Perhaps the most common advice given to job seekers is to follow their passion. This means that you can only give your best at work when you do something that you truly enjoy. However, an increasing number of studies show that placing too much emphasis on passion for work can be detrimental in various ways. “Doing that does not offer the opportunity to develop an identity outside of work,” said Erin Cech, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Michigan. “Furthermore, employers who prioritize passion expect people to dedicate more time and energy without being paid more.”
Although the idea that a job does not have to be a calling is not new, experts claim that the pandemic and the changes it has brought to the world of work may be prompting people to reconsider the true meaning of passion for a job. “We have been told that we can only feel fulfilled through work, but people are starting to see that there are other equally important or even more important aspects of life,” said Jae Yun Kim, an associate professor of business ethics at the Asper School of Business at the University of Manitoba. “People are starting to consider work as just work, and that’s a good sign.”
Before the 1970s, passion was not a priority for job seekers, according to Cech, author of “The Trouble With Passion: How Searching for Fulfillment at Work Fosters Inequality.” The important thing was to have a decent salary, regular hours, and job security, and if there was satisfaction, it came later as you gained more skill in the job. That started to change in the 1970s, with the increasing job instability of professionals and a growing cultural emphasis on self-expression and self-satisfaction, a shift reflected in the popular 1970 book “What Color Is Your Parachute?”
In particular, worrying about whether the job will satisfy you applies mostly to the privileged world of office workers. “Most people don’t work to feel fulfilled,” explained Simone Stolzoff, author of “The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life From Work.” “They work to survive.”
It is also important to consider the price you may be paying for loving your job. An article published in the journal “The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,” in which Kim collaborated, analyzed seven studies and a meta-analysis and found that passion can be used to justify “unfair and degrading management practices,” such as asking staff to work overtime without pay, work on weekends, and take care of unrelated tasks that are not part of the job.
One of the studies revealed that managers in various sectors perceived that subordinates who seemed more passionate about their work than their colleagues “were more likely to volunteer for extra tasks (without additional compensation) and feel rewarded for their work, which in turn predicted greater legitimization of the exploitation” of that worker.
This applies not only to individuals but also to entire professions, such as creative fields or care professions, where it is assumed that people have a “calling” that can compensate for lower salaries, such as nursing or teaching.
Maggie Perkins doesn’t need academic research to understand the connection between passion for work and exploitation. Perkins, 31, was a high school teacher for eight years in Florida and Georgia. When she publicly announced on TikTok that she had quit her job and was happier as a worker at Costco, she attracted media attention and millions of views.
Six months later, that feeling remains. “I firmly believe that the education system is based on the exploitation of teachers’ work, even in places with strong unions,” said Perkins, adding that low salaries, as well as diminishing academic freedom, led her to leave the profession. “I was meant for teaching,” she said, “but I had to choose between my well-being and losing my identity.” (She was recently promoted to corporate trainer at Costco).
According to Sapna Cheryan, a psychology professor at the University of Washington in Seattle, choosing a major or career based on passion can also reinforce gender stereotypes. Several studies conducted by her and her colleagues revealed that when college students were asked to choose careers or occupations based on the advice to “follow your passion,” the responses aligned with traditional roles: for example, men were more inclined towards computer science and engineering, while women leaned towards art or caregiving activities. However, when they were asked to choose a career based on job security and salary, or one focused on caring for or assisting others, this gender difference was significantly reduced, Cheryan noted, adding that the results did not vary based on race or income.
Although the blend of passion and career exists in other countries, experts believe it is particularly strong in the United States, with an emphasis on individuality, the importance of work, and the relative lack of strong labor movements.
One way to determine if you have fallen into what Taha Yasseri, an associate professor of sociology at University College Dublin, calls “obsessive passion” (when your career takes up all other aspects of your life) is to ask yourself if you can change your job and focus on family, hobbies, or other aspects of your life. If the answer is no, you may want to reconsider your priorities.
That’s what Alex, 27 (who requested not to publish his last name for fear of appearing less passionate about his job), did. For about three years, Alex worked at least 60 hours a week as a supply chain manager for a Fortune 500 company. He has always been highly motivated and “became addicted to the workplace, addicted to my job, and in hindsight, that was very unhealthy,” he said. He added that his relationship with his girlfriend was also affected.
When he was promoted and moved to a new state, he decided to go back to working only 40 hours a week, a more manageable schedule. He noticed that he still received the same positive performance feedback without the intense hours or constant worry. “My job is going well. I don’t go to bed thinking about it,” Alex said. “And I’m happy that it’s that way.”
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