Love of Career v Career Money

The things you learn in the most unusual places from the most surprising people. Or perhaps it was a reminder of what it is we already know but a reluctant to accept.

But first some background.

The teacher is Lisa-ann Gershwin.

Lisa-ann hails from a small town in the mountains outside Los Angeles called the Valley of Enchantment – seriously, that is what the town is called.

On 21 January 1973 her grade 3 primary school class had a field trip (excursion) to the Cabrillo Marine Museum (Cabrillo Marine Aquarium ) after which Lisa-ann decided she would become a Marine Scientist.

She held this commitment through primary and high school before becoming a very successful, high income earning stockbroker.

To be fair, she did many other jobs as well including establishing her own business. However, she never lost her love of marine life however also never sort further study in this field or any other for that matter.

It was the owner of the cinema where she was working who demanded she use her intelligence in a way more meaningful than “popping corn” for movie goers that had her applying for Law School.

She decided on Law because she enjoyed arguing and it paid well enough that she could spend her entire vacation visiting the great marine areas of the world including the Great Barrier Reef.

To fil in time while waiting to hear if her Law School application was successful, Lisa-ann undertook a marine related community course of study.

The final class was to involve a boat trip however inclement weather made that impossible so instead, they were taken to the Cabrillo Marine Museum.

The date was 22 December 1993, a month short of 20 years since the primary school trip to the same place and her decision to become a Marine Scientist.

Lisa-ann never went to Law School.

She now resides in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia and is a world authority on Jelly Fish.

She is credited with the discovery of 38 new species and the discovery of a new species of dolphin.

What happened in the intervening 20 years between Cabrillo Marine Museum visits.

Lisa-ann’s family and close friends told her the road to becoming a Marine Scientist was hard. They explained there will be years of study and the material is really hard and then when you qualify, the jobs are few and the pay is ordinary.

While all this is true, it left Lisa-ann believing she lacked the intelligence to study Marine Science

Now for the lesson;

What she wishes they had told her is:

If you love it so much, it’s like air or like water and you need it for your mental health.

As for prioritising a high income, Lisa–ann wishes she had known the following:

You don’t need a job that pays you well because you only need all that money to entertain you because you don’t like your job

When you love your job, you don’t need all these other things to entertain you because you are way too interested in what you are doing.

We are always told, and are telling others to do what they love and to follow their passion.

Lisa-ann’s words quoted above articulate why we should do this and what the outcome will be if we do, and if we don’t.