Pro tip: That "follow your passion" advice nearly wrecked my career

Back in 2018 a buddy told me to quit my stable accounting job and go make art full time. Said I'd figure out the money later. I lasted 6 months selling paintings at local markets in Austin and barely made $800 total. Now I'm 3 years behind on retirement savings and wish I'd just kept art as a hobby. Has anyone else gotten burned by that kind of advice from a friend?

3 comments

3 Comments

caleb_gibson1mo ago

Figure out the real cost before you make any big jump like that. That "money will work itself out" mindset is a straight up lie, most people end up buried in debt or burning through savings way faster than they expect. The safer move is to keep the day job and build your side thing slowly, so you don't lose everything if it doesn't take off right away.

robinson.paul1mo ago

That "money will work itself out" line got me too. I always wanted to write a novel, but I kept my banking job and just wrote for two hours every night after work. Took me almost four years to finish the thing and it only sold like 200 copies, but I never went broke or fell behind on anything. Those "safe move" words caleb_gibson used are important because you can actually build something real over time without betting your whole future on it.

park.tara1mo ago

Yeah I read this thing by some author who said "slow and steady still finishes the race" when it comes to creative work and that stuck with me. Keeps you from getting wrecked financially while you figure out if you actually enjoy the grind of making stuff.