Illustration: 123rf.com
It's long been simmering inside you: A hankering to fulfill your career dream. It might be starting your own restaurant, tending sheep in the great outdoors, or becoming a social media influencer. But what if doing what you love for a living barely makes ends meet? Should you choose your passion or an ample pay cheque?
There’s no one answer to this question. Everyone’s different, with different needs, and their choice of occupation should vary accordingly, experts say.
“You’ve got to consider your overall situation,” says Cornelia Zeidler, executive board member of the German Association for Educational and Vocational Counselling (dvb). After all, she notes, there’s a big difference between a single parent paying all the bills and a career starter still living with his or her parents.
“You’ve got to ask yourself what opportunities and flexibility you’ll have, financial as well as in regard to working hours,” Zeidler says. “And how solid is your desire to take on the new job?”
Being successful in your career doesn’t necessarily mean being fulfilled in your life, points out Judith Mangelsdorf, director of the German Society for Positive Psychology (DGPP).
“We’re societally conditioned to seek success above all in our occupation, which is often equated with high income and an influential position,” she remarks.
This, she says, can lead to an affluent life that’s superficial, however, leaving you with a feeling of emptiness. Fulfilment comes from doing something truly meaningful.
She advises people trying to decide whether to follow the money or their passion to “ask yourself what’s more important to you: A higher income and all that it makes possible, or a really inspiring job”.
It can help to question why you want to pursue a certain occupation. If your enthusiasm comes from within yourself, it could be a good idea to go for it. You shouldn’t adopt the expectations of others, though.
“There’s a lot of hype about everyone needing to find their calling and have a dream job,” says Zeidler. “This puts tremendous pressure on people.”
Whereas one’s occupation used to serve solely as a way to make a living, nowadays it’s often supposed to provide fulfilment as well, she says.
“You may have to abandon that notion somewhat. It’s perfectly fine to have a job that simply gives you a livelihood.”
If you’ve also got a decent work environment, pleasant colleagues and an appreciative boss, the job content may not be so important. And, Zeidler says, “You can then put more energy into what you really care about, either as an unpaid volunteer or in your leisure time.”
Mangelsdorf agrees that you don’t have to land your dream job to be happy: “Many people find fulfilment in other areas of life, such as a romantic relationship, family, volunteer work or hobbies.”
So it may be wise not to attach too much importance to work in your work-life balance, she says, “and instead ask yourself where else you can find fulfilment”.
That said, it can hurt when you fail to secure the career you had your heart set on. If this happens, Mangelsdorf suggests asking yourself “what’s really at the bottom” of your disappointment, because it’s often possible, in other ways, to pursue, and sometimes attain, “the underlying thing” you truly desire.
“Then your broken dream is no longer the end of the world, but just another obstacle you’ve got to deal with.”
But the question of questions remains: What makes people happier – a job that pays well or one that they love?
It depends. Money does makes you happy, declares Mangelsdorf, “but only to a certain point”. For low earners who regularly worry about whether they’ll be able to pay their bills, higher pay can indeed make their life happier and less stressful, she says.
“The correlation between financial means and happiness nearly disappears, however, when you have enough disposable income to cover your basic living costs, Mangelsdorf says. So at the end of the day, a better-paying job only makes you happier when you have a very low income.
“Beyond that point, the road to more happiness isn’t paved with money, but with passion and meaningfulness.” – dpa/Anke Dankers
