Money vs. Love

MSN.com had an article the other day, that I really wish I could have saved. I cant find it now, but that article is the inspiration for my post today. I found an article over at Forbes.com that I think is just as good. "My Job, Myself, My Problem". Starting out my sophmore year of college has really made me start thinking about this. Should I go into something that I absolutely love, or something that will guarantee me security?

My mom tells me about how she really was excited and interested in Interior Design in college, but decided to become a Dental Assistant instead because she didnt know if being an Interior Designer was "practical" enough. I would think that there are a lot of people who end up doing the same thing in their own lives because they dont want to be worried about money, they want to be uber succesful (the CEO of a large company, succesful politician, etc.), or they feel pressure from their parents to do something that they dont really want too. So they might end up becoming a Doctor or a Lawyer because they associate money and success with happiness.

On the other side of the spectrum are the people that dwell in the Liberal Arts. They are the people who work in Non-Profit, the Teachers, the Artists, etc. Instead of focusing on the future they dive right in and start doing what they know that they love. They trade in Beamers, 3,000 sq. ft. houses, and unlimited budgets for job satisfaction and the knowledge that they will be getting up every day to go to a job that they love.

I am not saying that people who become Doctor's and Lawyer's only do so for the money, nor am I saying that if you become an Artist you will always live a poor and lowly lifestyle.

But the question does need to be addressed for me. Should I go into Film or Fitness and Wellness? 2 things that I know I will love and always be very happy with, but dont necessarily supply people with large amounts of money. Or should I go into Psychology or Business because I know that I could live a comfortable lifestyle in one of those occupations.

The article over at Forbes quotes that 55% of people used the words exhausted, confused and unsupported to describe their job. My boss at the Tennis Club talks all the time about "job satisfaction" and I think that is the key to being happy in work. Keep busy, be productive, and always look for ways to improve. That is how I can be happy with what I do. The problem is that I am still unsure of how to choose exactly what that is.

Those of you who are already out of college and in your jobs, what do you think? Those of you who are in the same position that I am, what are you planning? What is your motivation behind choosing the profession that you do?