We choose careers to survive, and that is the biggest challenge. Growing up, students are told to find a profession that will help them sustain themselves for a lifetime. Now there is a problem with such assumptions, we are living in a world where we cannot future-proof careers. Blame it on the pandemic, or credit this to the digital disruption, the world of careers has evolved more than we could anticipate.
If we look back at the last couple of years, most of the professionals who were able to thrive in their respective careers despite the pandemic were working in the industry or working in a profession they were passionate about. Now, this cannot be a mere coincidence. It is crucial that we explore and pursue careers that we are passionate about. This is easier said than done. But how do we discover what we are passionate about? How do we identify the way forward once we have discovered what our passion is?
This has been a question that has troubled high school students, college graduates, and even young professionals. Allow me to help you find a solution to this impending dilemma!
Here are 4 ways through which you can make your passion a career.
1. Start with Why
As Simon Sinek would say, “It all starts with Why”. It is common for a seventeen-year-old student to say that they like Psychology, or they like Economics. My question to them is,” Why do you like that subject?”
Until we can justify to ourselves that why we are inclined towards a subject, career/profession, it is unreasonable to take a step forward in the same direction. If you like something, what have you done towards it? Have you spent time exploring and investigating the domain? What if this is a mere attraction towards a career just because you have been hearing about it recently, or it might be possible that this is one of the only few careers that you are aware of. Start with questioning yourself and understanding what you like and why you like it.
2. Build a Range
Once you can discover your interest area and establish why you are inclined towards the same in the first place, it is time for you to build a range. Before you narrow down on your passion and take the plunge, why not identify a few other domains that might fascinate you.
Let’s try a simple activity:
Think of your favourite cuisine. Now, try and recall the number of different cuisines you would have tried in your life so far. Seems easy right!
For the difficult part, try guessing how many cuisines are there in the world. Don’t bother that’s a number we really don’t need an answer to, but we know as a matter of fact there might be thousands of cuisines around the globe, probably more. If someone says Italian is their favourite cuisine and the same individual has only tried 30 different cuisines, the sample size is restricted. What if the same person tries a new cuisine tomorrow and that turns out to be their new favourite?
That is a possibility, right! Similarly, when we speak of careers, and we are only aware of a handful of them, how can we narrow down on one career, and how can we literally decide on pursuing the same for the rest of our lives. Hence, building a range is imperative. The more you know and the more you explore, the better informed you will be to decide.
3. Take a Leap
Once you have a diverse set of interests, it will become easier for you to decide on the passion you want to go forward with. Now is the time for you to find more about that passion and create a holistic repository of the opportunities that you can explore with the same. Refer to books and journals, network and talk to professionals who might have taken a similar path. It is always important to seek insights from others, their journey might have been different, but this will help you in making the right decision for yourself. Educating yourself is key. Once you have gathered the required answers, it is time for you to implement them. You need to take the leap and act on the knowledge and information you have accumulated. Be it a college degree, an internship, a job, whatever the next step might be, ensure to make it happen.
4. Think Again
We are often afraid to stop and rethink our initial choices. It is important for us to continue in the path we have chosen for us, or so we assume. But our career path is not set in stone, we have the liberty to stop and reassess our choices whenever we want, and it is crucial we do that. We tend to visit a Physician for regular health checkups every few months, and we don’t really question this process. Then why can’t we have a regular check on our respective careers? The opportunities may change, technology is bound to change, then why can’t our careers. We need to operate with flexibility even when we are working towards our passion. As our passion can evolve over time.
Conclusion
Everything needs an upgrade so does our career, but it is easier to find an upgrade when it has to do with something you are passionate about. Someone who likes an Apple iPhone will surely not be fascinated about an upgrade to Samsung Note. It is the same case with our careers. It is not so complicated to make your passion your career, it is rather difficult to identify what your passion is.
In case you need guidance in this journey of self-discovery, remember the team of expert career coaches and Mentors at Mindler is here to support you. Take the first step towards your career discovery today, and never be afraid to ask questions, that is the only way you will find an answer! So have you found your passion yet?
