I read an article yesterday whose main idea was that the trend of privilege of quitting one’s job to chase a dream is bullshit.
There were parts of it I agreed very much with- for instance, to paraphrase, my drive and initiative and skills are no more valuable or true than those of migrant workers, double-shift-working single parents, or of any one of the billions with a job they don’t enjoy.
I wish it were not so that millions must live far away from home and family, working a backbreaking horrible job (or six) in order to just keep themselves and their loved ones from starving. This situation has never been my reality, and I can only see it from a very distant perspective. It also requires a different, much longer conversation, having to do with workers’ rights, cultural sensitivity, poverty, racism, equal pay, and a thousand other things.
I wish it were not so that life and/or work is absolute crap for so many, absolute joy for so few.
Standing where I stand, and speaking from direct personal experience, I would like to propose that what’s bullshit is the level of romanticism around the concept of chucking it all to do what you love. Here’s why.
Figuring out what you even want to do with your life is damn near impossible in the first place. It’s okay if that takes a while. It should always be okay, and it is also okay if it changes at some point. Your mileage will almost certainly vary. I had it very easy where figuring out what I wanted to do was concerned, and I recognize this. Those of you who are not having an easy time with that at all, I see you, and I wish you triumph.
If and when you do scale that fence, and you decide that you want to leap and fly, you absolutely must be prepared to work your butt off to build a new AND sustainable career- both to replace the career or job you want to leave, and to keep yourself and any loved ones alive, or else you may lose your integrity in leaning on any available well of privilege, or leaning on your spouse or family, when things don’t go so well.
I’m not saying you’ll lose your integrity if you don’t do exactly as I did, nor if you go home to your mama’s to rest. I do that a lot, but she and I have always been close.
What I am saying, for my own part, is that I have an ocean of support, and also plenty of privilege, and it’s still a colossal amount of work to do my thing, which is managing and maintaining an independent artistic career.
I’m also saying that you don’t have to ever even consider making your passion into your job or your life’s work. It’s hard, and the attempt might just make you not want to do it anymore at all. I’m saying look carefully at every angle before you make the change. Dream as big as you like, but also think, and plan.
Do what you love, but know what you’re getting into. Be kind, be aware, make friends, do your best, and say thank you. Say thank you a lot.
