WHAAATTT? Let’s talk about this. There is a very compelling video in which author and researcher Cal Newport supports this theory. He even created “Newport’s Law: Telling a young person to follow their passion reduces the possibility that they will become passionate.”
Newport provides several examples, including Steve Jobs and Bill McKibbon who did not start out passionate about their fields. Rather, they became so good at their respective roles, that they could not be ignored. Passion proves to be more of a side effect than a starting point. Their passion grew with their systematic development of skills.
Maybe this theory is surprising. My advice is to find a field that interests you and eventually you will become good at it and maybe even passionate. If that field turns out to crush your spirit, take the skills you developed and go elsewhere. Rather than following your passion, your passion may be following you.
Rather than following your passion, your passion may be following you.
There are so many choices out there, consider working with a career coach to assess your interests, search for jobs and prepare for interviews. You will figure it out!
