At the end of every semester, a student comes to see me worried about "grades". Within the past two weeks, I've had two different experiences with students that I would like to share. Then, I will share with you one from my college days. I hope this will help you understand why I feel that it is more important to do something you enjoy for a living instead of doing something for the PAY.
My first student encounter took place with a struggling student who has bitten off more than she can chew. She is enrolled in the "weeder" course this semester while she balances two children, a mortgate, a full time job, and three other courses. When she came to see me, she admitted that she didn't really like the class. I asked her how important it was for her to become a nurse. If it's really your goal, this is part of the price you pay. Many people I know go after a degree or career in something without any idea whatsoever of how the path looks on the way. Everyone I knew in graduate school hated their Biochemistry courses. I was a Biochemistry major. It's part of the process, part of what they need to understand. Imagine surgery without anesthesia...ever.
The second student was yesterday. I ran into him just as I was leaving for the day, and he struck up a conversation. After about 30 minutes, I determined that he had a test an hour after I encountered him and that he was avoiding last minute cramming. He's an intelligent man, but his weakness is exactly the technique his anatomy professor uses on his tests. That which we do not exercise atrophies. Until we exercise it, it cannot grow stronger.
During my undergraduate years, all eight of us Biochemistry regular track majors dreaded Physical Chemistry. Fortunately, my neighbor in the dorms Zach was a whiz at Chemistry. Zach's brother had also proceeded him in the major but was now in law school. One day Zach told me about the differences between him and his brother. During spring break, his brother had asked their dad for help, their father being a big whig at a major chemical company. At some point in their conversation, the dad turned to Zach's brother and asked him, "In your free time, do you think about chemistry? If you don't, perhaps you should rethink your career".
That in which we invest our energies and time becomes our strength. This has always been one of my favorite Far Side Cartoons:
So many people I know invest their time and energy into "gaming". Others invest it into booze. Others copulate. You get the picture. Very few of those things lead to a living, and none of them lead to a career on which to raise a family and live a productive and fulfilling life. Those are all dead-end activities.
I advise people to study for a trade the thing they like to do second most. The reason why is that if you pursue your primary interest, when you reach a stage in your education where you MUST do things related to your dream job that you abhor doing, you will often hate your job afterwards. Just look at how many doctors are grumpy after taking Biochemistry. My sister's dream was music, but she chose Architecture because it also interested her and because there would come a time when she would be FORCED to compose, perform, or listen to music she hated, and she knew that when she was forced to do something she enjoyed it would sap the enjoyment from that activity.
If you choose to keep your "dream job" in reserve, you can still live a productive life. On days when you hate your job, you can always do something else as a hobby to unwind. You will complain about your second choice and always enjoy your first. Yes, it's nice to get paid to do something you like to do, but try a variation on the theme. I told one of my sister's friends who races dirtbikes and such basically all the time to consider a job with the border patrol, the national parks, or something similar, because then he would get paid to sometimes do something he liked but he could still race on his days off. This way, you will always enjoy your primary dream, and you can do it on the side or as a second career and always do something you love because you love to do it and not because someone tells you that you must or because you have other obligations. I know it's strange advice, but there is wisdom in it.
My first student encounter took place with a struggling student who has bitten off more than she can chew. She is enrolled in the "weeder" course this semester while she balances two children, a mortgate, a full time job, and three other courses. When she came to see me, she admitted that she didn't really like the class. I asked her how important it was for her to become a nurse. If it's really your goal, this is part of the price you pay. Many people I know go after a degree or career in something without any idea whatsoever of how the path looks on the way. Everyone I knew in graduate school hated their Biochemistry courses. I was a Biochemistry major. It's part of the process, part of what they need to understand. Imagine surgery without anesthesia...ever.
The second student was yesterday. I ran into him just as I was leaving for the day, and he struck up a conversation. After about 30 minutes, I determined that he had a test an hour after I encountered him and that he was avoiding last minute cramming. He's an intelligent man, but his weakness is exactly the technique his anatomy professor uses on his tests. That which we do not exercise atrophies. Until we exercise it, it cannot grow stronger.
During my undergraduate years, all eight of us Biochemistry regular track majors dreaded Physical Chemistry. Fortunately, my neighbor in the dorms Zach was a whiz at Chemistry. Zach's brother had also proceeded him in the major but was now in law school. One day Zach told me about the differences between him and his brother. During spring break, his brother had asked their dad for help, their father being a big whig at a major chemical company. At some point in their conversation, the dad turned to Zach's brother and asked him, "In your free time, do you think about chemistry? If you don't, perhaps you should rethink your career".
That in which we invest our energies and time becomes our strength. This has always been one of my favorite Far Side Cartoons:
So many people I know invest their time and energy into "gaming". Others invest it into booze. Others copulate. You get the picture. Very few of those things lead to a living, and none of them lead to a career on which to raise a family and live a productive and fulfilling life. Those are all dead-end activities.
I advise people to study for a trade the thing they like to do second most. The reason why is that if you pursue your primary interest, when you reach a stage in your education where you MUST do things related to your dream job that you abhor doing, you will often hate your job afterwards. Just look at how many doctors are grumpy after taking Biochemistry. My sister's dream was music, but she chose Architecture because it also interested her and because there would come a time when she would be FORCED to compose, perform, or listen to music she hated, and she knew that when she was forced to do something she enjoyed it would sap the enjoyment from that activity.
If you choose to keep your "dream job" in reserve, you can still live a productive life. On days when you hate your job, you can always do something else as a hobby to unwind. You will complain about your second choice and always enjoy your first. Yes, it's nice to get paid to do something you like to do, but try a variation on the theme. I told one of my sister's friends who races dirtbikes and such basically all the time to consider a job with the border patrol, the national parks, or something similar, because then he would get paid to sometimes do something he liked but he could still race on his days off. This way, you will always enjoy your primary dream, and you can do it on the side or as a second career and always do something you love because you love to do it and not because someone tells you that you must or because you have other obligations. I know it's strange advice, but there is wisdom in it.
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