Finding Your Passionate Dream Job
Every time I hear someone give the advice to “do something you’re passionate about” or “find your dream job”, I cringe a little. It is not that those are bad things, but that the phrases are unactionable feel-good fluff.
I ran across a HuffPo article by Ramit Sethi and especially liked the 5-minute video below. His main point is that for most people a dream job should not intersect with pre-existing passions. There are situations where monetization of a passion is not possible, where there is concern about ruining a passion by doing it as a job, and where non-profit work coincides with a passion but does not provide enough real world impact to be meaningful.
My favorite point is the following: The best way to find your passion is to get good at something. People are naturally passionate about the things they are good at.
He recommends a three step process for finding a job. I think the same three step process can be used to find a startup idea worth pursuing:
- Ask yourself, “What jobs (or startup ideas) are available?”
- Systematically eliminate things to a manageable list
- Dig deeper in your manageable list until you find something you want to attack; as you excel, you will find it’s a passion
One of the best things about our culture at AccelerEyes is that we all have great opportunities to do substantive work. Those that have excelled have found a real passion. Yesterday at one of my HP-Cast talks, I told 4 stories of great things AccelerEyes has been doing recently. Reflection on excellent work deepens passion.
What are your thoughts on finding your passionate dream job?