BHM: How To Find Your Passion

“A strong linking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object or concept.”

The working world is a big intimidating place, full of mounds of possibilities but do not be afraid!

Knowing what your passion is can help you narrow in on a career choice, once you finish your studies.

Here are some tips and tricks on how to find your passion:

What are you interested in?

This is such a simple question, but an important one. What piques your interest?

It could be a few things such as Philosophy, Artificial Intelligence, Writing, Cinematography, the list is never-ending!  Take some time and compose a list of all the topics and/or subjects that you enjoy. You do not need a limit so please do not pressure yourself. If you are finding it hard to think of subjects or topics, try and think of positive things friends and family have said about the things you do, maybe you’re a good listener, good at baking or great at debating, add these things to your list!

There are no wrong answers or suggestions here, be open to your interests and likes.

Combine your skills with your interests

Whilst it is great to start from scratch when developing your passion, it is not always a must.

You might not be aware, but you may already have some skills that can help with your passion. You may be really good at critical thinking which works great with Psychology or Philosophy, you may have great computer skills which you could utilize for coding, you may be really great at organizing yourself, which works great for scheduling work or project management.

Once again, write a list your skills and see if you can match these up with your list of interests.

Research your interests

It is important to carry out research into any topics/areas of the working world you are interested in to see if this really matches your passion.

This can be anything from researching online to find out more information about that topic, attending Taster Lectures, networking events, subject talks or even work experience.

Reach out to companies, lecturers or contacts to see if they are happy to provide you with more information on a role. LinkedIn is a good place to visit for contacts, but make sure you avoid spamming people with messages.

Ask yourself the important questions

Once you have more information on a potential role or topic and you’ve done your research, you should ask yourself the following questions:

• Does it make you happy?
• Do you find it rewarding?
• Would you be OK doing this without receiving a salary for it?
• Do you want to know more and develop your skills?
• Could you do this long term/full time?

If you answered “yes” to all of these questions, you may have just found your passion and the road to a successful and rewarding career!