Advice from Steve Jobs: Do what you love

Yup, it's an awful short ride and none of us know for sure how short it will be.

Make sure you enjoy it.

Shawn

I have to say things have worked out pretty well. And it just comes from doing stuff that's interesting, and doing it with enthusiasm. And by taking opportunities when they present themselves, including at least three 90 turns. Plus luck.

If you love what you do, you'll do it better. And that'll help do you what you love.

I've been contemplating a career change for a couple of years now. I'm so fed up with corporate stupidity and what I call "TPS report cover sheets" as well as an ever-more-demanding but stupider customer base I'm simply getting burned out (insurance adjuster). There's other things I am certainly capable of doing and have done, but truthfully anything I'd like to do would not provide but half the income I currently make. And I really like racing, which requires buckets of money. 8 more years to pay on the house and I'll be totally debt free, at which time I'll be 53, a really bad age to attempt a career change. So I'm not sure what to do. I just know I can't keep doing this because I'll punch someone in the throat.

I have learned, however, that keeping eyes and ears open can result in some strange and wonderful opportunities. Sort of how I got to where I am. Had I accepted my non-college career path when I first got married, I'd still be working a Hyundai dealer parts counter and only being able to afford autocross. I liked that job more in many ways, but it didn't provide the level of after hours glee I can experience today. So I'll keep looking, listening and talking to people. Somewhere out there is a job for a bright, heavily sarcastic car junkie. I mean, Clarkson's got to die eventually, right?

Wise words. Similar words I used to hear from my parents growing up. In no small measure, it's why I'm able to do so many different things. Come what may, I can always find or make work, or at least provide for my family. That's a powerful comfort.

Equally, I've learned from others life is what you make of it. The old saw, "if you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right". If you view life bitterly, you will have a bitter life.

And having bounced around enough, from riches to rags, pleasure to pain, good to bad, I've learned how to measure and compare things.

Do I love my job? Yes. That's why I guard it well. Am I paid well? No. Cash isn't good here. But I work with wonderful people. My bosses called me in when my son was born to nicely lecture me on the fact that my family must come first, not this job. That's nice. I come to work when I want, I go home when I want. I'm not expected to be here on weekends. Good medical benefits, a retirement program and lots of vacation time. You bet I've passed up some promotional opportunities to keep this.

Best of all, I've lived life widely enough to be able to appreciate it.

AngryCorvair wrote: i believe it. but i also believe that it's too late for me. not because of my age, but because of my current responsibilities. i'm good at what i do and i make good money doing it, but i am only sometimes enthusiastic about getting out of bed to do it. for every day on the test track, i spend 20 in the office. so until my kids are out of college, i will continue to do what i do, and have some fun on the side with applying the challenge mentality to everything else.

That stings to read... but it is probably true. Same boat... 2 kids with futures to consider, mortgage, well paying job that used to be an exciting career but now is more like a routine set of problems I can do in my sleep. I slog thru it for the kids sake and lean into those weekends where I get to take the car out of the trailer for a couple hours and wreak havoc on some tires. Open headers work well at concealing the sound of dreams dying.

Are you saying that offspring are not compatible with an interesting, dynamic and fulfilling career? Or is there just there a "cut off" point involved, after one has accumulated X number of responsibilities, beyond which all hope is lost? Of course, I'm still young enough to have no interest in children whatsoever .

Luke wrote: Are you saying that offspring are not compatible with an interesting, dynamic and fulfilling career? Or is there just there a "cut off" point involved, after one has accumulated X number of responsibilities, beyond which all hope is lost? Of course, I'm still young enough to have no interest in children whatsoever .

There is a limit to how much risk you can assume and how much time you can commit. You can't just blow off a good job to start your own company and let the chips fall... you need to know it will succeed. People depend on it. There comes a point where realize that you really can't pull-off a 6 month motorcycle trip across north and central america until the kids are self-sufficient... and that is 10-12 years away at the earliest. I say can't... but I really mean won't.

The things you own end up owning you. --Tyler Durden

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

Yup this is me. What seems more obtainable at this point is accumulating enough money where I can semi-retire and do something I actually like. I am hoping that will be in around 10 years.

I really appreciate all the thoughtful comments.

I would offer that there is a perceived limit to how much risk you can assume (either by ones own perception or societies) when you have family responsibilities. I feel it too, that's why I'm angling for a promotion and raise right now, not starting my dream company. But I believe my limitations/fears are all self imposed. My kids only need food, clothes, shelter, and my love. I could provide that with a lower income. And I might be a much better parent if I'm happier.

More than likely I will keep on the treadmill, work my ass off for someone else doing something I'm not crazy about, and hope to be able to play more before I hit 60. Hopefully I won't get hit by a bus the day I start doing what I want.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: There is a limit to how much risk you can assume and how much time you can commit. The things you own end up owning you. --Tyler Durden

yep.

my parents always said they wanted us to have more opportunities than they had. and we did. now i'm saying the same thing about my kids. and they will. but the weight of making that happen is on me.

add to that the weight of providing a comfortable life for my family now, and preparing for a retirement that (1) begins at a reasonable age and (2) does not include living in poverty, and yes, i am beyond the point where i can say "berkeley it, i'm going to go work in a hot-rod shop for $10/hr with no benefits" even though i know i'd be happier doing that kind of work.

my house will be paid off when i'm 58, my youngest will graduate from college when i'm 59 (both will graduate debt-free), and i'm on track to retire at 60. then i'll start my own hot-rod shop and will probably not come anywhere close to making $10/hr doing so.

Here's the whole SJ speech, I just re-read it.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/stay-hungry-stay-foolish-10062011.html

haven't bothered to follow up and find out for sure, but was told at work today that the westbboro baptist shiny happy people were going to stage a protest at SJ's funeral

replying to GPS:

believe me, i don't feel trapped or anything like that. i've made choices that strike the best work-life balance for me and my family. i still get to do cool stuff, like the in-car instruction i do for the Society of Automotive Engineers Applied Vehicle Dynamics seminar. i've had an article published in my favorite magazine. i got to drive in a chumpcar enduro. etc etc. i definitely work to live.

I can't say I love my job, but seldom do I wake up in the morning and dread having to go to work. I am paid well for what I do and that affords me the opportunity to support my family in a comfortable lifestyle. I am fortunate.

My oldest son started college this year and my other son will start in 3 years. They will graduate with no debt if all goes to plan. Sure, there are other things I would rather do for a living and would accept less money to do so. But at this time, giving them that opportunity means more to me than pursuing a lower paying position that I may enjoy more.

My dad gave me some good advice many years ago when I started work. You may not find your dream job; look for a job that has the fewest negatives and the most positives. Life is about choices. Make the most of the opportunities that you are offered.

I am old enough to realize that my interests and priorities have changed over the years. I also have witnessed friends who pursued their first love for a living only to realize that it ended up just being another job for them due to the demands and stress.

To me, happiness is not a destination, but a continuous journey and pursuit that encompasses more than what I do for a living.

I'm too much of a cynic to buy into Jobs' point.

That's all fine and good--if you can find something you love. I've yet to be able to do that.

I distinctly remember a Monster.com ad that said "there's not a 'cool job fairy'". Meanwhile, unless sales or nursing was a "cool job", the "cool jobs" are not the ones that are accessible to the masses. Connections, connections, connections. Those magical connections have evaded me since I entered the workforce.

My career path has been nothing but frustration and has been the biggest sore point in my life. As I near 40, it's starting to cause some pretty serious anxiety.

So yeah--great for a billionaire to tell me to do what I love, but (aside from a premature death) things panned out for him pretty well.

I found a job I really loved, but it would never pay my debt fresh out of college. I was under-qualified to move up in the organization (land trust), so I left to find experience that would make me more marketable.

My new job is boring, but on both the paycheck and the resume it is a huge benefit. I am getting a very specialized training and experience with grants and administration of programs that many land-trusts rely on. I hope to take all of this and get myself back into a land-trust, get a graduate degree (paid for by my employer) and work long enough to open my own bicycle shop some day.

I love what I do, but it really has become a job and not a fantasy. Sure, it's fantastic being able to travel the world, but the downside is only seeing snippets out of your window because you're on such a tight schedule, operating on next to no sleep in a different time zone, and working into the wee hours because dinner/presentations lasted until 10 pm and you've got a deadline.

Thanks to Jack Baruth's recent tirades on TTAC, auto writers have gained a reputation as spoiled sycophants, but the reality is that most of the glittery stuff you don't really want – what you really want is the peace and quiet of your own room to get some work done. And believe me, there are no gifts on junkets any more, and the majority of my colleagues are too tired, or too busy to spend hours drinking free booze. The pay is small, and the overhead is high (I have to gas-up and detail my press cars, pay my own airport fees, and all my travel expenses to and from the big city to pick up cars). Having said that, I love the freedom, and the fact that I'm not stuck in a cubicle, listening to the toxic gossip of co-workers.