• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026

1

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
CommentaryCareers

Steve Jobs was wrong. Finding work that you love might be the worst thing you can do

By
Christopher Wong Michaelson
Christopher Wong Michaelson
and
Jennifer Tosti-Kharas
Jennifer Tosti-Kharas
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Christopher Wong Michaelson
Christopher Wong Michaelson
and
Jennifer Tosti-Kharas
Jennifer Tosti-Kharas
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 5, 2024, 8:34 AM ET
Christopher Wong Michaelson is a philosopher who studies the value of meaning and the meaning of value and teaches at the business schools of the University of St. Thomas and NYU. Jennifer Tosti-Kharas is a professor of management at Babson College who studies meaningful work. Their book, Is Your Work Worth It? was published in May 2024.
Courtesy of Stanford University
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

“Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Although the precise attribution of this quote remains elusive, the sentiment makes so much sense it can go unchallenged. No one wants work that is drudgery, where you count the minutes until you can leave every day. But loving your work may not always save you from it being work.

The pressure to love your work has been heating up this century, arguably starting with the seminal 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University by late Apple founder Steve Jobs. He encouraged the assembled graduates, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.” As college professors, we see a direct throughline between this statement and the students who shuffle into our offices to confess what they feel is a great failure: they haven’t yet identified what they might love to do. They feel aimless after graduation, sure that they won’t do great work, and might not love their lives as a result.

When we talk to students hoping to fall in love with their first job or working adults who still haven’t discovered their passion, we try to ease the pressure by dispelling some enduring myths that exist about loving work.

You should know what you love starting in childhood

Steve Jobs said, “I found what I loved to do early in life.” Yet, for every story of someone who always had a calling toward computers, music, or marine life, and pursued their passions as a career, there is someone who stumbled into their calling as a matter of happenstance.

There is no single, superior way to find work you love, and often it is a combination of idiosyncratic factors that make people feel they love their work. In short, we support Jobs’ recommendation to “keep looking,” whether within your current field or in other fields, to find work that seems worthy of your time and effort.

Doing what you love is a surefire way to make more money

So often people equate satisfaction at work with earning potential, as in the book title, Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow. Yet there is reason to believe that when you love what you do, you may not seek to maximize your earnings from work because you are more concerned with doing the work for its own sake.

In fact, one study found that people believe it is fair to pay people less who love what they do compared to those who do not. We advise those who do work they love to push back on the possibility that an employer may exploit their passion with less pay.

When you do work you love, life will be better

In general, people are happier when they love their work. However, there is evidence that this happiness can come at a cost to yourself and others.

When you love your work, it can be harder to maintain healthy boundaries between work and life. Failing to maintain these boundaries can lead to exhaustion and burnout, and personal relationships can suffer. Like any love, love for work can be all-consuming, so be careful work does not consume you.

The only way to do great work is to love what you do

The claim in Jobs’ speech makes intuitive sense, which explains why a study of managers found that they believed employees who loved their work performed better than those who did not love the work, even when this was not the case.

In fact, people who love their work may not always do a better job, and they are more critical and selective of both the work they do and with whom they work. You can perform high-quality work regardless of whether you love it, so don’t confuse passion with performance.

Do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life

As alluring as it sounds, most people will not love what they do every minute of every day. In fact, expecting to love work all the time may result in disillusionment when the work falls short, even causing people to leave their jobs. Instead, look for work that has moments that feel like something like love, along with moments that might not.

Finding work you love does not guarantee a fulfilling life, nor does settling for jobs that you merely don’t hate. Rather, people should weigh what they get from work against what they give to do that work. Instead of seeking work that you love, perhaps instead you should seek work that uses your talents toward a worthwhile purpose for which you are treated and paid fairly—in other words, work worth loving.

More must-read commentary published by Fortune:

  • Simone Biles has really destigmatized mental health leave for millions of women
  • Private equity is devouring the economy as boomer entrepreneurs exit—but a new approach to employee ownership can change that
  • Gen Z’s enthusiasm for all things touchable is resurrecting the analog economy—and costing parents
  • The ‘Trump dump’ is back—and the stocks that he targets are crashing

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

About the Authors
By Christopher Wong Michaelson
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Jennifer Tosti-Kharas
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Commentary

steve
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Steve Case: America was built by entrepreneurs. Here’s how we keep that edge for the next 250 years
By Steve CaseJune 24, 2026
8 hours ago
t
CommentaryWhite House
Trump mistakes the bully pulpit for bullying leadership — history’s villains were never heroes
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven TianJune 24, 2026
8 hours ago
mg
CommentaryHealth
The ‘tech neck’ time bomb: why 43 million young Americans could cripple U.S. health care within a generation
By Michael GerlingJune 24, 2026
9 hours ago
sb
Commentaryclimate change
The climate policy triangle: why leaders can no longer choose between growth, security and sustainability
By Sebastian BuckupJune 23, 2026
23 hours ago
brett
CommentaryManagement
Middle managers aren’t going extinct—they’re evolving into something more powerful
By Brett HurtJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
ravi
CommentaryAI agents
Yale School of Management: surveillance pricing is just the beginning. AI agents will be the real test of corporate trust
By Ravi Dhar and Jon IwataJune 23, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
13 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of June 23, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 23, 2026
1 day ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real Estate
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they're copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 days ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.