Passion vs Career - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: oddeohead
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 03:52:52 am
content: Hi everybody! My first thread here. Just a question and I am sorry if there is already a thread on this....The question I have is how many people find that doing electronics for a living has slightly killed the true passion we have for it?Don't get me wrong I wouldn't change what I do for a living for anything but would sometimes wish I had more time to do things for me and not everyone else to pay the bills.The reason I put the home shop together was to be able to enjoy the fun things again but I find myself bringing work home! My fault I know but almost feel guilty sitting in here and not getting done work orders.Anyone else have this struggle?Thanks,Jeff

author: PeteInTexas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 04:44:34 am
content: Quote from: oddeohead on February 18, 2012, 03:52:52 amAnything done for a just "a living" would kill any passion, imho.

author: blackman
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 07:05:42 am
content: Electronics was a hobby for me while I was a child. Then I became an electrician as a trade. Even though I don't do electronics all day, I'm still working around it and I study it quite a bit. If anything, I think its made me enjoy my electronics more, I can bring more to my job and my job helps me bring more to my hobby. If I did just do electronics design or repair as a job Im not sure if it would have the same effect, but sometimes I wish I did, so I can learn more because I find it hard to study if its not for work.

author: damo
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 12:11:54 pm
content: Been there. Did electronics as a hobby from pre-teen years and worked in the field for a number of years. That did kill off the passion I had for electronics so I changed my focus to another passion of mine. I now work in the IT industry and do electronics for myself. I don't have to bring home any of my work and I only do stuff for myself (electronics wise anyway). I guess, for me, the saying "Get a job in something you love and you'll always love your job" doesn't hold true.

author: Short Circuit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 01:07:36 pm
content: Maybe it depends on how you change the hobby into a profession.I've done it, and hence no hobby anymore, yet I'm still 100% passionated onelectronics. Being a self-employed engineer makes it possible to pickthe jobs you prefer, and run the projects the way you like. And allowsyou to buy & play with all the latest parts and expensive equipment

author: SoftwareSamurai
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 03:17:10 pm
content: Just an aside here...I find it interesting that many people seem to have forgotten the original meaning of the word "passion". (Or perhaps I should say that the meaning has mutated over the years from its origins.)As outlinedhere, the word "passion" can be traced back 5000 years to a base word that meant "to hurt". Then around 1175 it was adopted to essential mean "to suffer". This is the meaning of the word that I learned when I was in school. Now, every time I read or hear the word "passion" in a sentence meant to convey "to love" instead of "to suffer", I always have the reverse feeling towards the intent of the sentence. "I have lost my passion for ..." to me means the person has stopped suffering! (A good thing, no?) Yeah, I know, it means the opposite for everyone else. I just find it odd how the meaning of such a simple word has changed so subtly yet so dramatically.Now back on topic...I think to be emotionally satisfied with your work, you must enjoy it at least a little bit. For those that decide to get a job doing what they love to do, always remember that as an employee your primary responsibility is to help the company achieve its goals, which are not necessarily your goals. This often times conflicts with love for what you want to do, or at a minimum, forces you to set aside your love for your work while you do other things. (Unless, of course, you own your own business. But even that comes with its own unique outside influences that cause exactly the same sort of perturbation in your "to do" list, taking you away from the things you really want to do.) This, if I may be so grandiose, is the way of the universe I believe. Best to accept it, and just keep your eyes on your goals no matter how far away the tides may take you.