Is pursuing a hobby equally important to pursuing a career?

You bet it is!

You have heard the axiom "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"? It’s true. And the same principle applies to school.

Hobbies, unlike work or school, invite us to immerse ourselves in activities we enjoy and are passionate about, and to do so purely for our own satisfaction. In this respect, hobbies are often therapeutic. I sing in a chorus, play guitar and do cabinetmaking and woodworking, all while working full time (and attending graduate school!)…and all three of these activities are essential forms of therapy for me. Their therapeutic value enables me to perform better at work AND in school.

Through pursuit of hobbies, we are also able to escape, however briefly, the seriousness and sometimes the drudgery of work and school tasks. This diversion is good, even essential, for one’s mental health.

A good education is also extremely important, of course. Only you can judge how much energy you are able to devote to both your schooling and your hobby (or hobbies). If keeping up with ballroom dancing while also going to school full time is too much, make sure you find time for something that ISN’T school related.

yes , some people i know, made a great bussness out of there hobby. my brother has a big company put in salt water fish tanks. hope this helps you , good luck

Completing your education is far more important than your hobby. If you can find a way to keep pursuing your hobby without affecting your life goals, then keep it up. But if you don’t have time for both right now, go ahead and put the dancing on hold.

I wouldn’t give it up. Though you might need to mark time for a while – you don’t say how good you are, but, for instance, taking a whole week out to travel to a big competition might not be a good idea.

But if you give it up, you are still going to need to find something else to do. You need physical exercise, and your brain needs to spend time thinking about things other than academic work. You need "down time", and spending it doing a hobby you enjoy and which is actively good for you is about as good a way of spending it as I can think of.

Also, you should think about your future life. Maybe if you give up your hobbies you have more chance of getting a job which will require total dedication. But do you actually want that for the rest of your life, or do you want a career where you have time for a life outside work, and having one is seen as a good thing?