Mom. Dad… I want to be a poet.
Although I was graced with incredibly supportive and understanding parents, this wasn’t an easy conversation to have. We, as a generation, are being raised in a job market that is incomparable to that of our parents and frankly it’s terrifying. So when people ask me what I am going to do when I graduate, and I respond with
“I want to be a poet,”
the response is more often then not,
“Okay, but what are you going to do for a REAL job?”
This begs me to ask the question; what is a “REAL” job?
The answer?
THERE IS NO SUCH THING.
New flash people…did you know that less that 20% of undergraduate students end up with a job in their studied field? You probably did know this because as current undergraduate students we are constantly bombarded with discouraging statistics about our current job market. We are also bombarded with advice from everyone and their mother about what we should be when we grow up. Pick the smart choice, do what makes you money, take the job because there might not be another right away etc etc, we hear this day in and day out but where are the people telling us to find our passion? Where is the advice that tells up “do what you love and the money will come.”
We have become so fixated on doing the economical, profitable things rather than the things that make our heart sing. We are being raised to value quantity over quality. We are told not to jump off the boat for fear of drowning no matter how much we love the ocean and I continuously struggle with this mentality.
Maybe I am the crazy one?
While that might be true, I don’t think I am alone.
There is an army of us realizing that REAL jobs just don’t exist anymore, and we should be focusing on what makes us feel meaningful rather than what puts us in the highest tax bracket. Do what you love. Do something that gets you up in the morning and tucks you into bed at night. Jump off that boat, work your hardest to learn how to swim and only then will you understand the bliss of being able to float. Be passionate. Let passion drive your goals and don’t lose sight of the things you fall in love with.
And lastly, don’t let anyone tell you to get a REAL job.