Saturday, March 14, 2009

Part 3: Follow Your Passion?

This post is the final part of a three-part series on Tina Seelig's talk, "What I Wish I Knew When I was 20," at the Women Making It Work conference.



When people tell you to "follow your passion," they are either 1) simplifying the problem (the problem being, What should I be when I grow up?), or 2) assuming that your passion inevitably aligns with your talents and market demand.

Passion alone, region α, puts you in the fan/enthusiast category. Passion and what you're good at , β, lead to a hobby. The intersection of what you're good at and the market, δ, is your job (as most will tell you). Where all three meet, that's the sweet spot. Find it, and be there.

6 comments:

A. Lo said...

I LOVE IT. This is so true. I love hotels. I've successfully worked in one. Does the industry want me? That's the question.

james said...

hahaha, andrew. i doubt it.

for how many people does a smiley face exist, anyway!?

Bijal said...

I love the venn diagram approach to your career...=) i'm still trying to find my career sweet spot.

Anonymous said...

As I was saying, what if somebody has passion for a field for which there is much demand, yet has little or no skill in said field? Where's the little lambda sign for that?

james said...

i posted this on my blog, and it has been thought provoking for a couple people. which is always the goal, no?

i really like the take on "follow your passion", upon rereading it.

Jessica Lee (Jelly) said...

Haha, John, the lambda there would involve building a team. If you have the passion and there's a market, you can always find the skills you need.

James, thought provoking is good. What did they think? And great point on your question: What if the circles don't overlap for some people? I'd like to argue that there's always overlap.