Passion; The Key to Any Successful Career

This past Friday my fellow #sgt blogger,  Ali Faccenda’s, posted a blog entitled “Adjusting Your Sails and Changing Your Future”. (Note: If your have not read this post I highly suggest you do, it is an great piece that many college students can relate to).

After reading her moving piece about changing your career goals, I started thinking about my journey to discovering what I wanted to do as a profession.

Like many people, as a child, I wanted to be everything from a teacher to a marine veterinarian (and several things in-between).

While at different parts of my life, I wanted to be different things, and I am beyond lucky to have the opportunity to dream big.

I am not going to lie, it was a long road to get to this sort of certainty, and over time, I became wise enough to realize that just like a good pair of boots or a significant other, sometimes you need to find a few wrong ones before you find the right one.

 I am blessed to able to tell you the exact moment when I realized exactly what I wanted to be.

In my junior year of high school I was lucky enough to take my photo class. At this point, the walls of bedroom were collaged (I am not exaggerating) with photos. Needless to say, I was excited. 

On the first day, our teacher, Mr. Cronk, took us on a tour of the classroom and the darkroom. On the tour he stopped in front of a large poster of Ansel Adam’s (my favorite photographer) El Capitan photograph.

I was forever changed.

It was that moment where I knew that if I could inspire the emotions that I received looking at that beautiful photograph, I would be happy. I knew from then on that I wanted inspire people with my art, I wanted to be able to provoke the same kinds of emotional response that I felt looking at that picture.

While I knew what I wanted, it wasn't easy to convince others. My stepfather refused to let me apply to art school and consistently told me that I would never find a job and make money as photographer. He told me that my "passion" for photography could only be a hobby, and nothing more. 

I ended up going into Pace University with a Childhood Education Major. After my stepfather was out of the picture after my first semester freshman year, I changed my major to Media Communications and Journalism, with a photo minor. 

I was lucky enough to have a major where I was able to still help foster my ultimate goal of being a photographer (ideally, a photojournalist). 

A bachelors and Master's degree later, I am happy in my first post grad job as a photo editor, and I am hoping someday to be able to go back to school and get a photography degree, for me. 

What I realized during this self reflection is that every person needs to decided for themselves what they want and cannot let others redirect and smoother your passion. 

The key word is PASSION- if you want a career where you don't dread going to work everyday you have to allow your passion lead you into the right career.

The moral of the story is, whatever you decide to do as a career should align with your passions and that is your decision, and no one else’s. Don't worry if your don't know what is, you will figure it out. Don't worry if you change your mind mid degree- you will be fine. Just do something that excites you!