Passion Vs Paycheck: What to Pursue in Your Career?

This article is based on a recent Career Workshop session that took place in our Discord server.

In many discussions within tech and career-oriented communities in Pakistan, a common and pressing question arises: Should I pursue passion or profit?

This is particularly relevant for young people at the start of their careers or university students exploring their paths.

Today, we aim to dissect this complex topic, often framed as “Passion vs. Profit (Paycheck)” and understand how these two forces can coexist, particularly in the context of Pakistan.

Defining Passion and Profit

Passion can be described as something you are willing to dedicate yourself to for the long term. Ideally, it’s a lifelong commitment, though it often evolves over time.

For example, a passion for technology might start with an interest in video games and later transform into a career in software development or game design. Passion involves a deep, personal connection to an activity or field and is characterized by a continuous effort to incorporate it into various aspects of life.

On the other hand, profit, or a paycheck, represents the practical, short-term necessity of earning money to sustain oneself.

It’s about meeting immediate financial needs and securing resources for the future. While profit is often seen as purely transactional, it also provides advantages—access to time, tools, and opportunities that pure passion might not afford.

Here’s the workshop video

The Intersection of Passion and Profit

While passion provides purpose and fulfillment, profit ensures stability and sustainability. These two elements are not inherently opposed but often require strategic balancing. This interplay becomes particularly nuanced in countries like Pakistan, where the opportunities to align passion with profit can be scarce.

Common Scenarios in Pakistan

1. Passion Without Opportunity
   Many graduates in Pakistan face a harsh reality. For instance, a student passionate about game development might complete a computer science degree only to find no local job opportunities in that field. This often leads to compromises, such as taking up a software development role in a different domain, despite a lack of interest.
2. Lack of Passion or Direction
   Another common scenario involves individuals pursuing careers out of societal or familial pressure, without any personal passion. This often leads to long-term dissatisfaction, burnout, and unfulfilled potential. In extreme cases, such individuals may compensate for their lack of drive by perpetuating toxic workplace cultures.
3. Going Abroad for Passion
   For some, pursuing their passion necessitates leaving the country. A game developer unable to find local opportunities may decide to move abroad, where the industry is more established. However, this decision comes with significant sacrifices: being away from family, adapting to a different culture, and stepping out of one’s comfort zone. The mental, social, and even spiritual costs of such a move can be daunting.
4. Staying Local: Combining Passion and Profit
   A growing number of individuals opt to stay in Pakistan and navigate the challenges of combining passion with profit. For example, someone passionate about game development might initially take unrelated jobs to gain financial stability. Over time, they might leverage remote work or freelancing platforms to find game development opportunities globally, eventually aligning their career with their passion.

The Broader Context

The opportunity landscape in countries like the US, UK, or Australia often allows individuals to turn their passions into profitable careers more easily. From niche markets like painting miniature figurines to specialized tech roles, these environments provide avenues for monetization that are less accessible in Pakistan. However, even in these countries, the journey requires effort and perseverance.

In Pakistan, the reality is different. Pursuing passion and profit often requires a dual approach. It’s not about choosing one over the other but learning to integrate both. The path might involve short-term sacrifices, such as working in unrelated fields, to build the foundation for a career that aligns with both passion and financial stability.

In the next sections of this discussion, we will delve deeper into practical strategies for navigating this balance, exploring real-life examples and actionable advice for young professionals in Pakistan.

Embracing Temporary Sacrifices for Long-Term Goals

When you’re passionate about a niche field but face limited opportunities, it’s crucial to embrace flexibility. The example of a cybersecurity graduate illustrates this point. If the local job market lacks opportunities in cybersecurity, pivoting to a related and available field—like web development—can be a strategic move. While the work may not align with your passion initially, it allows you to earn a stable income and build foundational skills that can support your eventual transition.

The key is to remain vigilant and proactive about identifying ways to integrate your passion. For instance, a web development role might involve projects with security modules or clients requiring expertise in cybersecurity. These overlaps provide valuable entry points for transitioning into your desired field.

The Power of Identifying Opportunities

The journey shared by the speaker highlights how creating your own opportunities can lead to career breakthroughs. Starting with a degree in mechanical engineering, they faced a job market with no relevant opportunities. Instead of being deterred, they took an entry-level customer support role at a leading SaaS company, KeepTruckin. Though the role was unrelated to their passion, they recognized its potential as a stepping stone.

By excelling in their responsibilities and leveraging their passion for writing through a personal tech blog, they transitioned into a knowledge management role. This position exposed them to technical teams and allowed them to understand product management—a field they discovered to be their true calling.

---

The Role of Generalists in Product Management

An insightful takeaway from this journey is the value of being a generalist in product management. The speaker’s background in mechanical engineering equipped them with a multidisciplinary perspective, which proved advantageous in their transition to tech. Understanding diverse concepts and adapting quickly to new environments are critical skills for product managers.

Building Expertise Through Lifelong Learning

The speaker’s story also underscores the importance of continuous learning. When they lacked fundamental knowledge, such as the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), they took initiative to self-educate and fill those gaps. This proactive mindset enabled them to transition rapidly across roles—from project management to product ownership, and ultimately to running their own agencies.

The Balance Between Passion and Practicality

The overarching message is clear: striking a balance between passion and practicality is essential. Initially, you may have to take roles that aren’t aligned with your interests. However, by treating these roles as opportunities to gain experience and financial stability, you position yourself for future transitions. Over time, by identifying and capitalizing on overlaps between your passion and your work, you can build a career that is both fulfilling and sustainable.

Conclusion

To conclude this post, Let me tell you something—when it comes to career challenges, the trick is to keep that spark alive while staying realistic about where you’re at. Find a job that pays the bills, sure, but don’t lose sight of your passion. Look for small ways to weave what you love into what you do, even if it’s not obvious at first.

Remember, success isn’t about quick wins. It’s about sticking with it, rolling with the punches, and being open to learning and growing. Sometimes, the career path you end up loving is one you didn’t even expect to take.

And look, let me leave you with this: “You’ve got to make the sacrifice.” Whether it’s putting up with a less-than-perfect job for now or picking up new skills to shift into something better, those sacrifices can pay off big in the long run. Stay focused, keep learning, and you’ll find a way to build a career that fits your goals—even if the road is a little bumpy.

As always Thanks for reading, Your feedback is welcome at admin@sknexus.com

Everything you see here – and more – is powered by your Support. You can always pitch in by clicking the below.