How many times did you hear this advice?

Which career? Follow your passion.
Which college major? Follow your passion.
Which job? Follow your passion.
After hearing it so many times, you wonder what exactly is this passion.

Passion, by definition, is a strong interest in something. That advice is coming from the age-old thought that if you like painting, you must be a painter.

In the world of technology, there is no one skill paired with one career. For example, if you want to be a kindergarten teacher, what you need most is patience. If you want to be an accountant, you need to be attentive to details. These skills are rarely taught explicitly in courses. They are developed by individuals over time and with experience.

How do we collect experience without deciding what job to take up, without answering which career you should pursue? I will give you a second to think about it before moving on to the next paragraph.

Now, do you see why "follow your passion" is not as simple as those three words? It is a cycle of finding something you like, developing your skill in that area and then implementing your learning.

Let me use the most used example: Steve Jobs. His passion was calligraphy, not technology. But he didn't sit down with a paintbrush like it is depicted in Chinese shows. He took his passion and implemented on the computer he invented with his friend. He didn't want to invent that computer but did it anyway because they couldn't afford the personal computers sold in the market. Did he take the advice to follow his passion? Yes. Was it all he did? No.

I am not saying it's a bad advice and the next person saying it is lying. I am just saying it is a starting point and finding what you want to do on a daily basis is a pit stop miles away from that starting point.

It all boils down to retrospection. I am no career guru to advise you. But I can tell you from my experience that no one can answer the question, "What should I do?" I will also tell you why: When it's time for results and consequences, the person who advised you is rarely the recipient; it will be you standing there accepting the results.

So you decide: what is your passion? How can you make a career out of it?

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Author's Note

PierritaZiade commented on my work Pyaar Ke Rishtey, asking how did the character make the job choice. So this part is written for her and other readers who might undergo the same dilemma.

Let me know if you would like me to write on any other topics.

Photo Credits for the Header:
1) Traffic expressways https://www.pexels.com/photo/photography-of-city-during-nighttime-681327/
2) Font used: Channel from Font-Generator.com

Disclaimer: The opinion expressed here is solely of the author in her private capacity.