“Follow your passion and never work a day in your life or build a career just for earning.”

As previously stated, the oft-quoted cliche sounds good, but it would not practically apply to everyone in society. If someone is happy and enjoys working their usual 9-5 job, they may not need to worry much and continue what they enjoy. However, being passionate about the work is rewarding enough to feel enthusiastic and fulfilled, but it is a backbreaker and may be demotivating sometimes.

The reality is that, in most cases, following your passion does not bring food to the table. The majority of the people do what they have to do to bring the food in.

The decision between pursuing a passion or building a career is an existential choice. The rest of humanity does what it is able to do, has to do, or is willing to do. A few fortunate people, mainly in the creative field, including researchers, inventors, and scientists, solve the equation.

As a matter of course, Real Research launched a survey on public preference: career vs. passion intended to gather public opinions on this.

Highlights:

  • 50.7% of respondents say they would choose to follow their passion.
  • 32.81% agree with the statement, “follow your passion, and you will not have to work a day in your life.”
  • By following your career, you have a higher chance of landing a job and getting employed, say 31.6%

Career Vs. Passion

When you are passionate about your work, you will be motivated to perform better. More growth opportunities result from that. In most cases, if you are content with your job, you also frequently find your workplace enjoyable. You’ll probably get along with your coworkers because they share your interests.

Accordingly, the survey asked the public about their opinion on career vs. passion.

Results show that 50.7% would follow their passion, 29.02% said career, and 20.28% hesitated to reply.

Public-opinions-between-passion-and-career-growth
Figure 1: Public opinions between passion and career growth

The next survey asked the statement, “follow your passion, and you will not have to work a day in your life. “ Survey results show that 32.81% strongly agree with this, 19.99% were neutral, and 13.75% disagree with this statement.

Furthermore, the survey asked, “what is the main advantage of pursuing a career vs. passion.” 31.6% of respondents answered that following your career has a higher chance to land a job and be employed, 16.02% said a higher chance of finding a high-paying job, and 13.25% said the possibility of stable income.

Read Also: 40% Say Punctuality Plays a Significant Part in Time Management Skills

Obstacles Faced in Following Your Career

Moreover, the survey asked the respondents about the down sights of pursuing your career instead of passion. 31.65% said the amount of pressure and stress, 11.59% said the low focus on skills, 9.77% said physical exhaustion, and 8.25% said lack of flexibility.

Similarly, the survey asked the opposite of the abovementioned question. 31.25% reported a lack of self-growth, 12.36% reported increased productivity and creativity, 10.81% reported increased efficiency, and 7.56% reported a figure of inspiration.

Advantages-of-pursuing-your-passion
Figure 2: Advantages of pursuing your passion

Furthermore, 30.61% said that the main advantage of pursuing passion instead of a career might turn into a job eventually, 16.66% said possible low earnings, 12.83% said passions could change, and 8.53% said that it might lead to old-age poverty.

Regardless of your choice, there are factors to consider in determining a job based on career vs. passion. The survey shows that 27.01% of respondents said work schedule, 18.77% said salary, 15.46% said work/life balance, 12.17% said growth and opportunities, and 9.31% stated interest/passion.

Most importantly, 29.69% said that evaluating the current situation is one of the most effective ways to figure out what you want to do, 17.09% said identifying the interests, 12.10% stated to determine the sacrifices required, and 11.27% said to make a plan for growth and development.

Most-compelling-ways-to-figure-out-interests
Figure 3: Most compelling ways to figure out interests

Lastly, the final survey asks the respondents if they are currently “focusing on your career or passion.” 36.79% said career, 19.29% said passion, 18.79% said both, 13.61% said none, and 11.56% said unemployed.

Methodology

 
Survey TitleSurvey on Public Preference: Career vs. Passion
DurationOctober 3- October 10, 2022
Number of Participants30,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.