Do you think people should try to do what they love, or find a job that is stable and pays well?

Depends.

If you don’t have kids, do what you love, 100%.

But if you have kids, I think you should pick a career that’s stable and has a higher pay. You no longer are responsible for only yourself.

It would be nice to find a job that satisfies both those conditions wouldn’t it? I guess it really depends, if you have financial dependants then I suppose you have a responsibility to them and that should maybe come first. If you don’t then I suppose you have more freedom to do what the hell you like work wise.

This is a question I struggle with almost daily.

As you get older, I think you become resigned to the idea that you want stability in your life, and you’re willing to relegate your passions to your free time instead. This isn’t true for everyone, but I feel like it’s the way I’m starting to lean.

Well I think most people stick with a job if it’s secure and pays decently. Right now I’m doing just that, but I have to say I don’t mind my job that much. It’s not something I’d do forever. It’s just here to hold me over until I’m done with school and can start doing something that I love.

I honestly don’t know how some people can work doing something they don’t love for years. That to me just doesn’t seem to make sense.

I always tell my kids “You have to “like” your job.” It sure makes it easier to get up every morning.

If you’re working a job that’s stable and pays well, but you absolutely hate it, how many days are you going to try to miss?

I feel it’s more important to love what you do. Make a living, get the bills paid, spend time with your family with a great attitude….you don’t have to be wealthy, money isn’t everything. In fact, I have observed over the last couple of years, money is a huge source of misery.

Depends on a person’s mindset.

If a person believes that money will make them happy, doing what they love may not enable them to have the pay and stabilty they require.

If a person understands that happiness is a decision, they’ll do what affords them the most pay and stability without sacrificing peace of mind.

I went down the “paid well” route. A useless life and a pile of material possessions later I wish I’d gone the other route.

I cannot imagine having to go to work every single day to a job you hate. How can that be healthy? I was lucky to be able to combine both, and so has my husband.

An interesting question. I am indirectly involved in a project that asks this very question; it would be good for you to see some of the testimonials on their website: http://www.roadtripnation.com I’d be interested to know what you think (and I hope you don’t take this to be spam-it’s not!).

I see life as a continual journey toward self improvement and happiness, and only you alone can make yourself happy. The key to it all is to find the values that give you long term happiness, and go that route. It doesn’t always mean the money route, but it is always better to find what you love and then find out how to make a comfortable living doing that.

It’s sort of the same question as do you work to live or live to work. I personally have never found a perfect job for me. Sometimes it seemed as if I had found it but I was bored soon enough. With me, I think I just lose attention quickly. This could be the reason why I have had so many different jobs in my life.

But really, I wouldn’t change it, in hindsight I learned something from each and every one.

Find a good balance between the two. Having a job that you love without stability or good pay is great when you’re young and have no responsibilities. Right now I have only myself to look after so I’d do it in a heartbeat. But there are other things in life than work, and I’d rather not go without in other areas of my life just for a great job. I want to manage a small cafe. The pay won’t be great and restaurant managers usually have shitty hours, but for me this job would strike the balance I’m looking for. I’m interviewing to manage a small gourmet market soon… so, fingers crossed.

Both would be nice.

For me, the trick was to delay having children. We didn’t adopt my daughter until I was thirty-two and both our careers were pretty well established.

I think if you want both, you have to plan for it. There will always be compromises, but I just can’t imagine dragging myself out of bed each day for a job I hate – that’s just a paycheck.

As I am currently trying to decide between the two, I’m kind of hoping most people go for the stable-and-pays-well option, giving me less competition should I choose the path of my passion.

I think it depends on what the person wants from their job: if they’re after a comfortable lifestyle, to own their own house and to take vacations, probably also to raise a family, then they should choose a job that is more likely to allow them to do that. If someone loves something more than they are concerned about their way of living, then by all means they should try for a career that allows them to do what they love.

Dont know about the others but I am currently doing my job cause its stable and quite well paid. I dont hate it but I also dont love it. Actually far from loving it…..

If I do what I love, there are more chanches, that I’d excel in my field. The money should follow.

I’m in agreement with @AnnieB.

I’m in a job I hate and it makes me miserable. I’ve already decided that I need to be doing something I enjoy for my own sanity’s sake; of course I also want a good enough salary so that I don’t have to work so many hours. I’m planning on going to university in 2010 (or 2011/12 if required) for a dual degree (while probably doing a distance learning course) so that I can get into a career I love. It’s going to be a lot of hard work getting there and I won’t be earning much for a few years, but dragging yourself to the end of everyday isn’t exactly an easy ride anyway; I might as well work hard at achieving some definite goals. Right? ;D

So I say do what you love, you might struggle getting there but it will always be worth it in the end.

Well, I think that in most situations one doesn´t HAVE to go for a job one hates. The situation is most complicated in gray areas—jobs that are OK and have good or great pay, but that don´t fill one´s deepest desires or soul (which depends on each person of course) or life purpose. Then it´s more probable that someone will settle for something that´s lesser than great (like RubyReds said). I think it would be okay to do that for a while, except for the fact that it´s very tempting to stay there and very hard to get out of it once the person is used to it (like stranger in a strange land).
I would have to say that it is important to follow one´s passion. Often, it´s not black and white though. That means that maybe there is more than one option (job or career activity) that can be used to channel that passion, and maybe one of those options is a more stable option if that is what the person needs at that moment.

i think you should do what you love to do because who wants to go to a job everyday and hate it? but then again if the going gets tuff you gotta do what you gotta do. MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND!!!

One should always strive to do what makes them happy, however we must not overlook necessity. An artist for example, is gonna have to bite the bullet and work somewhere he hates for a while until what he enjoys doing offers some opportunities.

I’m with @stemnyjones

In my experience, if you do what you enjoy: the money will come because you will excel. I “like” to sing but can’t; I won’t EVER get paid for it.

But my passion, which is recruiting, I’ve excelled and I’m compensated well.

Find your passion and make it a career.

It depends on the person and their situation. I have a good stable job that pays well, but I also have kids, a mortgage, car payments, etc. If it was just me, I’d be traveling the world doing one of those Travel Channel shows!

@sndfreQ I like your site. If I was capable of better F2F interaction, I’d like to feature my electric vehicle or my self-contained home power system. +GA

@stranger_in_a_strange_land thanks buddy…that site has some really interesting interviews, from a very wide cross-section of our society. Worth a look…