Woman Recommends Choosing A Lifestyle Before Deciding On A Career
You don’t want to mix business with pleasure.
NDAB Creativity | Shutterstock Everyone has a certain lifestyle that they live by. Let’s say that you’ve always wanted to be a librarian so that you can indulge in your love of books, or maybe you're the type that loves to party all night long and could see yourself working at a bar or a nightclub. Either way, picking a lifestyle that suits your career instead of the other way around has its perks.
“Pick your lifestyle before you pick your career,” said Jourdan Aurianna, a make-up enthusiast and content creator. She continued by posing the question, “Why make tons of money and then not have time to enjoy yourself or vice versa?"
A woman claimed you can have the lifestyle that you want if you fit your career around it.
Jourdan Aurianna, the owner of Jourdie Cosmetics, took to TikTok to give her advice on how choosing a lifestyle before choosing your career could help you tremendously. "Why would you want a lifestyle of surfing when you’re stuck behind a desk in the middle of a city," she asked.
While Aurianna's mantra sounds amazing in theory, it is, unfortunately, a privileged mindset. Not everyone has the luxury of figuring out how they want to live before they start working. The same goes for exploring things like hobbies and interests. Most "lifestyles," like "surfing," as she mentioned in her video, require growing up in a family with disposable income so kids can explore their interests.
Choosing a career based on lifestyle is a privilege many underserved communities are not afforded.
Based on the most recent data, 16% of children in the United States are living in poverty. That's nearly 12 million kids. Now, consider this. According to a 2023 Lending Tree survey, the average family that can afford extracurricular activities for their kids spends a whopping $731 per child per year on those hobbies.
For most underserved communities, that's too high a cost when food security is at risk. Many kids without the prospect of college will take what jobs they can after high school without thinking about how the hours they work will impact their preferred lifestyles.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual earnings of high school graduates without a college degree are $37,000. That breaks down to about $712 in median weekly earnings. Meanwhile, the average household's cost of living expenses totals $77,280. Let that disparity sink in for a second.
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For the lucky ones, choosing a career based on your preferred lifestyle can result in greater professional satisfaction.
In a perfect world, teens on the cusp of adulthood would be afforded the luxury of choosing a career based on their hobbies and interests. In fact, Indeed even recommended really considering personal interests when trying to figure out a career trajectory for anyone struggling.
So, yes, Aurianna is offering sound advice for anyone who has the time and grew up with the means to analyze how passion can inspire a fulfilling career. There's no denying that if you love to travel, choosing a job that requires constant travel or can be done remotely is a wise choice. The same goes for anyone who wants to prioritize family over career. Teaching is a great option because it affords flexibility and a schedule similar to that of young children.
Perhaps what makes an employee great at their job is not just the skill set they bring to the table but the passion that they have for the career. While some will stick to what is safe for financial security and necessity, many others will go Aurianna's route and discover their passion first.
Sylvia Ojeda is an author with a decade of experience writing novels and screenplays. She covers self-help, relationships, culture, and human interest topics.