My problem is how to find passion at work.I have been jumping from one job to another since I graduated. I have worked in mostly foreign-assisted projects in non-government organizations, consultancy firms and presently, a government agency. I know I want to write but I just can’t find the right field to go into—environmental advocacy, child’s rights advocacy or indigenous peoples. To ease my confusion, I took sociology for my master’s degree but it’s not really the field I want to specialize in. I’m already 24 years old and I still can’t chart my career. I’m confused as to which path to take. – Confused Jobseeker
Finding “it”
Like you, there are many young people who have already finished their studies and are into their first jobs but still have not found “it.” The “it” being referred to here is that all-consuming passion in life that makes one say, “Yes, this is what I was meant to do in life.” Unfortunately, finding your passion in life is a lot like finding the love of your life. Either you recognize it immediately (love at first sight) or discover it over time in your existing relationships. You may find it at an early age or later in life. There is also a chance that you may never discover it at all.
As you go through school or your first jobs and get exposed to various types of work, you get to have a feel for things you like to do and things you definitely don’t like to do. This gut feel will lead you to those areas that can spark your excitement at work. Therefore, follow your gut feel.
Discovery time
However, there may be times when, after trying out a lot of different jobs, you don’t find even one thing that can fire your enthusiasm, as you have experienced. In this case, you just have to continue searching for the kind of work that will make you come alive. On the other hand, try to see if perhaps the reason you don’t get interested enough in any one thing is that you don’t devote enough time to a particular type of work. If you hop from one job to another, you may not be able to uncover the joys of a particular job that come out of an in-depth knowledge of the work. Sometimes, a job can grow on you and one day, you’ll discover a certain satisfaction in your work.
It is a good sign that you, as well as other young people nowadays, are looking for a handle on your careers and lives. At your age, you still have a lot of time to ponder on your destiny. However, it is always best to analyze your career interests early than get paralyzed later on in a dead end job.
Photo credit: http://www.freeimages.com
mytrabaho.wordpress.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.