The Difference Between Passion and Purpose—and How It Affects Your Paycheck

Burnt out at work? Want to try a new career? Go back to school? What should you do with your life? Where should you turn next?

If you’re looking for any sort of career advice, particularly in the social-impact sector, it’s likely you’ve heard this suggestion before: Pursue your passion and you’ll never work a day in your life.

It sounds like a dream, right? But when your passion means years of hard work before you can get paid, the less romantic that dream becomes.

Now, I’m not here to spread any myths about the nonprofit sector. At this point, we do all know there are ways to make a living (and then some!) without taking a for-profit gig, right? Instead, I’d like to dive into how you can correct some of the slough you may be experiencing in your career to find a job where you’re not only happy but also making a sustainable living.

When passion alone just doesn’t cut it

Finding a project you love is all well and good on a sunny day when you’re feeling okay. But on those gray days when you’re suffering from the flu or you’re otherwise down, passion is rarely enough to get it done. Can you justify giving up a more lucrative career—one that leaves you free time to pursue your passion after hours—just to do something that sounds fun?

I know that feeling. At the most basic level, I spend every day writing. I’m passionate about writing and the topics I cover. But sometimes, it’s too cold out, I didn’t get enough sleep, and all I can think about is crawling into a nice warm bed. Yet, I’m sitting here, typing up a career advice post on idealist.org just for you. How do I keep it up?

Finding your purpose

Many people will tell you to continue pursuing your passion while taking any menial or boring gig that pays the bills, but as it happens, that route leads straight to burnout. No, passion isn’t the problem here—it’s restlessness, or a lack of purpose that defines exactly how and why you decide to apply your passion to your career.

The reason I’m still planted firmly at my keyboard on a day when I don’t have an immediate deadline is not just because I’m passionate about writing, but because I have a sense of purpose.

I write about topics relevant to current professionals in a variety of sectors—helping them figure out how to pursue roles that are right for them, earn a living, and move up in their career—and I know my writing makes a difference for them. My purpose sustains my passion, and enables me to seek out opportunities where I can apply that purpose in a meaningful (and yes, lucrative) way.

Where passion and purpose intersect

There’s this niche of writers who turn out articles on how to find your passion (and pursue it!). Many of them recommend looking at what you enjoyed as a child.

I don’t know about you, but my childhood interests were pretty diverse. There was a time when digging large holes in the backyard entirely consumed my attention. At another point, I was obsessed with mythology. My interests waxed and waned like any other kid’s, and that’s a good thing. Until you’ve had the chance to try a whole bunch of things, you probably won’t have a good idea of what you enjoy.

If you aren’t sure about your purpose or how it connects to your passions, channel your inner child and start exploring. Here are five ways to do just that:

• Volunteer for a cause that sparks your interest: If you’re passionate about sharing stories in creative ways, don’t be afraid to pitch projects where you can interview staff members, or highlight the work of the organization on social media. Pay attention to how different cause areas motivate you to go the extra mile in your work.
• Join a professional association or meetup group: Look for groups focused in areas that pique your interest, whether they’re separated by cause area or field. There are also larger groups in cities across the U.S. that are for nonprofit professionals in general, so don’t be afraid to attend a few meetups to hear about what other professionals are doing.
• Take a course or workshop: Platforms like Coursera and edX offer free and low-cost options for workshops in nonprofit management, fundraising, DEI, and strategy. If there’s something that piques your interest, take the opportunity to explore whether you can apply your passion for supporting others into a career in volunteer management or fundraising.
• Shadow someone doing work that inspires you: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—informational interviews aren’t just for college students or early-career professionals! Ask a colleague, mentor, or even someone on LinkedIn for an in-depth look at their career journey. If they’re doing something that excites you, like brainstorming programs or setting an organization's creative direction, there’s a chance you’ll get some good tips on how to get in their line of work.

How to turn your purpose into a paycheck

Of course, even when you’re fueled by both passion and purpose, you still need to pay the bills. Aligning your mission-driven purpose with fair compensation is a key part of building a sustainable and rewarding career—one that leads you far away from burnout, even when the work gets challenging.

Start by researching salaries for roles that align with your interests and skills. Tools like Idealist’s Nonprofit Salary Explorer can provide insights into what other social-impact professionals are earning across the country.

Once you have an idea of what you could be making in a certain field, make use of valuable resources about salary negotiation, especially when it comes to benefits. Never underestimate the value of a good benefits package, particularly when it's paired with a job that actually excites you. 

At the end of the day, the goal isn’t just to follow your passion blindly, or to work a purposeless job just because it’s a paycheck. It’s about building a career that balances all three—what lights you up, what drives you forward, and what supports your life.

None of this will be achieved without a little work, so take some time this year to carve out your goals (you may know that we prefer the SMART kind at Idealist!) and a reasonable timeline for checking them off. As you align your passion with a clear purpose, you’ll be better positioned to land a role that not only fulfills you, but sustains you.