Students Decide How Passion Affects their Career

[Story by Mahi Parikh]

As soon as students enter high school, many feel the pressure of figuring out their passion and future career. With applying to college and getting back admission letters, this pressure is only increasing. Most students feel as if these two things need to be related and they have to find a job doing something they love, even though many aren’t completely sure what they truly love and how to relate that into their career.

In some situations, students know exactly what their passion is and have spent a majority of their life working towards building that into a career.

There are many benefits to this situation, and it could end up being a very successful career. Some students find that following their passion doesn’t require them to go to college and possibly be burdened with student debt, but they are able to make money to support themselves right out of high school.

“The benefit of not going to college is not going into debt, a chance to find your purpose to go on everyday to accomplish an overarching goal that will span the rest of your life and to build your character, body and finances,” said junior Nabil Benkirane.

Benkirane has plans of taking a gap year and possibly enrolling in a welding academy, as he knows that is his true passion and doesn’t want to waste time learning in college.

“True knowledge is obtained by those who seek it, not what is forced to be taught in a class just to pass,” said Benkirane.

When a student knows what path they plan to follow and college isn’t a necessity for that career goal, it makes sense to skip straight to working, rather than taking years off of that profession in college. Following one’s passion can also make that career more successful than working in a job that one doesn’t enjoy.

“Following your passion can end up making more money because you are motivated to work. You go to work everyday doing something that you love, which is a good motivator to do your best,” said sophomore Palak Sanghavi.

For some people, going to work isn’t their favorite part of the day, but rather something they dread doing when they wake up. When one’s career and passion is connected, it could lead to a happier lifestyle. It isn’t always as black and white as that, though.

“A lot of times, jobs focused around passions can become draining, [such as] working long hours, and people can often lose the meaning behind why they are pursuing their passion,” said junior Aashna Patel.

It is common to lose the love for a certain skill that certain people once had, after relating it to their job. Many people also find that their passion doesn’t work well for their lifestyle.

“The path I love, music, is unreliable and doesn’t pay well. However, I still want to study music and use it when I can,” Patel said.

If someone chooses a career that isn’t related to their passion, they can still continue doing what they love in their free time. One’s career doesn’t have to take over their life, but rather just a way to live their life and pursue their passion on their own time. Whether someone’s career is just a way to make money or something they truly love, there are chances of something going wrong in both situations.

“There’s a risk in every career you do, it just depends on how you take the risk and what steps you [take] to make it as less of a risk as possible,” said senior Diya Parikh.

Students often feel scared to take a different path that isn’t certain, but it is important to always take that chance because a long and successful career could come out of it.

“The more educated you are, I think that it’s okay to take a risk because you have things to fall back on,” Parikh said.