Are you studying for what you love or what makes you money?

Do you believe in studying for a passion or studying for just an occupation? There are 2 conflicting viewpoints when it comes to making career decision. Few counsellors advice you to  study what you are interested in while few of them say you should study for the jobs that are available in the job market.

Here we present the advantages and disadvantages of both the viewpoints:

Study for your passion / interest:

Subjects – History, Zoology, Languages, Literature

Advantages – 

1) Since the subject is your choice, you definitely would excel in those subjects.

2) Your chances of meeting like-minded people is high.

3) You can build your own unique career and start on your own.

4) You feel connected to the subject and and come up with unique ideas.

5) You don’t feel bored to make steady and persistent efforts if the subject is difficult to crack.

6) You feel a bigger sense of achievement while you are studying.

7)  You keep challenging your knowledge and fall in love with your subject.

8) You feel motivated to keep doing what you are doing which makes it a big part of your focus.

Disadvantages:

1) If many people are studying or doing what you are trying to, there will be competition for few jobs.

2) Following your passion takes hard work and planning to develop.

3) Cultivating true passion arises when you have put in the long hours and patience to excel in your field.

4) If you study an obscure topic, you may struggle to get a job in that field.

Study for a specific occupation :

Subject – Law, Medicine, Engineering, Management

Advantages :

1) You will study as per a particular structure / format.

2) After studies, you will have jobs to apply.

3) You can opt for Masters or Post Graduation which can successfully launch your career.

4) You can get a full time permanent employment.

5) You can even pursue add-on courses while studying for jobs.

6) You can work in different sectors of industry and companies.

7) You can make new contacts in fairs or corporate events.

Disadvantages:

1) You may never know how economic conditions can affect the job market.

2) With changing technology, your skills may be of no use if not upgraded timely.

3) It is very difficult to stay in the same job or even the same industry for your entire life.

So, which strategy is best?

Ofcourse, there are always positive and negative points for each, hence there should be a mixture of your interests with sensible career goals.