Should you follow your “passion” when it comes to your career?
Now comes my unpopular opinion.
As romantic as following your passion sounds, it is tricky.
Hear me out.
I honestly never knew I was passionate about writing. Until I was well into my thirties, I had no idea.
I had blogged and written a few short stories here and there but never in my wildest imaginations thought I would write for a living.
Then, I learned about scientists who had turned their PhDs into writing careers in 2016.
In 2017, I came across a fantastic course for freelance writing. I learned all I could and launched a freelance writing business that came in handy in 2018 when my post-doc ended.
The more I developed my craft, the more I fell in love with it.
I can say now that writing is a passion of mine. But I did not discover it as a passion that could pay until well after my PhD.
So instead of worrying your head about “finding” or “following” your “passion”, I find that a better approach is to be open to exploration. Be open to learning experiences and apprenticeship.
Passion can be discovered this way as well.
