My synthesis of an insightful part of “The Startup of You” by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha.
The biggest reason for following your passion being irrelevant advice in this day and age is that your passion could be for an industry that might not exist in 10 years. The rate at which industries are being disrupted means that, even if it does manage to survive the next ten years, it’s unlikely it’s going to be anywhere as lucrative or attractive as it is now. What then?
Much better to focus on skills that will be useful and to be so good they can’t ignore you. And, much much better to focus on being flexible with plans. Never stop planning, but don’t be too wedded to plans either. One opportunity well utilized always leads to another i.e. a “break”. ‘And, you can’t possibly map all this out with one existential question – “what have I been put on earth to do?”
Start on the road with all enthusiasm, energy, and a desire to be the best you can be. Don’t worry about the middle.. by the time you get there, it will be different anyway. Successful careers in today’s age are in permanent beta.
Makes sense.
A Learning a Day 