Does A Passion Always Turn Into A Career?

Often when you begin to think about your next career, you will look at your interests and passions for clues. You may already have a passion (or a few) outside of work that you have been doing for a while, that you enjoy and are good at.

Once you have uncovered and looked at your passions, you get to decide what you would like to do with them! It is completely your choice whether or not to make them your paid work. Even if you are naturally talented at something and enjoy it, you don’t necessarily have to make it your paid profession.
If you have a list of passions and aren't sure about turning any of them into a career, consider the following options:

Give it a go

See what it's like to do something you love also for money. This could be writing, photography, cooking, a sport, any of your passions outside of your current job. Try it on for size, through trial and error you will discover if it works for you.

Consider teaching, coaching, or being paid to be involved in your passion in another way.

For example, perhaps being paid to write doesn't inspired you - however being paid to coach others on their writing could be fun. You can still do your own writing for personal pleasure in your spare time. I know someone who gives workshops in improvisation for corporate clients to help their creativity. Her real passion is to act in plays, which she does in her spare time. She had decided that life as a jobbing actor was too financially uncertain for her (as well as not enjoying auditions), and so bringing her acting skills to corporate workplaces was a better way for her to be paid to act.

Decide which passion(s) you definately don't want to turn into a career - that you are happy with as a personal interest

If you have a few passions, it may be that a certain passion will remain an activity you continue to pursue outside of paid work, whilst another passion becomes your career. Through trying things out professionally you will discover which passion could happily turn into a career, and which you would prefer to keep as a personal interest. For example, if you enjoy painting because it relaxes you and gives you some 'me time', turning it into a paid career with commissions and deadlines might spoil the enjoyment you get from painting. For example Jonathan Mead keeps his passion for playing music as an unpaid purely-for-pleasure interest, seperate to his main work as a coach and inspirational writer.

Keep your passions seperate from work

You may find that you would prefer to keep your passions separate from your work life, enjoying them for the pleasure they bring you rather than turning them into a source of income. It is important to trial out 'going pro' with your passions to see if this is true. If you decide you would rather keep your passions seperate from work, you might decide to find work that maintains your interest, supports your lifestyle, and gives you the income to finance your surfing trips, dance classes, or cooking classes! A Physics graduate friend of mine decided to work as a school lab technician for paid work, freeing up his time (including the long summer breaks) to pursue his passion for breakdancing.