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Is chasing a passion job financially irresponsible in 2026, or is there a way to do so without throwing caution to the wind?
‘Follow your passion’ is common, well-meant piece of careers advice that careers professionals often criticise for a few reasons:
- It’s hard to know what your passion is, especially when you’re young. It’s often something that emerges over time.
- It’s often not practical advice. Passions can be hard to make money from unless you’re exceptional (think sports, music, art, social activism, etc.)
- Being ‘passionate’ every day is a very high bar, and can lead to unrealistic expectations about the world of work.
That said, the world of work is changing.
Some people say passion doesn’t matter, hard work does. I think both do. Once I found a passion for coding, the hard work came naturally
Also, passion is not something that you feel 24/7. We all burn out. Find a good balance between work, play and rest and you will last longer
— Brad Traversy (@traversymedia) February 6, 2021
If AI really does shake things up like experts are projecting, the old certainties won’t apply. Perhaps being a jobbing musician will have more security and better career prospects than being an accountant? And the combination of social media, low/no code and AI means more people can monetise passions than ever before.
In this scenario, it’s not financially irresponsible at all.
And if the ‘social contract’ is broken, if the prospects of buying a house, saving for retirement or finding a company that will invest in your development seem distant, then why not do a passion job? Life is short, and you should be happy and enjoy it while you’re young! While it’s a bit nihilistic, it’s tempting to think this way sometimes.
