Did you ever find your occupational "passion"

[MightyGiants]

did you find an occupation that you were truly passionate about?

Did you find one that you wouldn't say you were passionate about but you like doing?

Did you find an occupation you didn't mind doing?

"Enjoy work? That's why they pay me"

Which did you end up and when did you figure it out if it was one of the first 2?

[EDjohnst1981]

Yes, I really think I have, although I didn't find it until I was 30 (now 43).

After my undergraduate degree, I study for a Masters degree in Criminal Justice and then moved onto my doctoral studies. Whilst working toward my doctorate I was offered some part-time lecturing experience at my university and for the first year - I hated every single class I taught. I was nervous, I didn't think I was any good. But I came home and spoke to my partner and she reminded me that I am approachable, considerate and knowledgable - that's all students want. I approached my second year with that and mind and things were better. After that, I hit my stride and since I've had a wonderful rapport with students.

I was then offered a permanent role at the university as a Lecturer in Law and promoted to Senior Lecturer in Law after a couple of years. I then moved to another university and was made an Associate Professor in 2022 and I suspect I'll hit the rank of Professor in 2-3 years and then have no more rungs to climb.

I absolutely love my job, I teach a topic (Criminal Justice and Procedure) which I'm passionate about. I also have a great deal of freedom in both of terms of academic curiosity and general workload to pretty much do what I want. I've published 7 books, various journal papers, been invited to provide key note addresses on my own research in places as far flung as Kuwait, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong, as well as numerous talks in Europe. I've worked on government reviews with the Ministry of Justice and those might be my favourite things - they represent a chance for having your research make some real impact. 

On the whole, I'm very fortunate with some of my decisions, but I thoroughly enjoy work and very rarely, if ever view it as a chore. Of course, there are more important things in life - family/loved ones etc but I do feel very fortunate. 

[MightyGiants]

@EDjohnst1981

Congrats! It sounds like things have worked out well for you.  It's great that you found your passion and you found it in a field where you are helping others and making a positive contribution to society.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

That is one hell of a résumé EDjohnst...

I can't say that I found my niche in life, nor did I fulfil my passions. My résumé is eclectic, built on job opportunity in my area and the need to provide for my family. As a kid, I always told people I was going to be a lawyer as my mother and teachers told me I would make a "good one because of the way I argue". But after taking courses in law at college, I felt bored. I was good at math so I decided I would shoot for becoming a CPA. I was always good at math and liked playing with numbers, but by the time my courses got into auditing, I discovered I hated sitting at a desk perusing numbers. I have always been hyper and antsy, and if I was a kid today, I'd be diagnosed with ADHD and doped up on Adderall, because sitting still for long periods of time was like Chinese water torture to me...even as an adult in a workforce

So I switched to Math and Statistics for my first degree, thinking I'd get some job with computer nerds in an analytical position. But again, I was married, had kids, and needed to provide for them, so I took whatever I could get. I ended up as a programmer at a high-tech company in which programming was done at the machine level that required lots of math. From there, I continued college part-time at Binghamton University in engineering and operations management. Luckily, the company I worked for was very progressive in advancing education so that I could take courses on company time (and the company picked up the tab - too good of a deal to turn down). I finished my second degree while working full-time and enjoyed working in the engineering department. But overall, management discovered my background in statistics and started moving me into training other engineers in a variety of disciplines that required statistics and heavy math, as well as becoming the company guru in GD&T. The company then moved me into a position of auditing companies that were our subcontractors, with a focus of helping them move up into the next level of modern manufacturing. So I ended up traveling the world as well as most of the 50 states, living out of hotel rooms and airports. At first, it was exciting, then it became drudgery after 8 years. It cost me a chance to watch most of my kids' games and plays at school, as well as my marriage, as I was an absentee husband/father as I pursued the glamour of corporate climbing, while also dealing with other cutthroat climbers. And of course to climb, you need the credentials, so I had used my spare time working on a post-graduate degree at Syracuse University. After a decade of living on the road (or in the air), my health diminished, I was overweight from eating at superb restaurants on the company dime and my mental state deteriorated. I got where my head would throb as I got to the office and I wanted a change. Then I stroked out, and my life changed directions whether I wanted it to or not. I left that world behind and became a consultant while also starting an electromechanical subcontract manufacturing company called "Ameri-Flex Manufacting, Inc., as I thought it would free up my life - boy was I wrong. Finally, the president of my own company and I discovered I was also the accountant, the salesman, the trainer, not to mention, the janitor who cleaned toilets and the arbiter between disgruntled employees (boy is that a demanding part of job no one wants). Instead of the "easier" job with free hours, it turned into 16-hour workdays, 7 days a week. I often slept at the office. I sold the business and eventually retired

In hindsight, maybe I should have been a bush pilot in Alaska, or a treasure hunter on the high seas, or a missionary to Argentina, or the Zamboni driver at the local hockey rink. Who knows? 

I figure that in life, one starts out with goals, but then finds out they have "obligations", so they take whatever is available in their area and at that time period...but it's never quite enough money. However, a carrot is dangled in their faces that they can make more money if they take the next step in the field that they fell into (thinking it was a temporary thing)...and then, it's really just the "BANG" of the gun going off at the start of the rat race of life

Now that I'm retired, I've compiled a half century of genealogical research and wrote a book to hand down to my descendants, still play math games and still get contacted on occasion when someone at some company is struggling with GD&T or SPC, but I spend most my time following my grandkids in their games and plays, while fiddling with music (piano and especially guitar of late), and taking care of my elderly mother

I'm not complaining, I'm really a happy-go-lucky, always positive person who still takes life one day at a time. The only downer in my life is being a Giants' fan lately...lol

[MightyGiants]

My life story is more along the lines of Ric's @Jolly Blue Giant

I never found a great passion.  I guess the closest I came to a "passion" was my volunteer work in emergency medicine and heavy rescue.  Although, full disclosure, after 20 years, that passion was greatly diminished.

I got a degree out of college in mechanical engineering.  When I graduated, job prospects weren't that hot for engineers unless they wanted to work in the defense industry.   The problem with working in the defense industry was it was very cyclical so there were times of layoffs where the industry would be cutting back.

I did like the idea of just using my engineering ability and working with people.  I had a talent for science and math, but I didn't find either topic particularly interesting or compelling.  I did like the idea of working with people, though, as they are infinitely variable, and so there were always challenges because nothing is predictable.  So, being a facility manager in a hospital was a really nice job fit for me.  The only bad thing was being a young man with an active social life and volunteer activities, being on call was a major downside (even if I was on rotation).

Toward the end of the 90s, I could see the handwriting on the wall for the hospital industry.  Thanks to reforms in Medicare (that put major financial pressure on hospitals) and technological advances that reduced the length of stay for various procedures, many hospitals were going out of business.  Those that survived were cut to the bone to stay in business.

One day I was having lunch with the hospital IT guy.  He was telling me about some of the issues he was having.  I couldn't help but notice how similar IT issues were to facility issues.  I was pretty computer savvy so there seemed to be an opportunity to change fields (to IT) without wasting all the professional experience I had learned.

After a couple of years in a communications company, I sort of lucked myself into a job in public health (it was public health emergency preparedness) as IT support.   With my background in hospitals and emergency medicine (along with a strong ability to self-teach), I gradually took on a bigger and bigger role in my agency (which also did environmental enforcement).   I eventually took on the number two role in the agency (that's where I am today, but our agency's role has diminished somewhat due to external politics).

I would say, I never really found my passion.  I didn't mind the jobs that I have had (at least I don't spend my days looking at the clock wishing it was quitting time), but I never found my "passion"


I asked this question because I was curious about the whole passion thing.  I was at a party this past weekend and was talking to my brother.  He was complaining that his son, who just turned 17, hasn't any passions and hasn't found a career path yet.  Having worked with many teens in my EMS work, I thought it was unrealistic to think anyone would find a passion, much less a teenager in HS.   I have heard the saying about finding your passion and never working a day in your life.   It just seems to me that not many people are lucky enough to walk that path.

[T200]

I'm not quite sure if I have or not. I would like to think so.

I've always been interested in electronics from an early age. I was about 8 years old when I took apart an old transistor radio to see what was inside. It still worked after I put it together so I guess I did something right!

I remember riding my bike to the mall and going to Radio Shack to spend a couple of hours looking around at all the cool stuff, even though I didn't know what most of it was or did. One of the things that I spent a lot of time on in the store was the computers. I was able to save up enough money to buy my own: Radio Shack TRS-80 (trash 80). I did some basic programs and learned about how to write code. It was very tedious and time-consuming. I also spent a lot of time playing Atari with my friends.

I took a couple of computer classes in high school and knew from that point on that I wanted to work with computers. After I graduated high school, I joined the Air Force but I told my recruiter that I was only interested in jobs with computers or electronics. I had taken the ASVAB in my junior year and knew the test was broken down into four categories: mechanical, administrative, general, and electronics. I scored in the 90s in all four categories but wanted nothing to do with mechanical. I elected to take the ASVAB again at the MEPS and deliberately answered as many mechanical questions incorrectly to lower my score. Mission accomplished lol

Unbeknownst to me, even though my recruiter knew I only wanted a computer or electronics job, he put me in Open General. That's essentially a catch-all enlistment category which includes a variety of specialties from food service, administrative, intel, logistics, fire protection, security forces, public affairs, bioenvironmental engineering, data processing, and others. I was blessed enough to get selected for data processing.

My first two duty stations (Osan Air Base, South Korea and Langley AFB) were all about working on mainframe computers, processing remote and batch jobs for the many different base organizations. I was also one of the few who got to learn about maintenance databases at the base level. It was an eye-opener to see how we were the central data repository for the entire base.

In the mid-90s, peer-to-peer and client-server networking were making their way into the DoD. I left Langley and went to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa and was assigned to a secure messaging facility. Twelve hour shifts, no windows. Boring as hell. After about four months, one of our captains asked for volunteers to start up a help desk. I immediately raised my hand... anything to get out of the box! I was moved over to the NCC - Network Control Center to take calls for the different sections: LAN, email, and WAN. After spending time taking calls and routing them to their respective sections, I was learning what each section did and how to answer most of the routine questions. Eventually I was able to field the calls and free up the techs to work bigger problems. The more I learned, the more I got interested in the networking side of things. I started going out on trouble calls with the WAN guys to learn about what they did and how they did it. That was my first taste of Cisco routers and being able to connect buildings together using fiber optic and coaxial cable sold me on what I really wanted to do. I wanted to be a network engineer. I eventually worked my way up to be in charge of the WAN shop... my nickname was WANMAN I have been in IT networking ever since and never regretted a day of it.

As my IT career is winding down (retiring in two years), I have started another venture that I wasn't sure if I would continue it. I've always loved cars. Not the mechanical part of them but the aesthetics of an immaculately clean vehicle. I used to watch my dad clean his cars and I would help and eventually do them myself. As an adult, I've always kept clean cars but never really got OCD about it. I knew about detailing but wasn't gung-ho about it enough to buy my own tools and products. My wife bought my first polisher for Christmas one year and on New Year's Day, I spent almost the entire day polishing out the swirls on my black Nissan Maxima. That thing looked like a mirror on wheels! From that point on, I got more serious about detailing and doing more in-depth work on the family vehicles.

During the pandemic when businesses were closing, our two adult sons were out of work and needed to earn some income. My wife came up with the idea to start a detailing business. We took our first client in September 2020 and have been going strong ever since. Our sons have moved on but I'm still detailing solo. I think I enjoy detailing even more than I do networking. Some of the jobs are very challenging but seeing the customers' reactions and smiles is very rewarding.

I don't know how long I'll keep the business going but as long as I continue to get some enjoyment from it... we'll see where it goes.

[MightyGiants]

@T200

I don't think in a million years I would have guessed someone would have a passion (loose use of the word) for computers AND car detailing.   They seem so far removed from one another.


When I was young, I also loved going to Radio Shack.  When I was a kid, my parents bought us electronic labs that allowed us to build simple circuits, so I loved all the gadgets they sold there.  I think I might still have a few Radio Shack brand products lying around somewhere.

[T200]

@T200

I don't think in a million years I would have guessed someone would have a passion (loose use of the word) for computers AND car detailing.   They seem so far removed from one another.


When I was young, I also loved going to Radio Shack.  When I was a kid, my parents bought us electronic labs that allowed us to build simple circuits, so I loved all the gadgets they sold there.  I think I might still have a few Radio Shack brand products lying around somewhere.

Yeah, neither would I 

If I had to guess, I think it has something to do with my enjoying cleaning up big messes. For example, if there's one or two dishes that need to be cleaned, I'll probably leave them until more joined. We have a dish washer but I never used it. For large family gatherings at our house, especially Thanksgiving, I hand wash every dish, pot, pan, glass, and piece of cutlery.

Detailing requires me to be up close and personal to the interior and the paint and I get to see every speck and blemish. I do my best to get it as close to perfect as possible, even though most people wouldn't see a scratch if I didn't point it out to them. For me, a lot of the detailing is self-serving. It's relaxing to me. And they also pay me very well.   

[MightyGiants]

Yeah, neither would I 

If I had to guess, I think it has something to do with my enjoying cleaning up big messes. For example, if there's one or two dishes that need to be cleaned, I'll probably leave them until more joined. We have a dish washer but I never used it. For large family gatherings at our house, especially Thanksgiving, I hand wash every dish, pot, pan, glass, and piece of cutlery.

Detailing requires me to be up close and personal to the interior and the paint and I get to see every speck and blemish. I do my best to get it as close to perfect as possible, even though most people wouldn't see a scratch if I didn't point it out to them. For me, a lot of the detailing is self-serving. It's relaxing to me. And they also pay me very well.   

well, your comments made me realize one similarity.  Both computers (especially programming) and detailing require a keen attention to detail.   So, in both fields of endeavor, you could play to your strength.

In some ways, we are polar opposites.  I am terrible with detail, preferring to deal with the big picture and I try to use my dishwasher as much as possible.  Unlike you, when I see a sink full of dirty dishes, I am like, "ugh, just muscle through this one piece at a time."  The only part that is enjoyable to me is putting the last cleaned piece in the drain board.

[LennG]

 Passion may be a poor choice of words for me, but I enjoy my main career, yes, I loved my 'side' job, if anyone wants to call something they loved to do a job, then that was it for me.

Before I went into the service I worked at so many meaningless jobs. I was going to college at night and I hated that. I literally hated school from when I was a kid, so I couldn't wait till I was through college. I worked in an office, I sold encyclopedias door to door, I worked in a fast food place, and in a library. When I joined the Air Force, my recruiter promised me I would learn a career and it would be invaluable for the rest of my life. Sadly I believed him. The Air Force taught me to shoot and to type. Most of my work there was in administrative work and I did do a TDY (temporary duty) to Viet Nam, just to be able to get out earlier. What I did learn in service was that I was terrible at taking orders. I always had a different way of doing things and that is NOT the way the military works. It's their way or nothing else. I used to continually tell my LT. if we did something a different way we could do it quicker, easier, and better. Too bad no one ever listened. When my tour was up and they tried to get me to re-enlist, I asked them if I could become a general so I could tell everyone else how to do things. They laughed and I left.
When I got home I tried the college thing again, but, like the last time I hated it. I also tried to continue playing baseball but at that time, late 1960's, there was very little baseball for 24-year-olds, only slow-pitch softball and I hated that. So, to be near the game I started umpiring. I started with CYO ball and learned, watched, and worked as many games as I could. I simply loved it. Maybe because, on the baseball field, the umpire is the boss and I didn't have to take orders from anyone, who knows, but this really became my passion. Again, I simply loved it and really applied myself to become better and better.

But umpiring won't pay the bills. I worked for a few years as an apprentice carpenter, but again, I was low man on the totem pole. While working I got hurt and was on workers comp for about  6 months. During that time I saw an ad for a carpet cleaning franchise and I looked into that. I loved that I would be out, talking to people all day and not having to take orders. This was it. I slowly built up this business and to make this long story short, I did that for 35 years, running this business full-time and still finding the time to umpire. As we like to say, I made a living.
So, my business was my job and I loved being my own boss, and all the good and bads that go with it. But, if we can say 'passion', umpiring was it for me. I umpired from mid-March to mid-November, doing everything from Divison 1 college ball down to simple little league games. I loved the camaraderie of umpiring, I loved being on the field, and, to be quite honest,  I literally hated watching baseball on TV. I wasn't part of the game then. I have retired from most of my umpiring but I still do High School baseball in NYC only in the spring.
I worked hard for most of my life, mostly doing some sort of physical work and in my aging life, I am feeling, but I have absolutely no regrets. In my years working my career and my umpiring, I can't begin to tell of the many fascinating people I have met. I was never one to sit in an office and see the same people every day. I've met and talked with many people from concentration camps from WWII, I've met singers from the old days of Doo-Wop, I've met celebrities, sports writers, and some real baseball greats (I umpired Yankees and Mets Old Timers games and met many of their older' stars,  rich people, and poor people, honest people and crooks, politicians (who can fall into either category) so many interesting stories and I have no regrets at all.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

You sound like my father, Lenn. Even though a warrior in WWII and Korea, he couldn't stand having a boss. That's why he started a dairy farm almost immediately after his discharge. Unfortunately, a major highway (Rt 81) came right through the heart of our farmland when I was a teen, causing us to be cut off from over 200 acres of land that was necessary to run the farm (at the size it had become). After selling off the farm equipment and cows, he bounced from job to job...driving cement truck during the construction of the highway, electrician for a company in the city (which he quit and started his own electrical wiring company on his own), then taking over a gun shop that little brother had started, but was banned by the ATF for various reasons. But my dad was a superb gunsmith who also built bluing tanks and worked on his own time frame. He eventually took a job as an electrical inspecter for New York Board of Underwriters where he was given a new car every two years and was his own boss for all intents and purposes, and the electricians had to satisfy code and wait for him to certify. After closing the gun business and retiring, my mother and him started a very successful Bed and Breakfast they ran until COVID hit, and they were pushing 90 years old and decided to hang it up. But the idea that he did not like taking orders (especially from someone who didn't know the job as well as him). He was a lone wolf when it came to occupations

One quick story that made me laugh. He was offered a job as the maintenance man at a large old bakery (500+ employees). He waffled on whether to take it or not, but finally decided he would for the family health insurance and a regular paycheck. I was 18 and told him, "tell them you'll take the job if they hire your son"...which he did and they complied. I was still in H.S. for the next few months, but worked through the night. I was making 9.00 an hour when min. wage was 1.25 because it was a union shop. To make a long story short (too late, I know), I started work a week before he did. On his first day on the job, his manager came to me about 9:00 in the morning when I was on break and asked if I had seen my father. I said, "no, is he in his truck in the parking lot?" He said, "his pickup is gone". He had taken one look at the rat nest of wiring that had been cobbled for the last half century and simply walked away and went home. Some people are like that, and they just don't function well working for someone who is always looking over your shoulder hoping to catch you doing something that they don't approve