a decent job in a medium sized medical company's I.T. department towards the end of uni, that carried with it the opportunity for advancement. My family was "pleased".
In short, I was miserable 24/7, even when I was around friends and family, smiling. I drank heavily, hated my job, hated school, and eventually became bitter and full of vitriol. My one respite outside of my mother, was my ex girlfriend, who was tremendous at the time. A relationship I eventually torpedoed one drunken night, pre-breakdown. I eventually crashed and burned.
My point is, I had all the genetic markers/prerequisite conditions to be a STEM success, and I was GREAT in the field. But every waking moment was spent in my own personal hell.
Yes, Louis is right in that practicality and pragmatism have to be utilized in making career choices. But NEVER @ the expense of your sanity, mental health, and first and foremost, peace. Sure he can stomach his daily routine, but our situations are all obviously subjective and unique, and for some of us, doing what we're "good" @, would eventually take our lives.
Just my two cents, have a good one, all.
Straight GOLD, thank you Louis Rossmann! I don't always enjoy warm fuzzies in doing electrical work, but the appreciation I get from customers and contractors for a job well done make it absolutely worthwhile.
That’s excellent! Pretty much my life philosophy. I never felt passionate about anything and was worried what to do after high school; it was probably the depression, but honestly Idk. I was great at science, like money, and am a decent person. I decided to go into medicine, lol. Turns out, I’m really good at it! Am I an a-hole doctor? No. My coworkers, staff, and patients love me. Suffice it to say, my boss comes to me when she needs a consultation. I often spend hours researching treatments for my patients or berate insurers on the phone because they are denying them the treatment they needed. I do the prior authorizations myself to make sure it is alright. I advocate for my patients and am compassionate, not out of a desire to help humanity, but out of being the decent human being my mother taught me to be. Did I enjoy volunteering and helping the underserved in undergrad? No, I did not. It was all a show for medical schools. Do I help out charities financially? Yes, I do. At least in medicine, I wish people stopped thinking that you need to have a special calling and be freaking Gandhi in order to simply be a good doctor. Just because you like the money doesn’t mean you’ll be bad at your job. I found I was good at it and that’s been personally rewarding and motivating.
Nursing is also similar in the sense that people feel like it has to be your "calling" in order to be a good nurse. That is absolutely not the case though. Plenty of people who aren't in love with the profession are damn good nurses. I'm not passionate about being a nurse and it's nice to be in a profession that's pretty much always in demand and pays well. But even though I don't love nursing, I treat my patients well and try my best.
@@Cry4theSun Absolutely right!
I really like your points. I always saw passion as what you describe as a craft. It's that dedication to wanting to get better at something, not just something you find fun kind of passion or that 9-5 and clock out kind of not wanting to deal with it anymore.
You can do what you love but be terrible at it which means low job satisfaction and likely a path to being broke in retirement. Do something you’re good at and you’ll feel good about what you do. You’ll also be able to provide for yourself and your family..
Unless what your good at doesn't pay enough to do so even at experienced levels
@@existinginaspace8347 That happens to indeed.
Preach. This really hit me, I was not aware of these things but this is the way I've thought about no matter the work I was doing. Get satisfaction from your craft, stop caring how much you making. You will be making more as you grow without even realising it.
Great advice for the "up-and-coming" workers! I'm nearing retirement age and have a different perspective on work. I have found that in my position there's no reward for "improving my craft" beyond a point. My advice is, find a union job. And if you can't find a union job, seek those who want to start a union and give them your support.
Well said Louis, " making from your hobby your career" will not only not work, it will also take the fun out of your hobby... and then you have nothing left....
Seeing your occupation as a craft is a good approach , but be aware that the craft spirit can only thrive in a work environment where it is appreciated and acknowledged...
Those who go out of their way to make their occupation a craft are not necessarily the one's valued in their work environment... it is just taken for granted and those, with the "right connections " - who do far less - gets the credit....or get favored....
If you do the same thing for years everyday it wont be the same lol
Really great insights. Some of the biggest issues people have are exactly related to "just having a job" vs having pride in their work. That type of work ethic does translate to a better result when that person moves on to something new or invests in their own business. And they will be happier to see that kind of person working for them too.
I'm split on this. On one hand you say passion is BS but on the other hand you say a job isn't just a job, but a craft. One can't become a master of one's craft without passion. One can't put in the effort you describe is needed without having a passion for ones work. But yes. One can't find out what work would be ones passion without giving it time and effort. I would argue that your attempt at being a recording technician ended up showing you it wasn't your passion. Sure. It was interesting and exciting. But not your passion. When I see your videos, especially the right to repair stuff, I can see the fuckton of passion you have for your field and your craft.
I think the crucial difference you are trying to explain is the difference between a superficial passion and a deeper passion. Deep passion is complex and difficult, but extraordinarily rewarding once one find the right one.
Perhaps one way of looking at what he said is find something you are not suck at and make a living out of it.
@@jglee6721 I can't say I agree. I don't suck at office work, like sorting papers and admin work. I've done it for short periods at a time, and I can say, while I am good at it, I could feel the spark in my life slowly dying. I would never be able to make it into my life career, despite being good at it.
@@asbjo let me put it this way if you suck on something your pretty much never be able to make a career out of it. Cause no one wants to hire you. Instead of your spark dying you might actually just die.
This is a great video and very spot on. I also want to add that that thing that you're really good at, doesn't HAVE to be some extremely "technical" skill like computer science or board repair like Louis (although those are some amazing skills to be good at and do work in obviously). There are SO many different types of jobs that will actually pay well if you get good enough so that people want to pay you a lot for them. Plumbing...ruck driving...electrician...marketing...museum work...music...digital art. Hell, even being a writer of some sort, which is one of the most memed "useless pipe dream" careers out there (and there are also many different types of writers).
I just wanted to point that out because I dealt with it when reading about college majors on the internet, where a lot of people just basically say "do computer science or engineering, or don't even bother with college." I struggled in computer science which is basically my version of audio engineering; something I do enjoy and wish I was good at but I just have to face the facts that I suck at it and especially the math involved in it. But when you actually do some searching...there are a LOT of career fields you can go into with liberal arts programs when you actually put in the effort to use the skills it teaches you to something.
So what's the point of my 500 word essay? Get creative and think HARD. This is for my "better at a 'creative' hobby than a technical hobby (even though those can be creative too of course)" peeps. Stop watching youtube videos at 2 am and put in some actual research into the types of careers you can turn your "good at" hobby into, whatever it is, and start giving it a serious try. You can't actually start working in the field that you're good at until you start applying and marketing yourself. That's probably the one thing that keeps people with the more "creative" skills working at Wal-Mart. They don't actually give it a serious try.
I followed my passion into a career simply because it was something that I had an interest in (which is very important for someone with ADHD, like me) and I happened to be very good at. Now I've come to realize that I only enjoy the work when I'm doing it on my own terms, for myself or for close friends, not when I'm forced to do it to earn a wage. You couldn't pay me to care about doing ANYTHING for ANYONE anymore, unless it was a life changing amount of money, enough to never have to work again. Now I'm stuck at age 35 with next to no passion and I can't think of job that would put me in a better place other than something part time where I don't have deal with anyone. And no, I don't want to run my own business. I just don't want to work anyone, period. I'm starting to think that I should start throwing money at crypto or the stock market and hope something hits big.
Sounds like a tad bit of depression sprinkled in there my friend. I too am struggling to put in full workdays but I am working out of an excel sheet 5 days a week. You may just need to find work that meets the criteria you stated. The best part about being free is choosing how you want to live your life. I know that is easier said then done. We do not have derive our value from what we can offer others but it is conducive to a functional society.
Absolutely correct. On every point.
From my personal experience, I would add that turning a passion into a job/career isn't a guaranteed win even if you're great at it. Two of my favorite hobbies were almost ruined because the professional environments of both were toxic. I'd come home and not want anything to do with either. After leaving both behind as career options, I found my passion and happiness in them as hobbies again.
Now I work in a totally unrelated field. And I like doing what I do and take pride in being my best at it -- I even put in effort during off-hours to always be better. And I like coming home to my passionate hobbies, too.
hobby isnt passion. You are clearly passionate about helping people with their devices, so not sure how you think it doesnt apply to you :p
many people dont do words well, but that doesnt invalidate the expression ..
Edit: I think it goes without saying that you should be passionate about it AND be able to make money .. and I dont think its about passion for a certain job, but more towards a type of work. Every job gets old over time, thats why you want to advance your career over time, and by doing a type of work you can do a lot of things that will keep you in that mindset and condition you like, while not doing the same shit over and over and over again.
People often dont investigate why they like something and thus wont find the real passion, just the current interest.
Congrats, you completely missed the point
Young people, listen to this video over and over. This is 100% truth.
Yeah gonna have to say no to this one Louis. What I am passionate about is drawing and it was really just a hobby for me for the longest time. Multiple times in fact since I stopped and started again after pursuing certain niches for music and video editing but in my whole life I have never at all had the feeling you had of "Whoa. I kind of hate doing this, but I am good at this, so let me do that instead"
I think this Mike Rowe thing only applies to certain kinds of people. But also not to others. It is not something I take on face value and it also strikes me as "Just shut up and accept that fact you won't rise above being either broke or miserable, because you cant have both doing what you are doing"
I reject that notion 100000000000%. THAT is a lie. Flat out.
It's an opinion, not a fact. How could it be a lie?
Because there are people out there that have opinions that are lies. See flat earthers.
@@CmoIsDaNam3i that's not a lie hahahaha. That's just being wrong.
Definition of lie by Merriam-Webster.
a: an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker or writer to be untrue with intent to deceive
b: an untrue or inaccurate statement that may or may not be believed true by the speaker or writer.
But yes. Tell me more its not a lie and just wrong which is the same thing amd also just as wrong like thinking you can't be passionate doing what you love and have a better living off of it than what you were doing oh wise one. /s
@@CmoIsDaNam3i where is the intent?
I’ve been working for myself for about 20 years, flipping houses, playing poker, owning/operating a remodeling business. The self determination and self responsibility has become my passion. I’ve been on my own too long to start taking orders now, and it’s wonderful.
First
First indeed
Excellent re-framing of the common advice: "Find out what you are good at". +1
You hit the nail on the head there. Nice to hear someone rational and prudent in words like yourself
Thanks Louis, usually when I talk with others about my working habit of working and thinking about a problem until i solve it (even if it takes me 18 hours per day) or actually dreaming about a problem and having a solution pop up, people are always shocked or stumped, and whenever they ask me why, I'm never able to put it into words, but, from now on anytime I get asked about it, I'll just link your video as an explanation because you were so spot on!
Louis is a man of community. We love you man.
❤️🙏
Excellent video.
I work in Finance/Data Analytics in health care. I don’t love working in Microsoft Excel and crunching numbers all day, but I’ve figured out that that’s something I’m really good at, it adds value to my customers, and I’ve made it my craft to the point where I invest the extra hours and time mastering what I do so I can incorporate that into future work.
It’s a hard truth to tell people that if they only treat work as a job then and not a craft that they won’t be as successful as someone like me, but it’s the truth.
Learning changes who we are, in so many ways. Even learning something small, is real progress.
Excellent presentation, you explain it very well. I feel like it's gone full circle for me. Years spent honing my craft. Working for the passion of helping people. Now it's all about paying my bills and keeping busy. Give me something to do so I don't get bored. Pay me enough to live and I don't care about much else. I'm no longer interested in becoming a better automotive service technician or learning new skills. The spark is gone.
1. Sometimes filling a niech is better than brute forcing a dream
2. following a hobby can open doors to other avenues (careers, interests, relationships. ect)
3. focus skills that are transferable. nothing is a 'waste of time' if it builds work ethic
Good video.
You have made me think about the literal, etymological meaning of the word 'vocation'. It is not just a job, it is your 'calling'. It has to be something you feel you are inherently good at and are willing to do for the sense of fulfilment it gives you, not just the wage.
You're passionate about expressing your thoughts and ideas through these videos. And we like it!
10:00 Excellent point there. I've had the idea of leaving work at work for a long time.
But I also admire those who call their work 'craftmanship'. Because it shows a life time dedication to mastering a skill.
So I shall change my attitude. I still will not work for the company a second longer than what I'm contracted for.
But if I can spend extra time improving my skills for the job, I'm certainly doing that.
Just got to make sure whatever extra work I do goes to building skills I can take to someone who's willing to pay better.
Reminds me of that book So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport. Don’t chase your passion, develop your skills and expertise and it will become your passion.
I completely agree. I always enjoyed working on computers and learning how other electronics work and trying to fix them. Today I've been working in lawn care on the health side of it and it's nice helping people get their yard to that perfect look, feel and health they want. I've received hand written leaders from customers thanking me and stuff like that allows me to keep pushing forward and shake off the bad.
100% agree. If you'd like to move up in life, you have to put in the extra effort. If you need a little motivation, figure out what works for you and do that. Motivation could come from a friend, someone online, spiritual, or even within.
Gotta say Louis you make so much more sense than many others, refreshing to hear what you say for sure. trying preach same to my kids , its better to do what your good at rather than pursue hobbies as work
This needed to be said! There’s a huge difference. I’m fortunate to be self employed and have a career in passionate about for a few reasons. Primary reason, I really love hearing someone appreciate the work I do and seeing their reaction. I’m third generation in my family in my career and many other reasons. But… huge but… it’s it a free ride and I am not a millionaire! It’s a good trade off to do something you’re good at and enjoy versus forcing your hobby into a career!
you don't need to be passionate about something
but you should always bring your passion with you
I'm in school still for mechanical engineering and sometimes I feel like it's an endless battle. I'm passionate about certain aspects but I really despise some others. It's extremely fulfilling when what I learned in class finally shows an application in real life, I started an electric vehicle club. Thanks for you insight
Reminded me of that time I quit a job for a worse paying one because I needed the experience on a particular skill, I had a good time in that job with the bad pay, learned what I needed and jumped to the one I'm currently in, now I make very good money and am in constant growth.
I'm also not passionate about my career, but once I decide I want to solve something with it I can work 90 hours a week to get it done. But really, there are weeks were I barely work more often than the other way around.
My passion is singing, but I have the feeling whether I succeeded or not my life wouldn't be as nice as it is now (I don't care for being rich or famous). Now I sing a lot on my free time, and it's awesome.
The fun of the craft indeed! Wisely spoken, and I can't agree more. It's about learning, learning and learning again, getting inspiration from others, honing your skills for years, drawing conclusions from your successes and mistakes, doing the next job better than the previous one. That's how I evolved from trying to resolder that 0.3mm raster flat cable connector on an old laptop mobo destroying the thing in the process, to actually succeeding at SMD rework. That's how I built better and better amps/preamps over time too. I definitely feel it's my calling, and you couldn't have said it better when it comes to the genuine joy and gratitude from a customer who now has a working device. Sometimes it's also facing real challenges and difficulty, and overcoming them... but at the end of the day, it's rewarding if you succeed. And if not, which happens, one can hope one learned something. :)
When I was young, my family were commercual printers for generations ( going back 100 years). I quit school and started at a printer on the back end of a press loading pallets. I LOVED it, it paid 1.65/ hr. As the weeks rolled, I would get bored and wander to other presses learning what to do when we were changing jobs, or maintenance. Forman took note and within 9 months I was 2nd man on a crew, I made more than most of my friends parents at the time( early 80s)
My passion has always been fast dangerous machines ( printing, racing, but a competitive car is hideously expensive though I tried)
I ended up driving busses when the industry went away, which lead to trucking and after several shitty jobs learning all the while, I've been with the same co. For 18 years. And doing very well. Every fail is an opportunity if you learn from it.