“Follow your own passion—not your parents’, not your teachers’—yours.” 

— Robert Ballard

Do you wish to work at your dream job? A job that you are so passionate about that you cannot think about anything else. A career that keeps you awake at night and makes you excited to wake up every morning in addition to even forgetting to eat sometimes. 

Without passion, your job simply becomes a 9-5. A way for you to pay your bills and buy stuff. You don’t feel like getting up from the bed early and you show up to work already tired and out of focus or motivation. 

It’s obvious that we would like to create a career that we are passionate about. 

But how do you do it?

We all have a passion for things. It could be clicking photos, painting, creating designs, or writing fictional stories. 

But if you are already a working professional or anywhere near to being one, you would’ve known by now that it takes more than just passion to make a career. Having a passion for something is the first ingredient but the later is where most of us fail. 

Worry not… this article will help you turn your passion into a profession that you love. Here are the steps with some actionable advice which you might be looking for...

1. Discover what you love

If you already know what you love as well as what you are passionate about, you can go right ahead and skip this step. On the other hand, if you are anything like most of us, you wouldn’t know where your passion lies.

And it’s perfectly normal to not know what you want but knowing it is very important.  

So the first step in creating a career you love is to understand yourself better and discover what you love. 

We suggest starting by making a list of things which you currently love to do as well as are good at. Understanding that your passion is going to be different than your hobby also plays an important role. 

For example, you might have a hobby to write stories or poems but that doesn’t necessarily translate into you making a profession out of them. You could become a content writer and start blogging about your experiences. 

Keeping an open mind towards all the opportunities is very important in understanding yourself better.  

2. Understand the opportunities

Once you’ve made the list, it is time to start narrowing down your options. Ask yourself this important question,

Out of these choices, who am I not?

The above question will help you eliminate the extra choices and land on a decision. Once you’ve found a passion to pursue, do a simple google search and find out everything associated with it.

For example, if you found out that you wish to become a graphic designer, Google will tell you about how to become a graphic designer, the various opportunities, demand, average salary, as well as competition. 

You can even try contacting people that are already in the industry of your choice. Ask anything and everything that you wish to know about. 

You should also try avoiding a job profile that isn’t in demand - it’s not exactly a career if no one is willing to pay for it. 

On the other hand, if there’s high competition, be confident in your skills and take the leap. 

If you truly wish to succeed in an industry then competition shouldn’t scare you, it should excite you to your bones. 

3. Start learning what you love

Assuming you’ve conducted research on the profession you wish to pursue, you would’ve come across the required educational qualifications as well as the things which you will need to learn. 

Its time to start learning those subjects and meet all the necessary requirements. Depending on your profession and your situation, you may need to shift career or enroll in college and gain a degree. 

But there are fields that do not care for your educational background. For example, to become a digital marketer you need to gain marketing, copywriting, as well as other business-related knowledge. Most recruiters would not care for your degree. 

Again, to know more about what your industry requires, you can simply ask people that are already in it. 

4. Grow your skills

There was once a time when recruiters only employed those with the highest educational qualifications. But now they’ve realized that attending a good college doesn’t translate into being good at your job. 

They’ve started preferring those with the required skills over those with degrees. So you need to start working on developing your skills and honing your craft. 

Go through the necessary training, take on online courses, as well as undergo internships. Developing your skills is the most important step out of all, one that you simply cannot skip. 

5. Create a plan

“An idiot with a plan can beat a genius without a plan”

— Warren Buffett

Now you’ve all the information you need. You know all about what you require to break into the industry. It is time for you to make a detailed plan.

A plan that includes everything you need to do as well as how much it is going to cost you to enter the industry. 

For instance, if you wish to become a freelance graphic designer then your plan should include learning designing tools, freelancing as well as the required skills. Moreover, it can include creating a portfolio and how you can market your skills to attract more clients.

6. Have a flexible mindset

Creating a career that you are passionate about is not impossible but that’s not to take away from the fact that it can be difficult.

You will face many challenges and hiccups throughout your journey. Stay open to criticism as well as grab as many opportunities as you can. You will also need to surround yourself with talented people. 

No one can create success all alone. 

Stay open to learning new things and learn the art of turning a bad situation into a favorable one. Grasp all that is around you but at the same time, stay focused towards your goals. 

This may seem like common sense but turning your passion into a profession takes an immense amount of dedication and hard work. You cannot have those without constantly staying motivated. 

At last, focus on learning and growing. The fruits of your hard work will show up eventually.