As someone who originally thought she wanted to work in media broadcasting, I'm so relieved I grew out of it. I went to school for it, worked grueling jobs for five years just to be behind a camera, and suffered abuse, wage theft, and so much more in order to keep a job in the "field of my dreams."
Then one day I looked around a realized I actually hated media, didn't care for cameras in the slightest, and only kind of enjoyed editing video. I jumped industries to a "boring customer support" position and am making TWICE my old salary with actual benefits and free time to be happy.
If you feel like you're stuck in a field because it's what you dreamed about at the age of 14, I am giving you permission to ask yourself if you'd be happier with a desk job and a 401k. I think we romanticize weird and interesting jobs but honestly you can just work something tolerable all day and then put your passion into your hobbies.
For you folks who would actually rather die than leave your dream job, disregard this post. It's not for you and I am genuinely happy for you, it must be wild to have that kind of passion and commitment to something. I just think it's not as ubiquitous as we sometimes think.
