[jonnathanson]

A critical issue in "following dreams" is the way in which people do it. Case in point: I have two close friends who decided to become poets. Not "poets" in the colloquial sense, i.e., liberal arts majors with no quant skills. Poets, as in people who hope to earn a living writing poetry.

One of those friends has been writing poetry her whole life, has become phenomenal at it, got into the Iowa Writers Workshop, has been published in the New Yorker on multiple occasions, and earns a respectable living in academia. The other abruptly quit his day job at the age of 33, declared himself a poet, and enrolled in some beginner's classes. I support his dreams, but I do not support the order in which he took those actions.

People often forget that chasing "dreams" is hard work, and it follows the same principles as chasing success by more conventional means. In fact, the less conventional of a career you chose, the more conventionally hard you'll have to work to make that career remunerative. Following your passion is a wonderful thing, but you need to do it sensibly, strategically, and skillfully.