In the realm of career advice, many of us are told to pursue what we are passionate about, regardless of its practicality. This advice can often be summed up as “do what you love” — known to many as DWYL. This is a catchy slogan adopted by people who want to exchange their labor for a sense of fulfillment rather than work for a paycheck.

Yet there is something elitist about this statement. What about those who cannot afford to do this? What about those people who do jobs that are not the manifestation of their passions — the garbage men, factory workers and day laborers? Those people who work two low-paying jobs to just pay the rent seem severely disadvantaged in the pursuit of their passions. Isn’t it narcissistic to do only what we want to do and elevate that position with our own moral imperative when some people cannot? While in a certain sense these sentiments are true, I posit that DWYL is a message people not only important to the individual but also to society as a whole.

One’s life will not be defined by one job, one passion or even one hobby. We are all complex and have a variety of interests and curiosities. DWYL is a mantra that is not meant to put some people’s work down, but rather it’s to encourage people to find happiness. We will graduate into a professional world that will consume much of our time.

Rather than spend our lives feeling alienated from our work in order to receive a paycheck, we should think about how we can spend our time doing things we love to do. If we want to make a career out of it, we should find a way to pursue that. If we cannot, we can ultimately find other ways to pursue what we love through hobbies, volunteer work, et cetera.

Passion does not necessarily translate to a specific job or career. DWYL insists that you do the things that bring you the most happiness, fulfillment and passion. It does not promise that you will be able to make a boatload of money from that. In the case of people like Steve Jobs, who heavily encouraged people to pursue a DWYL lifestyle, the money did follow.

If you have a passion for knitting, however, you might not be able to turn that into a materially lavish lifestyle. Another job, therefore, can help fund your ability to knit, and thus you can do what you love. Resources, including our time, are scarce. DWYL tells us that in the face of that scarcity we should prioritize the things that we love whenever possible. The person working two jobs is passionate about providing for one’s family, even if he is not passionate about the jobs themselves.

While DWYL can be a justification for doing only what you want, it engages many people to work to improve our society. Very few career options have little to no effect on other people. Labor is not an isolated act. What we do has the potential to affect other people. Most importantly, there are many people who are passionate about helping other people, eliminating injustices in the world and empowering others. In this case, a startup, NGO or public service has the potential to benefit others, including those who do not have the same opportunities to follow DWYL.

Take, for example, social ventures like D.C. Central Kitchen. This organization provides job training for the unemployed, homeless and incarcerated as well as food security for low-income neighborhoods. Started by people passionate about solving these social problems of hunger and chronic unemployment, this organization embodies how DWYL can empower other people to improve their own lives and pursue their own passions.

If we view labor exclusively as an exchange of work for money, we lose sight of our ability to improve our communities. Pursuing a DWYL lifestyle requires privilege. Social imbalances exist, and not everyone has the means to pursue things that fuel their passions. By encouraging those with the privilege to DWYL, we empower people to dedicate time to creating a world where more people can spend their time not just working for a salary, but for what they love.

Kent Carlson is a senior in the School of Foreign Service. COLLEGE ON A HILL appears every other Friday.