Photo Competitions

Okay, so I've been pondering on photo competitions lately. I'm a little torn by the whole idea. I will admit I've had a little success at first in entering competitions but wonder over the long haul if it's worth it or not. This is what I don't get... everyone says enter the competitions, if you win it's good for your career, your name will get out there, etc. On the other hand almost every single consultant, advisor, mentor, and rep that I have talked to or have researched says, "shoot what you want, what you love, what inspires you". So my question is, if it's such a big deal to shoot what you want, your own vision, and that is what will set you apart then why enter photo competitions? If you're doing what you believe in do you need an award to tell you that?

More important to me is doing work where I actually enjoy the whole process of creating it. Maybe someday I will once again try to see if the beings who judge like my creations or maybe not. Time will tell.