Finding a Job That You Really Love

Like many millinians, I have often been advised to follow “passion” in my career.

Although it sounds wonderful, it is difficult to apply it in practice. We cannot help but notice the disagreement between the importance of work passion and the lack of roads to build a meaningful career.

Use of expression “followed passion” has increased nine times in English books since 1990. Today, however, many do not know what their passion is.

Recently, Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck asked her students: “How many of you are waiting to find their passion? With this Dweck meant passion is not something you can find.

Rather, it feeds and develops in time through effort and error, determination, and endurance. If we abandon it whenever we encounter an obstacle and blame our lack of passion, we can never grow and develop as professionals.

The issue of personal growth and responsibility is becoming increasingly essential, while technological change is changing our way of working. Meanwhile, life expectancy is dramatically increasing our time at work, making finding a job that gives you satisfaction increasingly important.

World Economic Forum analyzes how technology is changing its very nature. It highlights new skills that we will need in future jobs by analyzing how artificial intelligence can increase the number of existing jobs, create new roles, and create a completely new source of income for employees. The report recommends receiving personal responsibilities so that we can learn throughout our life and career development. The change begins with personal transformation.

To see how this works in practice, consider Japanese philosophy “Ikigai”.

“Ikigai” means “a reason to be”. According to this concept, the secret to finding meaningful work is identifying what you want, what you're capable of, what the world needs and what you'll get paid for. In your ideal work these four factors are united and passion meets practice. Unfortunately, today most schools and universities are not designed to inspire the concept “ikigai” in students.

They aim to standardize creativity and mass produce medicine, frustrated students and causing them disappointment. It can be very disturbing to receive a degree in such an educational system and then be bombarded with advice for “following passion”. How can we pursue our passion without any institutional, cultural, systemic and career support?

This problem is especially brief in Asian countries, despite great innovators from this region. Unfortunately, exceptions do not bring down the rate. We need to do more if we want to face future challenges.

In their book, the 100-Year Life Living and Working in an Age of Longwich”, Lynda Gratton and Andrew Scott highlights three key points. First, people are able to live up to 100 years of age or more. Second, company life expectancy will be reduced. Third, the concept of retirement and savings will change. Three - phased traditional life, a full - time education that leads to a full - time job that leads to full - time retirement, will give way to something more flexible

Personal responsibility along with community support will help us embrace the Fourth Industrial Revolution steadily. And then the expression “follows passion” will get a concrete meaning.