{"id":3805,"date":"2022-11-24T05:32:08","date_gmt":"2022-11-24T05:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1finance.co.in\/magazine\/?post_type=blog&p=3805"},"modified":"2025-08-02T14:42:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T09:12:37","slug":"do-what-you-love-but-you-may-not-earn-as-much","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/1finance.co.in\/1f-dashboard\/blog\/do-what-you-love-but-you-may-not-earn-as-much\/","title":{"rendered":"Do What You Love, But You May Not Earn as Much"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cMoney, it\u2019s a gas.\u201d \u201cMoney, money, money, must be funny, in the rich man\u2019s world.\u201d \u201cMoney, money changes everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As a music journalist for over two decades, these are the words that I automatically hear in my head when I think about the subject of money.\u00a0It\u2019s always been a bit of a quizzical thing for me \u2014 my choice of career means that I don\u2019t make enough of it, even if I\u2019m privileged\u00a0enough to be able to have a career like the one I do.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I remember looking at that ikigai Venn diagram \u2014 you know, the one that shows you the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for \u2014 and thinking somewhat smugly: I figured this out a while ago. \u2018Do what you love and you\u2019ll never work a day in your life\u2019 is something I took to heart at the onset of my career. Like all cliches, it\u2019s neither entirely true nor absolutely false. Occasionally, when I\u2019m writing about an album that charms me, I do feel incredibly lucky to be able to literally listen to music for a living.<\/span><\/p>\n

But journalism is a tough place to be for the mid-career professional, especially one who hasn\u2019t been entrenched in a full-time position for a while. All my contemporaries from ten years or so ago have switched to other fields. You can find them heading media houses, teaching journalism courses or in editorial roles at music streaming platforms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unlike them, I\u2019m single with a five-figure monthly income and no kids. I don\u2019t lead a modest lifestyle but it\u2019s not exactly extravagant. I track expenses but I don\u2019t necessarily curtail them. I\u2019ll probably never buy a house or a car but I will regularly buy overpriced flight tickets for a much-needed break. For me, a salary that comes at the cost of your mental health is a loss-making proposition.<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, a consequence of freelancing is that my savings aren\u2019t exactly the best, and spontaneous, indulgent purchases are out of the question. A few years ago, I decided that even though I don\u2019t make enough to pay tax, my minimum investment target would be the maximum amount one can claim as deductions every year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I also took the call to stop writing for Indian publications that don\u2019t pay me a certain word rate. Now, I\u00a0work mainly for international publications. The assignments are fewer \u2014 there are only so many stories about the Indian music business that editors believe work for a global audience \u2014 but considering that one doesn\u2019t increase or decrease the amount of effort one puts into researching, interviewing and writing according to the word rate, I\u2019d rather do fewer stories for more money.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, being\u00a0in my forties, there are definitely days when I seriously wonder whether I made the right career choice. I make enough to take care of household expenses but not enough for big-ticket buys. For those, I\u2019m privileged to have a parent whose conventional career choices have stood them well in their retirement. We don\u2019t lack anything we really need, even if we can\u2019t always have whatever we want. In some ways, I\u2019m also lucky to have a brother who has a well-paying job and lives abroad. Yearly breaks are automatically subsidised and there\u2019s comfort in knowing that there\u2019s a back-up in case of family emergencies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking at the distant future, I do wonder about my old age. I\u2019m relatively healthy but have a family history of almost all major lifestyle diseases. I spend on good health insurance, and the other big investment I made after entering my fourth decade was joining a gym. It\u2019s definitely helped save me some doctor\u2019s bills.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m grateful I\u2019ve managed alright, but I don\u2019t know if I\u2019d recommend being a music journalist, in that it\u2019s not too different from being an independent musician. If you aspire to a certain lifestyle, it\u2019s more viable to get a day job and balance it with your passion. On some days when I need a sense of validation to know that my work has made a mark, I need only turn to my email and Instagram\u00a0DMs for messages of gratitude from Indian independent musicians and music professionals \u2014\u00a0knowing that the insights they get from my work have helped their careers is incredibly reassuring.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amit\u00a0Gurbaxani\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0Mumbai-based\u00a0journalist\u00a0who specialises in writing about business trends in the Indian music industry. His work can be read in international publications such as\u00a0Billboard,\u00a0Music Ally\u00a0and\u00a0Music Business Worldwide.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cMoney, it\u2019s a gas.\u201d \u201cMoney, money, money, must be funny, in the rich man\u2019s world.\u201d \u201cMoney, money changes everything.\u201d As a music journalist for over two decades, these are the words that I automatically hear in my head when I think about the subject of money.\u00a0It\u2019s always been a bit of a quizzical thing for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2140,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_updated_date":""},"blog-category":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDo What You Love, But You May Not Earn as Much<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore insightful articles on finance, investments, and money management on our blog. 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