i helped a very sweet elderly man at work one day. he told me this was the key to his happiness and i think about it often. he asked me if i liked my job and we had a long conversation about how he decided to stop being an investment broker and settle down with his girlfriend at the time (now wife lol) and support her business. it was so interesting listening to him talk about falling out of love with his job and falling in love with life. he just quit and never really looked back because despite his former job being a cash cow it wasn't where he wanted to be and he wasn't doing what he wanted to do. gotta follow those instincts sometimes ig
Feb 5, 2025
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A senior-level colleague from a different department at work asked me this when we were collaborating on a project that's outside the scope of my regular job. I answered honestly that the work I do is not something I'm passionate about and I've done it out of necessity/because I lacked other opportunities, and that I would prefer to do something that's more intellectually stimulating and impactful.
Since that time he's been guiding me into opportunities to grow and develop lots of new skills and advocating for me along the way and it's been really nice! One of the best things to happen to me this year and it was really nice to have someone pick up on that and ask me.
Dec 11, 2024
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take the advice of family and friends to heart but if you still feel the same after hearing it just do what you want. you are free to make your own decisions. hopefully it works out, but if it doesn’t, there’s nothing wrong with making and learning from your own mistakes.
i’ve posted abt this before but my family told me the exact same thing after i said the exact same thing abt my last job. the good part was after i told them i was 100% going to do it, they gave me tons of advice on quitting and how to prep for getting a new job. they will be there for you either way. luckily for me it worked out even better than i could’ve wished for and ive been way happier in my new position. i hope the same goes for you
May 9, 2025
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growing up i felt compelled to have a job that i felt contributed something "important" to the world. there is a lot of background pressure that a career should be a "calling" or something you feel so passionate about that they couldn't not do it for a living.
a really useful piece of advice i got a little over a year ago (meant to apply to scientific academia but applies just as much to humanities, arts, etc.): jobs that use the language of a "calling" do so to exploit labor. if your job is your passion, why shouldn't you burn the candle at both ends until you have nothing left but passive indifference (or, even worse, resentment) for something you once thought interesting enough to devote your entire life to?
i think a bit about what my life would be like if i just did undergrad in computer science and got an avg boring programming job. lots of choice about where you live, pays pretty well, work is intellectually interesting enough, and it actually ends at 5pm so you have enough free time to explore other things you enjoy. a few friends from college chose this path and it definitely has its downsides, but its worth considering, esp. if you are really uncertain about what you actually want out of your life.
Feb 17, 2024
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reminds me it's about the journey not the destination
Feb 5, 2025