Is "Follow Your Passion" A Good Idea?

What are you passionate about in life? Healing the sick? Flying a plane around the world? Or even kicking a football for a living? 

One way to determine your profession is to focus on your passion – something that inspires you the most. So what are you passionate about? For instance, if you love flying so much, being a pilot can be a career choice. One who is passionate about photos and putting thoughts onto paper can pursue a career in photojournalism. With powerful enthusiasm, passion, and hard work make a wonderful combination.

While some people already know what they want to pursue, the rest still needs to figure out what we want to do in our future. Is following your passion alone enough for choosing the right course to study to sustain your life in the future?

Passion or Pay?

Many students choose their degrees or postgraduate programmes based solely on the salary or benefits of the job they hope to obtain after they graduate. But are you sure that salary alone will guarantee you long-term happiness? ith an average of eight hours of work a day, it means that you will be spending most of your daytime in the workplace. 

But as the proverb goes, what’s the point of gaining the whole world if you lose your soul? The key is to have both. If you are thinking of starting your own business, think of what you are passionate about. Even entrepreneurship begins when someone pursues a passion, probably against all odds. It may not be easy, but it will be worth the effort.

What to Do Next?

After understanding your passions and talents, identify a long list of related careers, then refine the list and filter the possibilities. Just make sure that all the possibilities will help you make the impact you desire. 

You will need to weigh up factors with the job market such as salary, stability, potential career progression, hours, work-life balance, location and whether you need to move or travel. Try to find out as much as you can about the jobs and industries that interest you - read related news and magazines, research online, talk to your family members, search for advice from career counselors and industry professionals, talk to someone who is currently working in the field, or attend career and trade fairs. Then, you can make up your mind whether to pursue your passion as a career. Don’t just jump into something because it is exciting at the moment. Understand that a career takes a major part of your life, and it would be wiser if you can enjoy the hours you put into it.

Being Successful Following a Passion

Successful people are passionate people. Take, for example, Mark Zuckerberg, the 28-year-old billionaire CEO of Facebook. It can be said that he followed his passion - not money. The money came after he founded Facebook. Even if you don’t end up making a fortune, you will at least be doing what you love. Even the late Steve Jobs, the ex-CEO of Apple, believed in the power of passion, and once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.”

However, passions aren't fixed – they are flexible and alive. They grow and change in connection with our abilities and accomplishments. You can consider working part-time or be an intern in a particular field to get a better idea of what is involved and get acquainted with what is really going on out there. If you really find yourself engaged doing it, you can consider it as a career to pursue. On the other hand, if you lose interest after a while, that profession might not be your choice.

Develop Your Passion Through Different Experiences

Following your passion is just a starter. The key to success is hard work.If you are still confused and unsure of what you are interested in, try some personality tests to help steer you to the right direction. It will evaluate your skills, personality, strengths, and weaknesses, and give you a list of suggested occupations. You could dig up some possibilities that you have not considered before. Step out to develop your passion. When you have shortlisted the careers associated with your passion, you can then narrow down the courses to pursue.