Ok, so here is my opinion, for what it’s worth....I tend to disagree with the follow your passion and the money will follow position. I am a car guy, aren't we all, so after high school I went to work in the family business, my Dad's body shop. It was cool at first; we built some hot rods over the years, learned a bunch of stuff. My brother eventually came to work with us, and he and I had a lot of fun!!!
At the end of the day however, the last thing I wanted to do, was hang out and work on my own stuff. It was only in very rare occasions that I worked on my own stuff, or anything truly cool! Mainly it was everyday rust or collision repair. My lifelong passion had become a job, and was not much fun at that point.
After 5 years, I bailed, and went back to school and now have a high paying desk job.
Now granted my experience in the auto industry may have been skewed due to the dynamics of working for family, but the end result is that my passion dwindled and the last thing I wanted to do was work on cars.
Now, I have a very good career and make more money than I ever thought possible. Even after 13 years, I still have a world of opportunity and the possibility to make even more money. Is this my dream job and my passion, in some ways yes and some ways no Hell I am a sales tax consultant for Pete sake!!!! It is not glamorous or sexy. I sit at a desk all day, review numbers or legislation and talk to client's about their sales tax issues. It is however, a fairly stable career that will provide for my family and allow me to afford a lifestyle I may not otherwise have been able to.
I got here because I went back to school and took the right program and excelled. That my friend opened the doors that allowed me to succeed and sounds like what you are doing now.
The upside of not being in the car bizz anymore is that my passion for cars is stronger than ever. I think about working on and driving my car all the time now. I think every so often that it would be cool to have my own hotrod shop, but then I remember what that can be like...and remember I like to work on my own stuff not other people's stuff, and I smack my head and get back to work.
So be careful about trying to turn your passion into a source of income, because in some cases, that passion DOES feel like work, and that is when it no longer becomes fun.
I work at a large professional services (accounting firm), but I am not an accountant. You may want to check out the big firms, we all offer a tremendous amount of services and have amazing opportunities. If you start in one service and find that you do not like it, you may be able to move to another service.
Remember, you are young, and there is no rule saying you have to stick with the career you choose right out of school. I am sure there are many on this board that have tried a number of different careers over the years. Try to be open to different opportunities that come your way.
Sorry for the long post, I hope you got something form it.
Jason
