Should your career always be your passion?

Should your career always be your passion?  As you consider what direction your career should take, should you just follow your passion?  Sounds reasonble, right?

But, what happens if your passion isn’t something that translates into an actual career that is viable?  In theory, we would all love to have a job that means that we can go to work every day and do what we love.  So, what should you consider when approaching your career choice this way?

• Will your passion translate into a paying job?  What if you love to play video games?  Can you actually get a job that will allow you to do that?
• What if you love doing something, but when you turn it into a career, it’s not so much fun anymore.  For instance, you love doing hair styles for your friends, and they tell you that you are really good at it.  Now you are a professional hair stylist, and you are dealing with clients that aren’t always happy with your service.  It was fun when it was for your friends, but maybe not so much when you are being paid to do it.
• What if you go to school to get training on that one thing that you love to do, but there just are no jobs available?  That still won’t allow you to have a career based on your passion.

So how do you approach your career decision?  It’s not wrong to be in a career that allows you do what you love every day.  But it’s also not wrong to be in a career that isn’t just about your passion.  There are a number of ways to ensure that you are doing those things that you love.  You can always volunteer or ensure that you have hobbies that you love.  But if your career is more about your abilities and aptitude, then it can still be something that you enjoy.  If you are good at something, it usually means that you enjoy it.  So focus more on those things that you are good at, and if it’s not your passion, then hold those activities for your own time.

If you don’t know how to identify those abilities that you have or what skills that you have developed, talk to your friends or family members that know you well, or reach out to a Professional Career Coach to help you sort through this information.  At the end of the day, your career is about finding something that you can enjoy, and that will provide you an income that will allow you to do those things that you love when you are not working.

Do you know someone who is currently challenged with a career change decision? Feel free to share this post by using the share links at the top of this page. Also, if you’d like more career change assistance, feel free to check out the career coaching resource page.