EASYUNI Ultimate University Guide 2013 July Issue | Page 14

What to Study?
Is ‘Follow Your Passion’
a Good Idea?

What are you passionate about in life? Healing the sick? Flying a plane around
the world? Or even kicking a football for a living? You’ve heard this advice a
hundred times: “Do what you love and the money will follow.” If you love what
you do, it won’t feel like work. But what if you have no idea what your passion is?
One way to determine your profession is to focus on your
passion – something that inspires you the most. So what are you
passionate about? For instance, if you love ?ying so much, being
a pilot can be a career choice. One who is passionate about
photos and putting thoughts onto paper can pursue a career in
photojournalism. With powerful enthusiasm, passion and hard
work make a wonderful combination.
No doubt all of us have to work, unless you are born rich. If you
have always known what you want to do when you grow up
and what path to take to pursue your dream, congratulations,
as you can count yourself amongst the lucky few. For the rest of
us, we just have to ?gure out what we want to do in our future.
Is following your passion alone enough for choosing the right
course to study to sustain your life in the future?
People often say, “Follow your passion.” That’s just an advice
but putting it into practice is never easy. Should you follow your
passion to ful?l your dream, or be practical and ?nd a major that
will serve you in practical terms to carry you through life? There is
never an exact answer. We have successful people on both sides.
A more balanced approach would be to do what you love, using
your talents and to meet your needs. Follow your passion and
?nd ways to make it pro?table.

Passion or Pay?
Many students choose their degrees or postgraduate programmes
based solely on the salary or bene?ts of the job they hope to
obtain after they graduate. But are you sure that salary alone will
guarantee you long-term happiness, since the average full-time
employee works more than eight hours a day? It means that you
will be spending most of your daytime in the workplace. So you
had better enjoy your work. There are lots of ways to make money.

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EASYUNI Guide 2013

But as the proverb goes, what’s the point of gaining the whole
world if you lose your soul? The key is to have both.
If you are thinking of starting your own business, think of what
you are passionate about. Even entrepreneurships begins when
someone pursues a passion, probably against all odds. It may not
be easy, but it will be worth the effort. Howard Schultz smelled
the opportunity for great coffee in America and Starbucks
spread around the world. Michael Dell seized the opportunity for
inexpensive computers and Dell was born. These are examples of
talented and passionate people who chased their dreams boldly.

What to Do Next?
After understanding your passions and talents, identify a long list
of related careers, then re?ne the list and ?lter the possibilities. Just
make sure that all the possibilities will help you make the impact you
desire. Don’t disagree with your parents just because you are going
through a late teenage rebellion and feel that you should be able to
do what you want, just to prove a point.
You will need to weigh up factors with the job market such as salary,
stability, potential career progression, hours, work-life balance,
location and whether you need to move or travel. Try to ?nd out
as much as you can about the jobs and industries that interest
you - read related news and magazines, research online, talk to
your family members, search for advice from career counselors and
industry professionals, talk to someone who is currently working
in the ?eld, or attend career and trade fairs. Then, you can make
up your mind whether to pursue your passion as a career. Don’t
just jump into something because it is exciting at the moment.
Understand that a career takes a major part of your life, and it
would be wiser if you can enjoy the hours you put into it.