Over at The Consumerist, freemoneyfinance asks the Consumerists, “If You Do What You Love, Will The Money Follow?

Just the day before, assistant editor Laura Northrup at the Consumerist had posted a story about a Jack In the Box employee who apparently loved his job, but given that he’s still working the drive thru after 8 years at the company, I would wager that the money hasn’t followed doing what he loves very well.

There is, I think, some kernel of truth in this saying. Those who love what they do are more likely to do it well, and, therefore, should be first in line for merit raises or promotions^[a]. Still, it doesn’t mean that doing what you love will guarantee that you will come to make big bucks.

I don’t believe that it’s absolutely necessary to love one’s job, but I do remember something my dad said very often — when you hate your job, it’s time to find a new one. Most people spend at least forty hours a week at work, and there are only 168 hours in a week total. It’s not worth any amount of money to me to spend nearly 25% of my time in a place that I hate to be, especially given that another quarter to one-third of my week is eaten up by sleep.

The reason to do what you love is not so that the money will follow, but so that you will feel more fulfilled at the end of the day, which ultimately will make you much happier than having a life that’s unfulfilled (except for your bank account).

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1. Unless, of course, one loves to be a teacher, in which case unions will do everything in their power to suck away the administration’s power to distribute rewards based on merit. [↩]