The saying I've heard from every school guidance counselor, ever: "Do what you love, and money will follow."
Your guidance counselor is one of the types who gives advice based more on wishful thinking than actual reality. Just look at the millions of people who enjoy making music, writing, backpacking, playing ping pong, dancing, teaching, etc. and make zero to little money doing so. Following this advice -- that is, expecting it to work for you, is extraordinarily unwise unless your loves and skills align perfectly along the lines of things that actually result in making money. Have a love for office politics, convincing people to buy stuff they don't need, or cleaning up hazardous waste? You're lucky -- good for you, go for it. Are you absolutely a world-class talent at things you love, like writing, music, or sports? I'm jealous
alttongue
. Go for it. But for most people, this isn't realistic.
I know that this sounds pessimistic -- I'm not trying to make it sound like that. But when you really get down to it, there's a reason why what the overwhelming majority of people do to make money is called "work". Some people are lucky enough to come to love their work. Most aren't. Very few go into a line of work solely *because* they love it, and actually make a living doing it. My advice? Assume that work's not going to be something you love. Do with it the best you can, but seek happiness elsewhere.
Work to live. Don't expect that you'll be happy living to work. In that, what your counselor(s) are saying has a bit of truth -- build your life around what you love. But don't expect that to be what makes you an income to support yourself. It might happen -- but it might not. Don't let that alone ruin your life.
Exactly.
