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The trouble with passion

 So is a book title by a Univ of Michigan professor Erin Cech.  I have not read her book.  But the gist of it seems to suggest that what a few elite have preached to graduating classes over the years, including a famous man called Steve Jobs may be meh and impractical for most of us.  Now that is a refreshing suggestion.

Follow your passion and do not settle for less was the yogi advice of those that made it.  They dropped out of their curriculum or whatever prescription they were chasing for a degree at one of the elite schools no doubt.

But that advice does not work for majority of the people.  The late Sir Ken Robinson preached a theory that we crank out mindless citizens year after year because our schools do not do a good job of identifying true character or specialty in each student rather force them to adopt to a uniform code.

More emphasis is placed on adherence and compliance than to learning and growing. More emphasis is placed on Aptitude Tests and the like rather than true creativity.

Getting from school or college to a job or work that you are passionate about cannot happen in a vacuum.

We need to start early - as early as kindergarten.  Not conduct tests and interviews of five year olds but let them play in the yard.  See where they show interest and nurture.

So today when you hear a pundit tell you to pursue your passion, give it a listen and then do what makes sense to you. If you work in a meat packing plant and it pays a steady wage, keep carving meat and do not quit.

To hell with those people asking you to lean in and be different. They are not the ones putting food on your table.  They are interested in selling their latest book.

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