Paul Graham has another great post up. This time it’s about whether you should chose to work on what interests you. To a first approximation, it seems like a no-brainer: of course you should. But what if you want, or need, to earn a lot of money?
If what you’re really interested in is 12th century poetry, you can follow that dream but you will almost certainly have to live on a pittance. On the other hand, if you choose work that maximizes your income, you could end up spending a miserable life doing something you hate. Lots of people pick one of those choices.
The real desiderata it seems to me—and, I think, to Graham—is what’s going to make you happiest. It may be lots of money or it may be 12th century poetry. Of course, the decision is not quite that facile. It’s hard to strike the right balance.
Sometimes there’s no conflict. As Graham says, if you want to make a lot of money and you’re good at, say, football, the decision is easy. Realistically, most of us aren’t going to be professional athletes even if it’s what we really want to do so it’s almost always a balancing act.
Graham has a few suggestions to help you find the right career. It’s hard to navigate through this conundrum but it really boils down to whether you love 12th century enough to live in poverty.