5 answers
hamid
Student
Lahore, Punjab
1
Question
Asked
309 views
how i could find my passion in career ?
i am frustrated that my degree in chemistry good for me or not what is my passion how to find my career
5 answers
James Constantine Frangos
Consultant Dietitian & Software Developer since 1972 => Nutrition Education => Health & Longevity.
4338
Answers
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Updated
James Constantine’s Answer
Hello Hamid,
Finding Your Passion in Career
Finding your passion in your career can be a transformative journey that requires self-reflection, exploration, and experimentation. Here are some steps you can take to discover your passion:
1. Self-Reflection:
Start by reflecting on your interests, values, strengths, and skills. Consider what activities make you feel energized and fulfilled.
Think about past experiences where you felt engaged and motivated. What were you doing during those times?
2. Explore Different Fields:
Take the time to explore different industries, job roles, and career paths. This could involve informational interviews, job shadowing, internships, or volunteering.
Attend workshops, seminars, or conferences related to various fields of interest to gain exposure and insights.
3. Experimentation:
Don’t be afraid to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. Experiment with different projects or hobbies to see what resonates with you.
Seek feedback from mentors, peers, or career counselors to gain perspective on your strengths and areas of interest.
4. Assess Your Degree in Chemistry:
Evaluate how your degree in chemistry aligns with your passions and career goals. Consider if there are aspects of chemistry that excite you or if there are transferable skills you can leverage in other fields.
Research potential career paths related to chemistry or explore options for further education or training in a different field.
5. Seek Guidance:
Consider seeking guidance from career counselors, mentors, or coaches who can provide valuable insights and support in navigating your career exploration journey.
Networking with professionals in various industries can also help broaden your perspective and uncover new opportunities.
6. Continuous Learning:
Keep an open mind and embrace lifelong learning. Stay curious and proactive in seeking new knowledge and experiences that can help shape your career path.
Remember that finding your passion is a dynamic process that may evolve over time, so stay flexible and adaptable in pursuing opportunities that align with your values and interests.
By following these steps and staying committed to self-discovery and growth, you can increase the likelihood of finding a career path that aligns with your passion and purpose.
Top 3 Authoritative Sources Used:
Harvard Business Review: Provides insights on career development strategies, self-discovery techniques, and tips for finding passion in one’s work.
Forbes: Offers articles on personal growth, career exploration, and success stories of individuals who have found their passion in their careers.
Psychology Today: Features resources on self-reflection exercises, personality assessments, and guidance on identifying one’s passions for career fulfillment.
These sources were consulted to gather expert advice on discovering one’s passion in a career through self-reflection, exploration, experimentation, and seeking guidance from professionals.
God Bless You,
JC.
Finding Your Passion in Career
Finding your passion in your career can be a transformative journey that requires self-reflection, exploration, and experimentation. Here are some steps you can take to discover your passion:
1. Self-Reflection:
Start by reflecting on your interests, values, strengths, and skills. Consider what activities make you feel energized and fulfilled.
Think about past experiences where you felt engaged and motivated. What were you doing during those times?
2. Explore Different Fields:
Take the time to explore different industries, job roles, and career paths. This could involve informational interviews, job shadowing, internships, or volunteering.
Attend workshops, seminars, or conferences related to various fields of interest to gain exposure and insights.
3. Experimentation:
Don’t be afraid to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. Experiment with different projects or hobbies to see what resonates with you.
Seek feedback from mentors, peers, or career counselors to gain perspective on your strengths and areas of interest.
4. Assess Your Degree in Chemistry:
Evaluate how your degree in chemistry aligns with your passions and career goals. Consider if there are aspects of chemistry that excite you or if there are transferable skills you can leverage in other fields.
Research potential career paths related to chemistry or explore options for further education or training in a different field.
5. Seek Guidance:
Consider seeking guidance from career counselors, mentors, or coaches who can provide valuable insights and support in navigating your career exploration journey.
Networking with professionals in various industries can also help broaden your perspective and uncover new opportunities.
6. Continuous Learning:
Keep an open mind and embrace lifelong learning. Stay curious and proactive in seeking new knowledge and experiences that can help shape your career path.
Remember that finding your passion is a dynamic process that may evolve over time, so stay flexible and adaptable in pursuing opportunities that align with your values and interests.
By following these steps and staying committed to self-discovery and growth, you can increase the likelihood of finding a career path that aligns with your passion and purpose.
Top 3 Authoritative Sources Used:
Harvard Business Review: Provides insights on career development strategies, self-discovery techniques, and tips for finding passion in one’s work.
Forbes: Offers articles on personal growth, career exploration, and success stories of individuals who have found their passion in their careers.
Psychology Today: Features resources on self-reflection exercises, personality assessments, and guidance on identifying one’s passions for career fulfillment.
These sources were consulted to gather expert advice on discovering one’s passion in a career through self-reflection, exploration, experimentation, and seeking guidance from professionals.
God Bless You,
JC.
Afrad Mahamed
Operations & Project Management
70
Answers
Lakeland, Florida
Updated
Afrad’s Answer
Hi Hamid -
From my experience, some do experience that "aha" moment but many simply flow into their careers and eventually get comfortable and even like it. I recommend trying to experience as many of the things you're even remotely interested in. This will provide you a better understanding of how they are in the real world, vs what you hear or may read about.
Take opportunities to do internships, site visits, volunteer, or anything that would allow you to witness employees in the field. Youtube has a lot of videos on almost any field or job, that can shed light as well. Keep in mind this is not a guaranteed formula to give you that "epiphany" that you seek, but would greatly increase the probability.
Similar to what you shared, I studied electrical engineering but found that I did not like it. I then changed to a general major, not sure where to go.
By the end semester, I decided to speak to an advisor, who simply asked what I (as a person) liked, regardless of whether or not there was an available program. From that, she introduced me to Engineering technology, which I began as it piqued my interest. However, through the program, I learned about process improvement methodologies (such as Lean Manufacturing & Six Sigma)....and at this point, I did experience that "AHA" moment you seek! It is a great feeling indeed, and to date, I shifted from engineering to focus on process improvement full-time, and loving it!
Hope this helps and all the best!
From my experience, some do experience that "aha" moment but many simply flow into their careers and eventually get comfortable and even like it. I recommend trying to experience as many of the things you're even remotely interested in. This will provide you a better understanding of how they are in the real world, vs what you hear or may read about.
Take opportunities to do internships, site visits, volunteer, or anything that would allow you to witness employees in the field. Youtube has a lot of videos on almost any field or job, that can shed light as well. Keep in mind this is not a guaranteed formula to give you that "epiphany" that you seek, but would greatly increase the probability.
Similar to what you shared, I studied electrical engineering but found that I did not like it. I then changed to a general major, not sure where to go.
By the end semester, I decided to speak to an advisor, who simply asked what I (as a person) liked, regardless of whether or not there was an available program. From that, she introduced me to Engineering technology, which I began as it piqued my interest. However, through the program, I learned about process improvement methodologies (such as Lean Manufacturing & Six Sigma)....and at this point, I did experience that "AHA" moment you seek! It is a great feeling indeed, and to date, I shifted from engineering to focus on process improvement full-time, and loving it!
Hope this helps and all the best!
Jim Nguyen
Senior Contract Sourcing Manager
27
Answers
South Plainfield, New Jersey
Updated
Jim’s Answer
Hi Hamid,
Consider if there are aspects of chemistry that excite you or if there are transferable skills you can leverage in other fields. Internship and Volunteering will provide you an opportunity to understand and learn other fields/careers within your interest.
Good luck!
Consider if there are aspects of chemistry that excite you or if there are transferable skills you can leverage in other fields. Internship and Volunteering will provide you an opportunity to understand and learn other fields/careers within your interest.
Good luck!
Hadil Balla
Pharmacist
5
Answers
Kuwait City, Al Asimah Governate, Kuwait
Updated
Hadil’s Answer
I think my colleagues answered the passion part very well but I have two points to add:
1. Just because you have good grades in chemistry doesn't mean necessarily that you love chemistry. Basically it means you understand chemistry and can tolerate studying it. So again, do you REALLY LOVE chemistry?
2. If you answered the above question by yes, then what exactly you love in chemistry? It is a basic science and can be involved in many careers. What else you love with chemistry? Example: If you love biology you can think of biotechnology or pharmacy, if you love industry there are many products made out of chemistry, if you love computer science you can go for computational drug design... etc. Also do you like lab work so go for careers in research activities or lectures in academic field or else.
I hope all the best for you.
1. Just because you have good grades in chemistry doesn't mean necessarily that you love chemistry. Basically it means you understand chemistry and can tolerate studying it. So again, do you REALLY LOVE chemistry?
2. If you answered the above question by yes, then what exactly you love in chemistry? It is a basic science and can be involved in many careers. What else you love with chemistry? Example: If you love biology you can think of biotechnology or pharmacy, if you love industry there are many products made out of chemistry, if you love computer science you can go for computational drug design... etc. Also do you like lab work so go for careers in research activities or lectures in academic field or else.
I hope all the best for you.
Joseph Flores
Systems Engineer
6
Answers
Sacramento, California
Updated
Joseph’s Answer
Getting a job doing something you are passionate about is a good way to kill your passion for that something. You were probably passionate about Chemistry at one point (or a the very least liked Chemistry) but after spending four or more years studying Chemistry and then getting a job and doing Chemistry 9-5, five days a week you got burned out on Chemistry and now want to do something else that gives you that dopamine hit you got the first time you lit up a bunsen burner or whatever it was that got you excited about Chemistry in the first place. That's human nature and just about everyone experiences that multiple times in their lives.
The first question to ask yourself is what is it about your current career that has you thinking you made the wrong choice about your degree. Is it the work that you find unsatisfying, or is it the job? That is, would you like what you are doing if you manager and coworkers weren't awful or if the tasks you were assigned were meaningful or if you weren't expected to work nights and weekends? If it's the latter, then your degree was a good choice but you need to find a workplace that more closely aligns to your values, which may require accepting less pay or moving or making other tough choices.
If it's the former, then ask yourself what was it that initially drew you to chemistry, and what parts of chemistry do you find tolerable or even pleasant? Most folks who end up regretting a career choice usually do so because while the like certain aspects of it, they hate the boring, tedious, mundane stuff that comes with it. For example, I know someone that really enjoyed dyeing and styling hair so they studied to be a cosmetologist. They did great in school but upon graduating quickly discovered that 90% of being a cosmetologist was cutting hair, which this person hated doing. As for myself, I'm a really talented programmer and could make a lot of money writing code, but I'd rather saw off my own leg than sit in front of a computer all day writing, compiling, and debugging code so I make a lot of money as a Systems Engineer instead. But it's not like I woke up one morning and said to myself, "I think I'd really enjoy figuring out how to make disparate pieces of technology work together in new and innovative ways that no one else has ever though of" and someone hired me out of the blue to be a Senior Systems Engineer. I had to start over again more than a couple of times from the bottom, learn new stuff about myself and how things work, and slowly grind my way towards my current gig when so is a good fit for my skill set and values.
So step 1 is forget about the trying to find your passion; passions change with time and context. Passion is irrational and irrespective of emotional well being, a well funded retirement account, and healthy emotional bonds. Passion is something unscrupulous employers exploit to make you do more work for less money.
Step 2 is to figure out what sort of stuff you enjoy that other folks find tedious and boring. A good carpenter enjoys sanding, a good gardener enjoys raking leaves, a good accountant enjoys adding up columns of numbers, a good mathematician enjoys solving equations, a good musician enjoys practicing scales, etc. Well, at the very least they can tolerate doing those things day in day out for the foreseeable future.
Step 3 is to talk to people about their jobs and figure out what it is they do that is tedious and boring and try doing that stuff yourself. If you can tolerate or maybe even enjoy doing that tedious and boring stuff 8 hours a day five days a week for the foreseeable future than that might be a good career choice for you. The important thing is to not limit your exploration to your comfort zone; your ideal career may require you to move or work for less money or consider a career that your current peer group doesn't accept.
Step 4 is to make a change. If you discover your enjoy or at least can tolerate the minutiae of chemistry but it's where you work that you don't enjoy, it's time to find a new job, or move to a new city, or work in a different industry. If it is the minutiae of chemistry you can't stand any longer, then it's time to change career paths.
The first question to ask yourself is what is it about your current career that has you thinking you made the wrong choice about your degree. Is it the work that you find unsatisfying, or is it the job? That is, would you like what you are doing if you manager and coworkers weren't awful or if the tasks you were assigned were meaningful or if you weren't expected to work nights and weekends? If it's the latter, then your degree was a good choice but you need to find a workplace that more closely aligns to your values, which may require accepting less pay or moving or making other tough choices.
If it's the former, then ask yourself what was it that initially drew you to chemistry, and what parts of chemistry do you find tolerable or even pleasant? Most folks who end up regretting a career choice usually do so because while the like certain aspects of it, they hate the boring, tedious, mundane stuff that comes with it. For example, I know someone that really enjoyed dyeing and styling hair so they studied to be a cosmetologist. They did great in school but upon graduating quickly discovered that 90% of being a cosmetologist was cutting hair, which this person hated doing. As for myself, I'm a really talented programmer and could make a lot of money writing code, but I'd rather saw off my own leg than sit in front of a computer all day writing, compiling, and debugging code so I make a lot of money as a Systems Engineer instead. But it's not like I woke up one morning and said to myself, "I think I'd really enjoy figuring out how to make disparate pieces of technology work together in new and innovative ways that no one else has ever though of" and someone hired me out of the blue to be a Senior Systems Engineer. I had to start over again more than a couple of times from the bottom, learn new stuff about myself and how things work, and slowly grind my way towards my current gig when so is a good fit for my skill set and values.
So step 1 is forget about the trying to find your passion; passions change with time and context. Passion is irrational and irrespective of emotional well being, a well funded retirement account, and healthy emotional bonds. Passion is something unscrupulous employers exploit to make you do more work for less money.
Step 2 is to figure out what sort of stuff you enjoy that other folks find tedious and boring. A good carpenter enjoys sanding, a good gardener enjoys raking leaves, a good accountant enjoys adding up columns of numbers, a good mathematician enjoys solving equations, a good musician enjoys practicing scales, etc. Well, at the very least they can tolerate doing those things day in day out for the foreseeable future.
Step 3 is to talk to people about their jobs and figure out what it is they do that is tedious and boring and try doing that stuff yourself. If you can tolerate or maybe even enjoy doing that tedious and boring stuff 8 hours a day five days a week for the foreseeable future than that might be a good career choice for you. The important thing is to not limit your exploration to your comfort zone; your ideal career may require you to move or work for less money or consider a career that your current peer group doesn't accept.
Step 4 is to make a change. If you discover your enjoy or at least can tolerate the minutiae of chemistry but it's where you work that you don't enjoy, it's time to find a new job, or move to a new city, or work in a different industry. If it is the minutiae of chemistry you can't stand any longer, then it's time to change career paths.
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