When it comes to finding our career path, a lot of voices and various forms of media influence our perceptions on what we should pursue. Our parents or family members told us to pursue something practical; telling us we need to earn money above all else, even if it’s an occupation that erodes at our will to live every time we clock in. The media’s influencers tell us to follow our hopes, dreams, and passions, even if they don’t provide enough of a financial benefit to keep food on the table, or to pay off debts and bills. So how does one resolve this quandary? Where’s the middle ground? I have been thinking about this a lot lately as I reflect on what I have done for the past several years. 

I am a person that has a lot of interests, and from a young age most of my interests were within the creative realm. I loved to create, sketch, and design, but above all, I loved to write. I felt that this was all that I could do, and while I was interested in and performed well in a variety of other subjects–including math, science, and social sciences–I was dismissive of pursuing a fulfilling career in any of those fields of study. It wasn’t until I was in my third year of college that I realized this perspective I had was a complete sham. I was almost done with my history degree and I came to the realization that I had this underlying, undying love for the Internet and technology. I attempted CSS and HTML in high school in forums and on MySpace, but I always felt like I could never learn how to build a website. It seemed inaccessible to me as an adolescent. I did not know that I could design and create websites as a viable career path until my junior year of college (I know, I was shocked at myself, too). Following this revelation, I attempted to add on Computer Science as a minor, but I was told by an academic counselor that I was almost done and should just finish my degree; there are still jobs that you can get in the history field. I wish that I had done what I wanted to do anyway. 

Ever since I graduated from university, this decision has haunted me. I thought I was going to use my history degree to go to law school, or become a professor, but at the end of it all I was left more confused. What was I really interested in? What was I passionate about? What do I want to do? While I tried to figure that out, I decided to take a break and get to work. Considering that I had a B.A. in History, teaching was the job within reach due to the high demand for teachers. I figured I could work for some years, until I figured out what I wanted to do. It’s been 6 years now, and I have discovered (and I am still discovering) a lot about myself, my interests, and about how I should navigate life in general. First of all, I learned that passion is not enough. Skills, dedication, and consistency carries you further than just passion alone. In a Forbes article titled, Following Your Passion’ Is Dead – Here’s What To Replace It With, the author cites a Stanford University publication, which concluded that:

Finding your passion” presupposes that interests and passions are fixed, rather than fluid and evolving as we age and gain wisdom and experience. Those who follow the fixed mindset are much more likely to give up when obstacles arise. As the authors say, “Urging people to find their passion may lead them to put all their eggs in one basket but then to drop that basket when it becomes difficult to carry.

Michael Bohanes

The reason why I had such a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do was because I let whatever I felt drawn to guide me, rather than me guiding my interests into where I wanted to go. I have so many interests, so it overwhelmed me to think about what I would lose out on if I didn’t pursue one of those various interests. The anxiety that came from that left me stagnant. 

When you become an adult, and you’re bogged down by immediate responsibilities and emergency changes that arise, you lose sight of the fact that you still can wield control over other aspects of your life, i.e. focused interests and the information you consume to support those interests. Instead of telling ourselves we’re not good at something, or that we will never learn or understand how to do something, why not just give it a try? For example, I never knew that I would understand JavaScript. Five years ago, I attempted to learn JavaScript on Codecademy, and immediately closed my browser when it got hard. Now, I can create websites and web applications using JavaScript. In this instance, I cultivated interest. When I was able to, I dedicated adequate time and ended up developing a passion for JavaScript instead of being ruled by the whims of my already established passions. 

It’s also important to celebrate as you trek through paths of new interests and cross thresholds of understanding; even if you still haven’t fully grasped all that you need to know. I am still working with JavaScript and working on being consistent with the programming language, considering that it’s easy to lose your understanding of it when you’re not constantly applying what you learn. 

Giving yourself rewards and acknowledging your value as you stretch your capacity to learn something new is the key to maintaining your motivation as you cultivate interest. As you evaluate your life and where you are in it, be completely honest and forthright. When you look around, does your environment look the way you want it to? Are you where you want to be? If yes, great, you got to where you wanted to go. If you aren’t there, yet, like myself, then let’s get to evaluating.

First off, start by thinking about what is within your control. Not everyone has the means to just pick up and move around the country on a whim while looking for a job. Not everyone has the financial support of their parents (some people even have to support their own parents) well into their adulthood, which helps to craft a foundation that will maintain stability and comfort as they cultivate their interests.

Once you’ve evaluated what is within your control to do, it’s time to start planning. In a blog post titled, The Most Important Piece of Career Advice You Probably Never Heard, author Cal Newport purports that you “Fix the lifestyle you want. Then work backwards from there.” In other words, think about what you need and want in your life, and then examine the pathways you would need to get there. This way, you can broaden your field of study and find other specialized pathways that you may not have otherwise discovered if you made pursuing your “dream” or “passion” your ultimate goal. You may not like having to work in a field that you’re not passionate about, but you most definitely will develop skills and character traits that will give you an advantage once you seek out other viable career paths. 

So consider the following:

• What occupations are marketable right now and will be in the next 20 years?
• What occupations will not become obsolete due to automation in the next 20 years?
• What skills do I already have that can be developed further for any one of these occupations?
• What new skills can I learn in my free time to prepare me for any one of these occupations?
• Am I willing to relocate to other places in order to pursue any one of these occupations? Which places would I be willing to relocate to?
• Will I be compensated well enough to support myself, my family, and our lifestyle? 
• Am I willing to take lower pay in order to start somewhere and build my experience?
• Will I have enough flexibility to balance my personal and professional life? 

You’re not limited to these questions, but they are definitely a start. And for the mandatory reminder that it’s never too late, I present to you, Donzella Washington, the 80-year-old Alabama A&M University graduate who became the oldest graduate in the institution’s 144-year history. It just goes to show, this timed pressure placed on various generations to get into colleges and universities and follow “passion pathways” needs to be reconsidered. When it comes to achieving personal success, it’s best to fulfill your needs, first. If a “passion pathway” can not feed you and your family, it’s time to consider something else. Once your needs are met, then you will be able to fulfill and enliven your environment and the people surrounding you. Your interests and capabilities aren’t fixed; when you cultivate and build your interests, you will grow beyond what you thought originally possible.