GoKawiilKey Takeaways NYU Stern School of Business professor Suzy Welch says the advice to do what you’re passionate about is “dumb.”
She says you have to be good at what you do, and well-suited for it in terms of temperament — otherwise it should be a hobby.
She adds that students who lean into their strengths and choose roles that match who they really are ultimately succeed.
Business leaders from Steve Jobs to Richard Branson have emphasized the importance of following your passion in your career. However, NYU Stern School of Business professor Suzy Welch says that the advice to do what you love is out of place in the real world.
“The very worst career advice my students get all the time, and I certainly got, was to do what you’re passionate about,” Welch said in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal. “What dumb, dumb advice.”
The management professor said that many dreams collapse under real-world conditions. Some people simply aren’t suited to the jobs they idealize — they lack the necessary abilities or temperament for a field. Without the right ingredients, it becomes impossible to transform enthusiasm into a sustainable career.
“I hate it because you have to be good at it also. You have to be good at it, otherwise it should be a hobby,” Welch said. “There’s also your emotional wiring. Some jobs require different kinds of personalities. Your personality is actually how the world experiences you. And the sooner you face into that, and know how the world experiences you, the better.”
Suzy Welch. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Welch says these are the kind of students who launch successful careers
Over decades of work as a journalist, educator and speaker, Welch has sharpened her ability to spot the early markers of who is likely to thrive and who is at risk of fading out. In her NYU classrooms, she sees that students who lean into their strengths and choose roles that match who they really are ultimately push through and succeed.
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