Ramit Sethi: Avoid This Common Job Search Advice — How To Really Make More Money
Written by
Vance Cariaga
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Cory Dudak
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You might have heard about the need to follow your passion when looking for your dream job, but you probably never heard it from entrepreneur and financial author Ramit Sethi. In fact, Sethi admits that the term “follow your passion” drives him “crazy” when it comes to career and job search advice.
“Passion is not enough — no matter how much American culture beats it into your head!” he wrote in his Dec. 12 newsletter. As Sethi noted, passion might be great in certain walks of life, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it should guide your financial or career decisions.
“I’m passionate about hot sauces and ironing. There’s no Dream Job out there teaching people who think black pepper is spicy how to iron your shirts so crisply that the crease cuts your face,” he wrote. “Also, if you’d asked me in my 20s what my passion was, I would have said drinking tequila with friends on Taco Tuesday. Again, not going to get me a Dream Job.”
From a career standpoint, Sethi recommends viewing passion as the “output” rather than the “input” — something that comes after you have entered the workforce and that changes over time.
“This is a totally different reframe from how most people think about passion,” he wrote. “If you embrace it, you’ll find that landing a Dream Job you’re passionate about doesn’t have to be luck or a pipe dream. And forget about a single passion. At different points in our lives, we want different kinds of jobs.”
These are the three basic “career seasons,” according to Sethi:
- Growth: “When we prioritize learning and earning more — and we’re willing to put in the time.”
- Lifestyle: “When we want to prioritize our time outside work, such as taking care of family.”
- Reinvention: “When we want to completely reinvent ourselves, including the role and even industry we work in.”
Northwestern University marketing professor Lan Nguyen Chaplin offered a similar take in a 2023 article for the Harvard Business Review, writing that the “moment you have found your dream job is the moment you have stopped growing, evolving and finding new ways to experience joy in your role.”
She encouraged graduates to replace the idea of a dream job with a “sustainable and purposeful” career that fits their values and aligns with their long-term goals.
“This isn’t always the advice people want to hear, but in my experience, it’s the most honest and achievable path to fulfillment,” Chaplin wrote.
If you’re looking to find a good paying job that also aligns with your skills and ambitions, a blog from employment website Monster.com recommended taking these steps:
- Establish yourself as an expert in your field by creating videos, podcasts and blogs and offering consultancy services.
- Expand your skill set through cross-training.
- Develop leadership skills by mentoring entry-level employees, leading training seminars and heading up professional organizations.
- Let prospective employers know what kind of value you can add by providing examples of your ability to solve problems, tackle challenges, lead teams and grow the business.
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