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Lady Gaga Snerd


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Just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you won’t suck at it!
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Just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you won’t suck at it!’ Dirty Jobs TV show host Mike Rowe tells millennials NOT to follow their passion

  • Mike Rowe, who hosts The Discovery Channel show Dirty Jobs, created a video commencement speech telling recent grads the 'dirty truth'
  • In the clip, he tells young grads that passions are 'too fickle to follow around' and that they should 'follow opportunity' instead

By VALERIE SIEBERT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 14:40 EST, 12 June 2016 | UPDATED: 19:23 EST, 12 June 2016

 

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Following your passion is something that young people are told to do every day, whether that be by their parents, their politicians or even their favorite pop stars. 

But, according to TV personality and host of The Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs Mike Rowe, the phrase is nothing more than 'terrible advice'.

The 54-year-old host has created a new video commencement aimed at recent graduates and in it, he offers his own bites of advice, or, the 'dirty truth', as he calls it.

 
Mike Rowe asks 'Should you follow your passion?'
 
 
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Speaking out: In a new video commencement speech, TV host Mike Rowe tells recent grads to 'never follow your passion'
 
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Speaking out: In a new video commencement speech, TV host Mike Rowe tells recent grads to 'never follow your passion'

In the video, posted on Monday by website PragerU, Mike laments the tendency for the likes of pop stars and film stars using their platform to tell people to 'never give up' and 'follow your dreams'. 

'Look, I understand the importance of persistence, and the value of encouragement, but who tells a stranger to never give up on their dreams, without even knowing what it is they’re dreaming?' he says in the clip. 'How can Lady Gaga possibly know where your passion will lead you?'

He uses the example of American Idol to illustrate his point, explaining how thousands of hopefuls show up at auditions looking for their big break, only to be told that they don't have what it takes - and are frequently surprised when they are rejected. 

'Look, if we’re talking about your hobby, by all means let your passion lead you,' says Mike.

Taking flight: In the video, Mike describes how the idea of strangers telling other to 'follow your dreams' without knowing what those dreams are is silly
 
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Taking flight: In the video, Mike describes how the idea of strangers telling other to 'follow your dreams' without knowing what those dreams are is silly

Let down: He uses the example of American Idol to illustrate his point, talking about how thousands audition to follow their passions, only to be told that they aren't any good
 
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Let down: He uses the example of American Idol to illustrate his point, talking about how thousands audition to follow their passions, only to be told that they aren't any good

Blunt answers: Mike recounts the story of a multi-millionaire septic tank cleaner who said that he 'looked around to see where everyone else was headed, and then I went the opposite way'
 
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Blunt answers: Mike recounts the story of a multi-millionaire septic tank cleaner who said that he 'looked around to see where everyone else was headed, and then I went the opposite way'

'But when it comes to making a living, it’s easy to forget the dirty truth: just because you’re passionate about something doesn’t mean you won’t suck at it.'

Mike cites his own experience as the Dirty Jobs host, having met plenty of talented tradesmen in his time, as proof that it's better to the break the mold. 

'When people follow their passion, they miss out on all kinds of opportunities they didn’t even know existed,' he says.

He uses the example of a septic tank cleaner, who had become a multi-millionaire through his work. When asked for the secret to his success, he said: 'I looked around to see where everyone else was headed, and then I went the opposite way.'

A pattern: He reports that he has heard similar stories from plenty of skilled and successful tradesmen
 
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A pattern: He reports that he has heard similar stories from plenty of skilled and successful tradesmen


 
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Telling it straight: Mike tells grads to think outside the box when it comes to their careers and only let your passions lead your hobbies


 
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A clear head: Mike finishes his speech by telling the grads to 'never follow your passion, but always bring it with you'

He claims that he heard near-identical stories from dozens of other skilled tradesmen, from electricians to plumbers. 

Mike himself initially wanted to be a handyman, just like his grandfather, but as he grew up, he realized that his talents were elsewhere. He sang in the opera for a time before entering into TV hosting.

He finishes his speech by saying that passions are simply 'way too fickle to follow around' and that while grads should 'never' follow passions, 'always bring it with you



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3637966/Just-passionate-doesn-t-mean-won-t-suck-Dirty-Jobs-TV-host-Mike-Rowe-tells-millennials-NOT-follow-passion.html#ixzz4BSYurI6d 
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Lindley


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I don't think it is always wrong to follow a passion but one should be open to follow other options. My husband went to college for a degree to do what he was passionate about, worked for a few years didn't pan out and had to start a new career. He doesn't regret it and it taught him a lot of things.

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flan327


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He's wearing too many clothes...

flan

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Cheerios4606


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I was one of those moms that told her children "you can be whatever your heart desires, as long as you work hard for it". Yeah, that didn't work out for my oldest. He wanted to be a professional skateboarder. While he is very good at skateboarding, he is not by any means something unique or worthy of millions of dollars in sponsorship.

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Lady Gaga Snerd


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My advice is to find a skill or talent that people are willing to pay for. And, yes, find a field that you find interesting. People arent paying you for your "passion". They are paying you for your skill, talent, or knowledge. If you are interested in something that people are not willing to pay for, that is called a Hobby. You can work your job and that helps pay for your hobby. Don't confuse a hobby for a job.

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NAOW


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flan327 wrote:

He's wearing too many clothes...

flan

 Lol.



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sweet tooth


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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

My advice is to find a skill or talent that people are willing to pay for. And, yes, find a field that you find interesting. People arent paying you for your "passion". They are paying you for your skill, talent, or knowledge. If you are interested in something that people are not willing to pay for, that is called a Hobby. You can work your job and that helps pay for your hobby. Don't confuse a hobby for a job.

Yes, this. I feel like this newly-adult generation had a giant practical joke pulled on them. All the idiots who told them platitudes like "reach for the stars", etc.  That's why there are so many young people with degrees in Russian literature and the like, who can't get a job. We shouldn't have lied to them just to make them do good in school.



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sweet tooth


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If they would have become plumbers and electricians, they would be living high on the hog right now. But no, we either implied or outright told them that everyone needs to go to college or they would be working retail forever. We acted like it didn't matter what their major was, as long as they went to college. What a lie.

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Lindley


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Cheerios4606 wrote:

I was one of those moms that told her children "you can be whatever your heart desires, as long as you work hard for it". Yeah, that didn't work out for my oldest. He wanted to be a professional skateboarder. While he is very good at skateboarding, he is not by any means something unique or worthy of millions of dollars in sponsorship.

  I don't think it hurts to at least try while they are young. 



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Ohfour


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sweet tooth wrote:

If they would have become plumbers and electricians, they would be living high on the hog right now. But no, we either implied or outright told them that everyone needs to go to college or they would be working retail forever. We acted like it didn't matter what their major was, as long as they went to college. What a lie.

 Absolutely! !!!! I actually discouraged my kids from going to college.  I KNEW they were not college material. DD is THRIVING in medical billing. To the point she is being sought out by companies all over the country.  DS is a cook. He loves it. And his experience makes him so marketable. He names his price....at 22.  He's making almost as much as I am. 



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sweet tooth wrote:

If they would have become plumbers and electricians, they would be living high on the hog right now. But no, we either implied or outright told them that everyone needs to go to college or they would be working retail forever. We acted like it didn't matter what their major was, as long as they went to college. What a lie.

 We "shame" some jobs and treat the people who work them like scum. I don't blame kids for not wanting to go into those jobs when we look down on the people that do them. Garbage men make fantastic money - more than teachers - and people demean them all the time. 

Oh - I am sure you meant no offense - but I work retail and I make very very good money. It isn't for everyone, and it's actual work. But if you work your way up you will make very good money. The store managers at Target make 6 figures before bonuses. Yet people continue to say things like "you don't want to end up working retail". There is value in any job done well and with pride. 



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Lady Gaga Snerd


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Those are excellent points. All work is valuable. We need to stop denigrating "Mcjobs". Doing a honest days work is worthy and valuable.

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Vette


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I have vocational degrees and they have served me very well. If I had kids I would probably encourage them towards vocational school, it's cheap, short and to the point. Gets you a career out the door.

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nearly my entire family are professionals (physicians, lawyers, educators)--have earned as much as all but two of them have over the course of our careers--being educated is one thing--knowing how to make serious $$$ is something else entirely

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flan327


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Not everybody is interested in "serious $$$."

I wish that librarians were paid more (teachers and day-care workers as well), but I love my job.

flan



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I never got rich but we always had plenty.

I've learned to live on next to nothing and do it well.

I still love to paint and draw.

Who knows, maybe after I'm dead, they'll be worth something.

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Lady Gaga Snerd


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flan327 wrote:

Not everybody is interested in "serious $$$."

I wish that librarians were paid more (teachers and day-care workers as well), but I love my job.

flan

 I am genuinely curious why lower paid people always feel the need to proclaim "i love my job"?    Personally I dont' understand that.  My dad was a mechanical engineer and I never heard him run around saying "i love my job".   I love my family .  Jobs come and go.  Yeah, some jobs are interesting and better to do than others.  



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Ohfour


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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:
flan327 wrote:

Not everybody is interested in "serious $$$."

I wish that librarians were paid more (teachers and day-care workers as well), but I love my job.

flan

 I am genuinely curious why lower paid people always feel the need to proclaim "i love my job"?    Personally I dont' understand that.  My dad was a mechanical engineer and I never heard him run around saying "i love my job".   I love my family .  Jobs come and go.  Yeah, some jobs are interesting and better to do than others.  

But I do love my job.  I look forward to doing what I do.  It's only the second real job I've had.  I've been here almost 20 years.  I couldn't do that if I didn't love it... 



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I don't consider myself "lower paid" but I love my job most of the time. Been with the company for 27 years so there must be something to love about it.

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TrudyML


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I hate my job. And I just volunteered myself to come in @ 7 am all summer. Hmm, no talk of extra pay. May have to go review.

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Ohfour


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Tinydancer wrote:

I don't consider myself "lower paid" but I love my job most of the time. Been with the company for 27 years so there must be something to love about it.

Oh, I'm definitely not lower paid either.   



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Lady Gaga Snerd


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OK, but i don't get the need to run around saying ' i love my job, i love my job". Your job used to be what you did. Now, people have to make some big pronouncement about it. I just find it odd, i dunno.

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TrudyML


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I don't mention mine. :)

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Tinydancer


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I don't go around saying it. I was just talking about it because you said "lower paid". I'm highly compensated and I love my job too.

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Ohfour


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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

OK, but i don't get the need to run around saying ' i love my job, i love my job". Your job used to be what you did. Now, people have to make some big pronouncement about it. I just find it odd, i dunno.

My job has never, ever been something I just did.  My job has always been a passion.  I could make a LOT more money doing the exact same job secularly.  But I don't have the passion for it like I do with my job now.

I feel sorry for people that go to work just to make a buck.  That seems like just about the worst thing that I could do...go to a job I wasn't passionate about... 



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I'm here because my brother asked. And he needs a good set of eyes around. I fired his crappy help, watch his incoming money, etc.

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flan327


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Ohfour wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

OK, but i don't get the need to run around saying ' i love my job, i love my job". Your job used to be what you did. Now, people have to make some big pronouncement about it. I just find it odd, i dunno.

My job has never, ever been something I just did.  My job has always been a passion.  I could make a LOT more money doing the exact same job secularly.  But I don't have the passion for it like I do with my job now.

I feel sorry for people that go to work just to make a buck.  That seems like just about the worst thing that I could do...go to a job I wasn't passionate about... 

 I agree 100%.

flan



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I don't "love" my job. But I'm good at it and I make very good money which means I can live in a nice neighborhood I love, provide DD with a nice life, and generally don't have to worry about money and paying bills. So I love that, takes the stress off.

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flan327 wrote:
Ohfour wrote:
Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

OK, but i don't get the need to run around saying ' i love my job, i love my job". Your job used to be what you did. Now, people have to make some big pronouncement about it. I just find it odd, i dunno.

My job has never, ever been something I just did.  My job has always been a passion.  I could make a LOT more money doing the exact same job secularly.  But I don't have the passion for it like I do with my job now.

I feel sorry for people that go to work just to make a buck.  That seems like just about the worst thing that I could do...go to a job I wasn't passionate about... 

 I agree 100%.

flan

 Don't need to be passionate about a job. it's just a job.  As long as you like it, that is enough.  That buck helps you with all the other, better stuff in life.  Oh and to save for retirement.



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Lady Gaga Snerd


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Instead of do the job you love, love the job you do. Hows that?

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Ohfour


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Well, I am totally passionate about my job. I absolutely love it!!!!

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Ohfour


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If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with! CS&N!!!!

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Frozen Sucks!

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You can love HVAC and fixing stuff and doing math or sciences as much as speaking Russian. Which one will keep you out the poor house and allow you to do things you really love like travel, kayaking, living in a safe place and not stressing over bills?

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Frozen Sucks!

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Lady Gaga Snerd wrote:

Instead of do the job you love, love the job you do. Hows that?

 Much better.  I can't tell you exactly the specifics of what I support and make happen.  I sometimes feel as though I am a kid in a grownup world.  The results my team make happen is simply unbelievable.  I am proud of the career I have had for the past 20 years, heck some of the stuff I did before that would blow your tree hugging minds!



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