PASSION OR PAY??!!!

Hey guys

We mid way into the week meaning that Friday is just around the corner. I don’t know about you but I've started making my weekend plans which includes me sleeping for the better part of my Saturday, catching up on stuff I missed during the week and cooking for the week ahead.

While most of us are seriously looking forward to the weekend, some 'very deep' people are busy making plans while looking forward to the week ahead. I have this friend Segun who always gets gloomy each time the weekend is approaching and while most people experience the normal Sunday night blues wishing the weekend could be extended; Segun gets busy organizing his briefcase, ironing his clothes with excitement in preparation for his favorite day of the week ‘Monday’. When I asked him what the reason for his Monday morning excitement was, he said ‘My Job’. Woo! That wasn't the reply I was expecting considering the fact that he works in a school, at the IT department, as an IT technical support officer and his pay isn't all that sexy, just okay. But I thought to myself:  How many people can actually say 'My job is the reason I look forward to a new week? Usually, it’s the other way round: People look forward to the weekends just to get off work. 

We are probably familiar with the famous words ‘Follow your passion and you will never have to work a day in your life’. I have been thinking of this ‘passion VS pay’ thing for a while now and it seems like a lot of adults throw away their career passions for more pay. I mean, what percentage of 40 year olds do you know who are working in a career field that still matches their college major (which is meant to be a passion right)? For example, most people who are into politics or other high paying professional jobs/career fields probably studied something different to their present fields. Most elderly people I know, presently work in career fields entirely different from their college majors and they seem to be getting quite a lot of pay compared to those who stuck to their major fields. They even prefer their kids to major in high paying career fields like engineering, law, medicine and the few others rather than follow their passion as they believe that most passions don’t line up well with paying careers. For example, if you are passionate about poultry, singing or salsa dancing, you are going to find limited job opportunities for those things. And other people’s passions are probably their families, friends, home making or cooking, gardening or animal catering and again, there’s not much of a job market built around those things.

Some people believe that ‘Do what you love’ is a privileged advice that ignores the fact that the majority of the world’s population works to get food and housing not for emotional and spiritual fulfillment. They believe that following your passion is a pretty bad advice in a world where bills must be paid, while others believe that  when you are enthusiastic and proud of the work you do, the better equipped you'll be to overcome the many obstacles that will surely arise in the process of starting a business or moving up in a career. Also, the more enthusiasm, the more inclined you are to work harder on improving yourself which will allow you to continuously get better at what you do and the better you get at your work, the better you get paid for it.  

I was reading some articles on career choices based on passion and I stumbled on a story about a 27 year old lady who gave up her well paying job and chose to follow her passion for kids, eventually finding a style'n success.

"My love for children started when I was still a child. In fact, it was a result of many conflicts with my parents. I grew up with a passion to take care of children, right from my siblings to our neighbours’ children and at school too. I remember getting in trouble with my parents and teachers for taking off time to ensure my fellow children were fine.
I did not want to see any child suffering with domestic chores, hunger and anything like that so I often dropped everything I was doing to help. I cannot forget the beatings I endured so many times for dodging my own chores to carry and sooth neighbours’ children. There was no way you got me to settle down to anything else when there was a child crying somewhere,” she recounts.

Getting into child care as an adult
During my university days, I offered to do voluntary work with The Aids Support Organisation-Taso (Taso), Mbarara, taking care of and counselling children living with HIV.

After I graduated in 2011 from Bishop Stuart University, Mbarara, with a Bachelors of Counselling and Guidance, I did not struggle to find a job. I had applied to work with Uganda Cares, a non-government organisation in Masaka, before graduation. When I graduated, I had already been offered a job there as the counsellor coordinator.

I was earning Shs700,000 per month, which as a fresh graduate, was a fair pay, considering majority of my former classmates were still on the streets looking for jobs. But even then, I felt dissatisfied because I did not get the opportunity to practice my childhood passion and desire of working with children. I felt misplaced.

I held onto my job for two years and said to myself that I had to look elsewhere, somewhere I would be comfortable, which I realised meant somewhere I could work closely with children.

Of course, everyone thought I was making a mistake and most of them told me so. This was especially so because I was quitting before finding another job. I stayed home for three months trying to figure out what I should do next.

One of my brothers who also said he was puzzled about my decision to quit my first job offered me Shs500,000 per month to work at his pharmacy in Mbarara Town. I accepted but after six months, I called it quits.

Starting up Honey Bears
In February 2014, I decided to start a daycare and nursery centre to realise my dreams. Having saved about Shs5m, I pitched the idea to my husband who gave me Shs6m more.

I used Shs4m to rent a house in Kakyeeka, in Mbarara town, and the rest to buy other necessities like children’s playing equipment and materials, beddings, and feeding utensils, among others. I also hired two women to help with the work.

The start was so stressful. I had thought I would easily get children admitted but I spent about three months with only one child. I was so disturbed I started to second guess my decision to leave employment. I persevered though and prayed hard, planning that if it did not work out, I would just stay home and raise my children, those of my relatives and the neediest I could afford to take care of.

But first, I decided to move house to house, friend to friend telling them about the daycare. That is how I eventually managed to get the 12 children I now have at the centre.

Living the dream
I run the centre myself. I’m there Monday to Friday, from morning to evening when the parents pick up their children. The two women who help me are professional nursery school teachers.
I charge a considerable fee because although I do this for passion, I need money to keep it running. I, however, do not make enough to save yet.

Challenges

Taking care of children is quite challenging. Their future lies in your hands. They need to feed well and be given tender care. All these require commitment in terms of both time and resources. But this is a devotion I have committed to live by throughout my life. Besides, the trust a parent places in you when they give you their child is humbling.

Future prospects
I plan to buy my own land, build and expand the center. I want to have a facility with better facilities that can accommodate as many as 100 children where I can give them the best love and care.

Having read this, I think that true success is much more than having a lot of wealth and fame. Enjoying the work you do is, in some ways, more important than having a large bank account. Plus, if you enjoy the work you do, there's a greater chance you will do a great work and get paid accordingly. If you're thinking about starting your own business, or just struggling with this in your own personal career, you may need to think about what you're passionate about. It may not be easy, but chances are, it will be worth the effort.
Or what do you think?