Julie Bechtold, Academic and Career Advising Manager
Doing what you love and following your passion is sage advice frequently heard during the graduation and back-to-school season. But has anyone ever taken the time to explain how to discover one's life passion when doling out this advice?
It is easy to prescribe how to find your passion as the pinnacle of career success. But for most, achieving this success is quite often shrouded in mystery. The journey of discovering your passions typically involves accumulating life experiences that are both planned and unexpected.
Take Elon Musk, for example. Elon has a passion for green energy. This passion led him to create a popular electric car. Recently he discovered a newfound passion which led to the purchase of a social media company. I am certain if you told Elon a year ago a new passion of his would result in owning Twitter, it might have left him scratching his head in wonderment.
Recently I took up the sport of tennis. Thinking it would be a good form of exercise, I was not anticipating how much I would love and take to the sport. It has unexpectedly become my newfound passion. Will I ever be a highly ranked player – no. But I am hooked on the competitive nature of the sport, the challenge of learning new skills, and the friendships I have developed on the court. Finding time for this passion is not difficult because I enjoy and benefit from playing.
My true passion, my life-long passion, is helping people achieve career success. Ironically, this life-long passion developed out of career failure. Unable to define what I wanted to be in life, I took a big risk on a gut instinct and pursued a master's degree in counseling. During that pursuit, I added small but relevant experiences that exposed me to new career possibilities I never knew existed. It also helped me build a professional network that continues to grow and yield value every day.
As I stay true to my values and strengths, career success continues. The key ingredient to discovering your passion and career success is experience. Experiences in life connect us to our values and help us identify personal strengths that result in feelings of joy, fulfillment, energy, and self-confidence.
Waubonsee Community College offers diverse experiences both inside and outside the classroom that develop into life-long career impacts for our students. Get involved in student government or one of our student organizations to build leadership skills and develop those vital networking skills. Studying abroad is a life-changing experience that strengthens your communication skills and global awareness. Completing an internship is the perfect opportunity to experience what life on the job is like in real life.
Yes, following your passion can involve some level of risk-taking and new experiences. However, the journey is worthwhile as you grow both personally and professionally. I am confident that soon, you will be the one offering sage advice on doing what you love and how to love what you are doing.
