As a kid, I was always clad in Spiderman shirts garnished with hints of mud and paired with scattered marker stains and scraped knees. I wanted to be many things. For one, taller. Maybe an astronaut. Then, one day, I went home and proclaimed I would be a painter.

With a smug little grin, I presented my vibrant stick-figure drawing to my dad, waiting for a wave of approval. To avoid any confusion, my dad is a wonderful man and my most prominent supporter in life, but he is also a realist.

There I was, probably 5 years old, when I was whipped with: “I don’t think that’s your strength, you won’t make any money like that.”

I was in agony – for five minutes – until I decided being a professional soccer player who traveled to the moon would be cooler anyway.

Nevertheless, the message stuck: in life, you should do what you are good at, not just what you enjoy.

Not every job in this world is going to be popular, but every job can be fulfilling if one feels their gifts are put to good use. Humans cannot cease from comparing themselves to others. Pursuing a passion not backed by talent will lead to failure in comparison to one’s more talented peers. This may raze said passion as it begins to be synonymous to failure and a reminder of work.

“You need to be good at your job,” Coppell High School junior Armrin Haque said. “I want to become a fashion designer and I’m making a design portfolio, but if I realize I’m not cut out to be a designer, I’m not going to set myself up for failure.”

Having a less enjoyable career, but a career where one will excel in, will lead to the development of pride in one’s work. Not to mention, success in the workplace may lead to more free time outside of it, leaving space for passions to be practiced as hobbies instead of responsibilities.

Furthermore, success can be seen as a responsibility not just to one’s self, but for the greater good.

One’s future children would benefit from having the means to grow up in a healthy environment and the ability to go to college, which is only possible if one’s talents are put to use in the workplace. Furthermore, a co-worker could be inspired by one’s work or the company as a whole could prosper. This could lead to workers benefitting and being able to better care for their families. Professional success could also yield money that could be used for charity.

We were all born with gifts and it is our responsibility to use them to make our positive mark on the world, regardless of the size of said impact.

“If you do what you are good at, then more people can benefit from your skills, as opposed to doing something you love but aren’t so good at,” CHS junior Teja Tummuru said.

Being rational so one may be successful is important to preserve one’s passions outside work, but it is also essential financially. To pursue the Coppell lifestyle of buying $40 Supreme underwear, feeling refined when saying gracias to the waiters at Anamia’s and buying five identical Kendra Scott necklaces you swear look different, you need money. You cannot afford the life many have grown up with in Coppell by swearing your SoundCloud is about to take off.

When one is successful in the workplace, financial security is possible. Not needing to work extra jobs liberates leisure time to spend time nurturing that SoundCloud which may or may not take off at any minute. Can someone truly hold on to the passion of their job if financial pressures are constantly breathing down their necks?

To those hoping to hold up their marker-drawn stick figures and be applauded, the world does not function that way.

For the sake of preserving that passion that will not make you money, do something you are good at. For the sake of your personal pride, do something you are good at. For the sake of helping those around you flourish, do something you are good at.

Once you begin to let your inner talents lead, you might just find out that what you are good at can be something you love.