How to Connect Your Passion and Career For Meaningful Success
Do you want a job that doesn’t feel like work? While this career path is not impossible, it still comes with hard work and overcoming many difficult challenges. But there are ways to turn your passion into a career. All it may take is one moment; one decision to go for it.
Learn from famous stand-up comedian and entrepreneur, Harith Iskander.
The passion for making people laugh
While Harith is known as theGodfather of Malaysian Stand-Up Comedy, he was not always involved in the business of entertainment. He started in more traditional jobs, one of which was advertising.
Inspired by Robin Williams’ “Carpe diem!” scene inDead Poets Society, Harith decided to seize the days in his life, to turn his passion into a career. Eventually, his friends and former colleagues who knew his talent gave him opportunities to do the work he loves.
Harith has spent 30 years of his career as a comedian, yet his industry was not spared from the impact of the pandemic. It was challenging, but he made the best of the virtual platform and has instead created a new stage online.
Harith acknowledged that the first time can make or break the journey. “Anything that you try to do for the first time is always difficult in the beginning,” he said in a JobStreet Let’s Get to Work! video. You cannot be an expert and achieve success overnight.
How to turn your passion into a career
Aren’t you inspired by Harith’s story? Here are tips on how to align your career path with your passions, just like he did.
1. Change your mindset
Don’t limit your passions to side projects or hobbies. Find the potential in your natural interests, skills, and strengths. You can, as Harith has proven, make them a bigger part of your career and life.
Define and redefine your purpose and anchor it with your passion. Your purpose will get you back on track whenever distractions come. Be open to new experiences where fun and work are in harmony. Let your passions out, get to know them more, and discover actionable ways on how to create your dream job.
2. Research and plan
While applying for jobs, you need to gather as much information as you can. Stay updated with what is happening in the industry and the career you are about to take on. Some information you can study include:
- Market demand
- Level of competition
- Qualifications
- Requirements (e.g. equipment or certifications)
Being familiar with the industry you want to pursue will help you discover how you can do things differently to stand out in your field. From here, build a comprehensive plan on everything you need to prepare and launch your new career. Use what you have learned to identify whether you are ready to jump into a new career full-time or should start your passion project as a side hustle for now.
Work on the financial aspect, as well. Create a budget for anything you need to purchase. Determine where and how you should promote your products or services.
3. Work on your skills and gain experience
Make the most of your current job before or at the beginning of pursuing your passion. Meanwhile, master the basics and polish the skills related to your dream job. You have to upgrade your skills and be great at what you enjoy doing so people can see your potential enough to pay for your services.
Get the required training or certifications. Do volunteer work for the experience. Even after starting your new career, keep improving and enhancing to stay relevant and adapt to unforeseen changes. Like what Harith did, learn to utilise the virtual world and digital technologies as they are the future of work that can pave the way for making business and building careers.
4. Create more sample works
Do you have a passion for writing and want to make a career out of it? Write more, discover your niche, and publish your work on a website or social media. If you love and are good at graphic designing, painting, or digital arts, create more art and work on building your portfolio.
You can turn almost any passion into a career, as long as you show people what you can do. Even if you are not yet getting paid doing some of these works, it can build your brand. This stage will reel in companies and potential clients as they recognise your skills.
6. Let people know
Word of mouth played a vital role in the early stages of Harith’s successful career. Share your work. Let people know that you are pursuing a career out of your passions. This brings more convenience in meeting potential customers as they will be the ones seeking to work with you.
Share with your friends and former colleagues what you have decided to do with your career. Some may be unaware of your talents and the things you love to do. They may help you build a network and reconnect with more groups.
You may also get insights or advice or find mentors to guide you. People’s feedback will vary, so focus on what will be instrumental to your growth and always be open to suggestions.
7. Grab every chance that comes
A breakthrough can happen by chance, as with Harith’s experience. You have to find it within yourself to give every chance and opportunity a try. Building trust and believing in yourself takes time and requires witnessing yourself doing the actual work. You may fail, get rejected, and make mistakes, but this is how you will grow.
Harith started doing his comedy gigs without realising their significant impact on his career and the industry. Because he enjoys making people laugh, he became motivated to take on more projects.
Chances may be unpredictable, so do not let them pass once they present themselves to you. Treat every opportunity as the perfect time to live the experience you have always wanted — a career where you can make a living while doing what makes you happy.
8. Discover and build more passions
Who says you can only pursue one passion? As you set out in your new career, your main passion and career may lead you to discover other relevant skills and opportunities. What you did from your previous jobs may have helped you develop other skills you can integrate with your new work.
Harith wrote and produced TV commercials during his time working in advertising. He used the skills and experiences he gained there to produce a comedy — content he knows and loves more.
A little curiosity can go a long way to start something, even if you do not feel skilled enough or are unsure if you will like it as much as your other passions. A small spark of interest can transform into a stronger desire to learn and try new things.
Don’t fall for the ‘passion trap’
In pursuit of your passion, do not let it lead you towards a path of unrealistic expectations. The strong desire to find the ‘right’ job, the longer it takes for you to have it, may make you feel more unhappy and dissatisfied at your current job. Keep looking for the work that you love, but be mindful of your options.
Explore other work philosophies to see things from different angles. Find a job that allows you time and energy for family and activities you enjoy. Passion matters in every job, but you can still follow it even outside work. Seek various sources of meaning and fulfilment.
Recognise how big of a career decision it is to pursue your passion. Think long hard before you decide. Measure how it can fulfil your sense of self and major aspects such as financial stability.
As Harith says, “Do what you love. But if that doesn’t happen for you, find a way to love what you do.” Not every work will feel entirely right for you; you have to work towards making it that way.
Summary
Following your passion may involve a lot of work. Creating your dream job is easier said than done. But when you constantly think of ways to make it happen and imagine outcomes that can change your life for the better, you can be pushed and driven to take the next steps and continue to move forward.
Career paths are not always linear, but every twist and turn will be worth the greater happiness and satisfaction if you soldier on to pursue your passions.
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