We are told to 'do what we love' in life and our careers. Is that a fallacy? | Open thread

A recent commentary in Jacobin raises the question of whether young people are being fed a lie about following their passionMany 20 and 30-somethings (if not those older and younger than that) grew up hearing the advice that all you need to do in life is "find your passion". The implication is that if you "do what you love" (in shorthand: DWYL), success – and presumably happiness and money – would follow. People like Apple's Steve Jobs and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg were held up as examples (if not gurus) of this "DWYL" trend, alongside people who quit investment banking jobs to become cheese farmers, plumbers or yoga entrepreneurs. But writer and art history scholar Miya Tokumitsu argues that this romanticized notion of the working world is a dangerous fallacy. It's the modern-day equivalent of the emperor's new clothes myth.In a much shared commentary for Jacobin magazine (later re-printed on Slate.com), Tokumitsu writes:DWYL is a secret handshake of the privileged and a worldview that disguises its elitism as noble self-betterment. According to this way of thinking, labor is not something one does for compensation but is an act of love. If profit doesn't happen to follow, presumably it is because the worker's passion and determination were insufficient. Its real achievement is making workers believe their labor serves the self and not the marketplace.She points out that the vast majority of jobs have no place in the DWYL world because they are "done out of motives or... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #vast majority

Other news stories related to: "We are told to 'do what we love' in life and our careers. Is that a fallacy? | Open thread"

Life for Colombian Comics Artists Improves, But Challenges Remain

After years of struggle, Colombia's independent comics and graphic novel scene is starting to flourish, with new publishers and a traveling comics festival. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-07-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Falling in Love Again

Relationships have their ups and downs, but for publishers and librarians, the passion is back. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-07-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Kindle Worlds opens for business

Amazon's Kindle Worlds platform has opened in the US, with its guidelines advising that it is... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Amazon opens up Kindle Worlds Store, for all your licensed fan fic needs

Come on now, why are you wasting your time here, when you could be reading some Gossip Girl fan fic? Roughly a month after announcing its licensed character publishing platform, Amazon has taken the wraps off of Kindle Worlds. The site currently offers up 50-plus commissioned stories based on... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2013-06-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #fan fiction #gossip girl #vampire diaries #kindle worlds #source link #amazon opens

Layoffs Hit BSA’s Boy’s Life, Scouting

The Boy Scouts of America are cutting more than 30 positions from the staff of its two flagship magazines—Boy's Life and Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2013-06-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

A Couple Elopes to Italy, then Opens a Restaurant in Brooklyn

An interview with Andrew Feinberg and Francine Stephens, authors of "Franny's: Simple Seasonal Italian." Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-06-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Six new Waterstones stores to open

Waterstones has signed a lease for a new store in Dorking, the first bookshop opening since the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bookshop opening #waterstones stores

Macmillan Science and Education opens China head office

Macmillan Science and Education is opening a new regional office in China, based in Shanghai.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-06-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #regional office #macmillan science

Interactive book to 'open' kids' minds

An interactive children's book to help kids think outside the box is the May showcase winner of data competition Mix & Mash. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2013-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #interactive children

As BookExpo America Opens, Industry Concerns Remain Largely Unchanged

The opening keynote of BookExpo America suggests the top concerns facing the US book market in 2013 remain much the same: ebooks, self-publishing, and how to win readers. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #book market #opening keynote

Amazon to open major London office

Amazon is to open a London office large enough to accommodate 1,600 employees later this year.... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

ALLi calls on trade to 'open up'

The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) has launched a campaign to encourage literary and book... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2013-05-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Is Open Web, Cross-Platform Publishing What’s Next for Ebooks?

As publishers migrate beyond the first phase of the ebook revolution, the IDPF's Digital Book Conference on Wednesday will address ebooks on the web, tablets, phones and more. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2013-05-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #ebook revolution #cross-platform publishing #open web

NYT Is Open For Programmatic Business - 'Issues' Remain

For the past year, executives at The New York Times Company speaking on its quarterly earnings calls have singled out a particular challenge for the newspaper publisher's display ad business: programmatic media buying methods. With this month ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2013-05-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Amazon opens fan-fiction service

Amazon is once again shaking up traditional publishing models. This time, it's giving fans a chance to add their own personal touches to their favourite fiction - and get paid in the process. Continue reading at Stuff

[ Stuff | 2013-05-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #giving fans

Life without Amazon? Barefoot Books is the David that cut ties to Goliath

Massachusetts-based publisher Barefoot Books had previously cut ties with Barnes & Noble and Borders. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-05-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #barnes noble #cut ties #barefoot books

Paperless public library to open in Texas

A groundbreaking paperless public library system will open in Texas this year, the BBC reports.A groundbreaking paperless public library system will open in Texas this year, the BBC reports. Bexar County's $1.5-million BiblioTech project will open its first library branch without a single print... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-05-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | All news stories tagged with: #bexar county #bbc reports