There's nothing wrong with your advice. The problem is that too many people think they must find their passion in their work and that's a tall order to fill. Far easier to work to pay the bills and indulge your passions after that's done.

I disagree with that. I enjoy what I'm doing, I'm passionate about it, and having done it the other way as well, I wouldn't change back. It's great to wake up in the morning and think "Yes! I'm going to spend all day working!" without a trace of sarcasm.

Some people may be able to do a job that they hate, but it saps my soul.

I'm glad you enjoy your job. I share your sentiments as well, but I think what the parent was talking about, is that some kids are thrown "Follow your dreams" so much that they are paralyzed by it. You and I are lucky to have found our passion now, but what were you doing before you found your passion? Some kids don't know their passion yet, and hence can't stand to work any job; doing anything, even sticking with a "random" faculty seems betrayal to their true calling. I've seen so many people who just wont do anything with their lives while they're just "waiting" for that feeling to kick in. They go to a job and come home navel gazing, thinking "is this it? is this it?" and when no magical sparks happen in the first week, they decide this isn't for them and is beneath them, and quit or just don't show up. Same thing in relationships: we're fed 'if you find the right person it'll be perfect bliss' so often that we're not willing to just do the dirty work, and find happiness in it. In short, we are a generation that doesn't know how to "settle". "Settling" and "Contentment" are shameful words in our society.

I see what you're saying, and I agree. That's why I say you should follow both passions and opportunities. Certainly if all the good opportunities aren't stuff that you're that passionate about, you should follow the opportunities - while looking out for more appropriate opportunities.

I did, however, get the impression, from the article, that it implied you should forget about passion and just do what everyone else doesn't want to do. That to me is just as stupid as what you're describing (following passions only).

yeah, totally. While it's nice to hear someone sing a different tune for once, i also got the impression that somehow "passion == wrong". really, we should be giving kids a flowchart --> passionate about something? (yes) go for it (no) be willing to do anything opportunity turns up, and keep your ears open for when passion calls. Loop every so often until you end up with a "yes".

It was by total fluke that I got into programming at all, but if I had been a "dream waiter" bum who did nothing all my life, I wouldn't have had the resources or maturity to follow that dream when it did turn up.