Passion or Paycheck?

This question never really goes away: should I follow my passion, or should I priorities financial stability? It sounds like a noble kind of debate - like something you'd discuss late at night with friends, everyone speaking in half-whispers and dreams.
But the truth? Once life starts demanding things from you - bills, food, a place to live, unexpected medical expenses, maybe even responsibities for other people - it stops being a philosophical question and starts becoming a practical one.
And if I'm being completely honest, I've reached the point where financial stability matters more.

Let me get straight to it - I think financial stability matters most. Not because passion isn't important (it absolutely is), but because passion alone can't pay rent, cover emergencies, or give you peace of mind. You can't build dreams on an empty stomach. You can't be your best creative, passionate self if you're constantly stressed about how to survive.

I used to be the "follow your passion no matter what" kind of person. The type who thought that waking up excited to work everyday was worth more than a steady paycheck. I romanticised the idea of the starving artist, the passionate dreamer who makes it all work in the end. And maybe that works for some. But for most of us, the road isn't a straight line - and passion doesn't pay for groceries.

Passion without stability can start to feel like a trap. You begin to resent the thing you once loved because it's not giving you the life you need. What used to be fulfilling becomes draining. And before you know it, your dream job becomes just another source of anxiety.

I'm not saying you should abadon your passion. No. I still believe it matters - a lot. I still believe that working on something that gives you joy and purpose is what we're ultimately chasing. But I've come to understand that passion thrives best when it's not constantly fighting for survival.

Give yourself a solid foundation. Get a job that pays the bills. It might not be the dream job right now, but it gives you the freedom to pursue that dream on your terms. It gives you the ability to say no to exploitative job in your passion field that pay peanuts. It gives you the mental bandwidth to explore your interests without the crushing pressure of needing them to succeed immediately.

That said, I also think the goal is not to stay in survival mode forever. If financial stability is the foundation, then passion is what makes the house feel like home. I don't believe you always have to sacrifice one for the other. But if I'm to chose which one comes first, I'd choose stability - and then fight to carve out space for passion within that.

In a perfect world, passion and paycheck would go hand in hand. And some people do manage to get there - it just doesn't always happen at the start. You make smart choices, you compromise when you have to, and you keep that passion alive in the background until you're ready to bring it to the front.

So no, I don't buy the idea that it's either passion or paycheck forever. But if you're asking me to pick a priority in the beginning, I'll say the paycheck. Passion can wait a little while - its patient like that.

image is mine