Definition: The bait-and-switch career path where society romanticizes “doing what you love,” only to exploit that enthusiasm into grueling, underpaid labor. Think celebrity chef fantasies crushed by 16-hour shifts for minimum wage, or zookeepers trading animal cuddles for shoveling shit in a hailstorm.
It’s the trap of glamorized industries—film, gaming, design—where passion is weaponized to normalize burnout, poverty wages, and the slow death of your soul. You enter chasing dreams, but exit with broken bodies, empty wallets, and crushing disillusionment.
Example:
She dreamed of animation but now endures unpaid overtime and poverty wages, her passion exploited by the studio’s constant crunch.
He entered wildlife conservation expecting meaningful work, only to face grueling hours cleaning enclosures for barely livable pay.