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Career Advice: Do What Makes Sense to You

I’ve been grappling with the idea of “doing what you love”. Some say yes, go for it, the most important thing is to do what you love and do it well. In his 2005 commencement address to Stanford Graduates Steve Jobs said perseverance is important to finding what you love to do: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”  http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html 

After reading this I decided to do a little research and guess what, people are out there doing what they love. CNN showcases a few of these folks, including a woman who transitioned from a 12-year career as an electrical engineer to a career as a beauty salon owner: http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/02/24/economy.career/index.html

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently featured Susan Slaughter, principal trumpet for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra who will be retiring after 40 years; 36 years as principal trumpet. Not only is her longevity with the symphony unusual, so is her gender. Ms. Slaughter is the first (and only) female to be named principal trumpet of a major orchestra. I was struck by the article because it is clear from her comments that her career has fully engaged her natural talents, has brought her great joy, and the ability to influence others in her field. http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/stories.nsf/music/story/D8CEE5F549F3B99886257635006F7EAF?OpenDocument

The Wall Street Journal regularly reports on people who “go for it” in terms of finding what they love to do. Recent articles have described a variety of people. One guy left a lucrative job as a fixed-income trader the year after 9/11 to become a waiter, then a sommelier, and most recently the manager of Del Frisco’s restaurant in Manhattan. He said he wanted to love coming to work and had previously enjoyed the restaurant business and so he made the leap into a new career. In another article an immigrant to the US was featured. He started out cleaning wine cellars and later became a wine taster and now owns his own vineyard, Mi Sueño Winery in Napa Valley. His wine was served at the White House when the Mexican president visited! Another woman they feature started out as an entertainment attorney, then worked as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch, quit that to stay home with her kids, and now owns her own floral and event design business, Florisan LLC. http://online.wsj.com/public/page/reinvent.html

I don’t think you have to love your job. For some people, getting a paycheck that helps them support themselves or their family is most important. One well-recommended career coach out in the San Francisco Bay Area says it just might not be such a good idea to aim for what you love. Instead he suggests taking a practical and realistic view of your own preferences and business realities: http://www.martynemko.com/articles/do-what-you-love-and-starve_id1380 . I liked his website for not only his sage advice but also he is a dog lover and so I felt compelled to include him in this blog today.

But I do think it is important to be passionate about something in your life. If a career is not where you find passion perhaps it is in an avocation such as gardening, cooking, running marathons, traveling, fixing up houses, sewing or knitting, volunteering at your kid’s school, golfing, participating in dog shows, riding horses, or any number of activities that engage your talents, abilities, and interests. A recent local news show featured a story about a group of 400 knitters who brought their knitting to a St. Louis Cardinals game. Apparently they attend every year as part of their club activities. They love knitting and I’m sure the people in their lives appreciate the output of their passion! I actually met a corporate guy-turned-gardener a few years ago when I asked for a bid on a project at my house. He started out in Corporate Communications and later turned his love for gardening into a part-time business. His other part-time business is producing videos for corporations. I don’t think you have to turn your avocation into a career, but it sure may be an option if you are in need of extra income, or want to do something different in your retirement.

If you are driven to want a career that you’re passionate about it’s best to be patient, take on an optimistic perspective, persevere, and at times, work very hard. As Susan Slaughter says in the article I referenced, her job has been very demanding - physically and otherwise. Still she kept herself to a high standard and produces beautiful music. Steve Jobs urged the Stanford grads to seek until they find what they love to do as a prerequisite to doing great work. Rolando Herrera, the owner of Mi Sueño Winery got his start because the manager of the winery for which he cleaned wine cellars noticed he had an incredible work ethic and offered him a chance to learn the wine business. Striving for excellence perhaps is the theme I see here.

In the demanding times of our lives, striving for excellence may seem daunting. I think the message in what I’ve researched this past week is that we gain a sense of our own capabilities, a sense of pride in our accomplishments when do great work. And if we don’t have much free time, we can do great work in small ways. Whether it’s producing a gorgeous scarf for a daughter to wear this winter, creating a garden for family and friends to enjoy, cooking a delicious meal, helping your child with his science project, creating the next Mac, or producing a perfect sound in the symphony; the act of creating something is satisfying. It allows us to share our inner strengths with others. And when we do this, we make the world a better place in which to live and share our passions.

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