Your career - did you pick it because of the money or perhaps, it was because you have a passion for what you do? Maybe, both?

It’s my passion, but I do question my choice because it’s not a high paying job. I know it is the right choice for me to be happy in my career, but right now I struggling with some money and that’s why I question it.

I picked my career mainly because I have a passion for where I live.

When I was about 8, my favorite toy was an Erector Set with a motor, when I got older, I built radios and other electronic devices. I joined the Navy because they guaranteed me Electronic school. The more I learned, the more fun it was. I really like to build and fix things and if I didn’t do it professionally, it would be my hobby.

I built a Z80 computer instead of going out drinking with the guys

Solving difficult problems is a bigger rush (to me) than drinking beer then trying to ride a bike. Less painful too.(I have scars).

I build electrical/electronic equipment, computer controlled systems, and even have an electronically controlled bike.

Sometimes they even pay me.

I didn’t pick mine, it picked me. I wish I could escape it.

Career? What career? It’s more like careering from job to job than anything planned.

And yet, my career, vaguely defined, has been about making the world a better place. I’ve canvassed for political issues such as anti-nuclear, clean water, clean energy, affordable energy, equal rights for women, clean air, and on and on. I’ve worked for unions and worked for universal health insurance. I’ve performed economic analyses of single payer health insurance plans at the state level. I’ve analyzed many other things having to do with progressive public policies.

My consulting job ended a while back, and since then I’ve had my most lucrative gig working for a university, teaching young people to be good researchers. In addition, I’ve discovered fluther and have been trying to help people live better lives with all kinds of advice in all kinds of subject areas. If lurve means anything, you could argue that I do a decent job at that. You could also argue that I spend way too much time here, but who really wants to go there?

I did not pick any of this because of the money. Obviously fluther isn’t because of money. They’d have to be paying me about $6–8 per lurve in order to make it a decent job. I do it because I like it. Because I like the human connections it brings me. Human connections at just the right intensity. I get regular feedback, but I don’t have to interact with anyone unless I want to.

Most of my work has been ideologically driven. Sometimes I feel bad because I didn’t make as much money as most of my peers seem to make, but then, I have no idea what they really make. We’ve done all right, my wife and I. We saved enough to make it through the tough times without worrying much. So I can’t complain about the money, even if I wasn’t the one who made most of it.

So no. It wasn’t the money.

I sort of picked it by accident, but I stayed with it, because I love it.

I definitely picked it for the passion. I honestly don’t even know how much money I could make! I’ve never really thought about it…

Absolutely the passion! Money made me leave it (or rather my perception of what money I needed to live made me leave it) a few years back… I soon realised my error. Thankfully I’m back at it now, but being self-employed I now never pause… Okay, I sometimes take a break to sleep….

Passion for books and intellectual curiosity – not the money for sure!

Good question. I’m about to change careers (hopefully) and my motivation was my love of my daughter, intellect, technology and the fact that I wouldn’t have to compromise my beliefs, integrity or morals to earn a decent paycheck.

I chose it because I failed to chose anything else. I kept it because I grew to enjoy it.

My career picked me. I couldn’t escape it. It was passionate for me.

I chose the broader field of design because I had a passion for it. Specifically, I started out in architectural design, then studied communication design with a major in illustration, then (after computers changed everything) I got into event design, then graphic design. Later still, I taught myself web design and photography.

So, while I may have chosen the general field, the specifics were a result of career and economic decisions along the way.

I love what I do. I would probably do it for a lot less money (don’t tell my boss though).