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I had a conversation with Fiona the other day about this. I asked her if it's worth the extra time and risk to find and do something that you really love or is it okay to just get by. I'm not really sure what to think, but she basically chose the latter and was pretty firm in her stance. She said that finding something that you really love just isn't necessary. She says that the better choice is to find something that you're pretty good at, that you're comfortable enough with, and that will pay decently. Yes, as much as we all sometimes hate to admit it, money matters and matters a whole lot. She says it's the people that you meet and the experiences you gain that are most worthwhile. I listened to her and nodded my head. It wasn't a nod of agreement, but I was nodding as if to say, "I see your point."
I do see her point. She's 22 years old, graduated on time, and now has a great, stable job. My parents would be absolutely thrilled with me if I were in her shoes. Does she love her job? Nope. I've heard her cry over feeling stuck in the weekly grind and I talked to her and assured her that things would get better. I'm not entirely sure that they have since that time, but I know she's at least more accepting of it. Her coworkers are pretty cool people. I've met some of them and these are people that I would hang out with even if I didn't know her. Matt has a special place in my heart, haha. That guy is awesome. The work is mostly more boring than it sounds (programming for a defense contractor), but the pay is really good. There are plenty of people who graduated at the same time as her or before her that would love to make what she makes.
I think that's become an accepted part of becoming an adult - learning to like your job enough to support yourself and your future. No matter how much she'll learn to like or even love her job, if someone said "Here's $650,000. Go shoot pictures for the next nine to ten years," she'd be leaving her cubicle the next day. I think she's lucky to have a passion for something. Unfortunately, she's not lucky enough to have that be a realistic job. Still, I hope she keeps that passion - that it doesn't keep getting put on the back burner because of work, school, or even me. It is what attracted me to her in the first place. She's kinda cute and all, but that's besides the point. I push her whenever I can to shoot more. I'll take time off and go with her to exhibit her work in a small gallery or find out where to get frames or even step back from her and let her go shoot. It's real. It's her. She loves it and I love watching her and seeing her work. I see the joy in her face when she gets that perfect shot or when she gets a new lens. It's something that she can't get from anywhere else and she needs to keep that in her life.
But enough about her! What about me? Am I going to just get by or do something that I love? What do I even love doing any more? I wonder about this all the time and I never know. I used to have a passion for health. I used to have a passion for sports. I used to have a passion for - gasp - learning. Where have they all gone? If I want to work out, there's a gym 10 minutes away from me. If I want to play basketball, there's a park 5 minutes away from me. If I want to learn something.....well what do ya know? I'm typing on it right now. What's disinterested me so much in myself, that I stopped caring? It's easy for me to lay blame on a couple of things I won't disclose on the internet, but I won't. There's no excuse for giving up on a person, who knows beyond anything, that he's a good person, a smart person, and given the right motivation, an incredibly go out of your way, do the impossible, willing person. For the last year and a half, my sole source of motivation to do anything has been Fiona. She'll continue to be a great source of motivation, but I need to add one more. I don't need to look further than my bathroom mirror to find it. If I'm lucky, I'll find an answer to my question to her in the medicine cabinet, but I'm not holding my breath.
I do see her point. She's 22 years old, graduated on time, and now has a great, stable job. My parents would be absolutely thrilled with me if I were in her shoes. Does she love her job? Nope. I've heard her cry over feeling stuck in the weekly grind and I talked to her and assured her that things would get better. I'm not entirely sure that they have since that time, but I know she's at least more accepting of it. Her coworkers are pretty cool people. I've met some of them and these are people that I would hang out with even if I didn't know her. Matt has a special place in my heart, haha. That guy is awesome. The work is mostly more boring than it sounds (programming for a defense contractor), but the pay is really good. There are plenty of people who graduated at the same time as her or before her that would love to make what she makes.
I think that's become an accepted part of becoming an adult - learning to like your job enough to support yourself and your future. No matter how much she'll learn to like or even love her job, if someone said "Here's $650,000. Go shoot pictures for the next nine to ten years," she'd be leaving her cubicle the next day. I think she's lucky to have a passion for something. Unfortunately, she's not lucky enough to have that be a realistic job. Still, I hope she keeps that passion - that it doesn't keep getting put on the back burner because of work, school, or even me. It is what attracted me to her in the first place. She's kinda cute and all, but that's besides the point. I push her whenever I can to shoot more. I'll take time off and go with her to exhibit her work in a small gallery or find out where to get frames or even step back from her and let her go shoot. It's real. It's her. She loves it and I love watching her and seeing her work. I see the joy in her face when she gets that perfect shot or when she gets a new lens. It's something that she can't get from anywhere else and she needs to keep that in her life.
But enough about her! What about me? Am I going to just get by or do something that I love? What do I even love doing any more? I wonder about this all the time and I never know. I used to have a passion for health. I used to have a passion for sports. I used to have a passion for - gasp - learning. Where have they all gone? If I want to work out, there's a gym 10 minutes away from me. If I want to play basketball, there's a park 5 minutes away from me. If I want to learn something.....well what do ya know? I'm typing on it right now. What's disinterested me so much in myself, that I stopped caring? It's easy for me to lay blame on a couple of things I won't disclose on the internet, but I won't. There's no excuse for giving up on a person, who knows beyond anything, that he's a good person, a smart person, and given the right motivation, an incredibly go out of your way, do the impossible, willing person. For the last year and a half, my sole source of motivation to do anything has been Fiona. She'll continue to be a great source of motivation, but I need to add one more. I don't need to look further than my bathroom mirror to find it. If I'm lucky, I'll find an answer to my question to her in the medicine cabinet, but I'm not holding my breath.