Seniors struggle whether to follow the heart

or follow the gold

By Gus McSheehy, Reporter

Passion or profit—this is the debate that everyone has had to face at some point. The choice between passion and profit is a conflicting and important decision that will stay relevant throughout a student’s future.

“I just want to do what I feel like to fulfill my life… but I’ll do what I have to in order to make a life worth living,” graduated senior Aiden Janssen said.

Many people struggle with this decision—wanting to follow their passion or have a stable job and income. Following a passion can be very risky, especially for those with art majors, which in many situations don’t open lots of career doors or pay very well.

“With photography as a business it can get hard to get clients… same with film, if you’re making a film and it goes bust you lose a bunch of money… You could say it’s a crapshoot in a sense,” Emerson Hickman said.

The pros to this are summed up in a common saying often repeated to students: “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Whereas with high paying majors like business or engineering, someone may not fully enjoy the experiences, or they may not speak to students in any means, but they can secure a job and a stable spot in the economy.

This raises the question: why would one want to go for their dream major? It can seem like one’s passions cannot generate good pay, so what’s the use in them?

“If you can make a living doing what you love, do it… it’s like fun, you’re just going to have fun,” Hickman said.

Money has become increasingly more important in today’s world. Without money, it becomes very hard to live the life one may want. People think that shooting for their dreams puts them in a situation where they are poor, and struggling to make ends meet, hence the “starving artist” stereotype.

“I wanted to be an artist but I didn’t know what kind so I was like oh my god people who paint don’t make any money… and it’s hard for them to make a steady income,” an anonymous source said.

Especially for artists, despite growing job opportunities and more doors opening for them through art schools, getting that steady income can be difficult. Is it possible to do both? While most passions are not always the most profitable, many people find a way to achieve both. But doing that can feel like walking a fine line. You can risk your passion turning into a meaningless job. You can very much easily lose the passion as you progress on into your life.

“My biggest worry is, am I making the right choice? Am I going to be happy with what I choose? … I would like to be able to follow the right path now and not have to go back and change it,” Hickman said.

While making this decision, think upon values; some people think it is better to be happy with a job and make less money, while others believe it is better to make bank and not necessarily follow your heart. Regardless it is up to the individual to make the choices that best meet their needs.