Career Passion: Is It Really Important in Your Work?

When it comes to having a job, one of the things you might wish for is to work in something you enjoy. In other words, you'd like to perform a job that you're passionate about. If you're in this situation, consider yourself luckier than most.

Most people think passion should make up a good percentage to make a job more enjoyable. The reality, however, is surprisingly the opposite. There are a lot of factors that come together when building a career, and they shouldn't be sustained by passion alone.

What is Career Passion?

Career passion is when you have an intense enthusiasm for your industry or field. It can often be seen through eagerness and a drive to do meaningful work. Although applying passion in your work can be a good thing, it also has the potential to fizzle out quite quickly. If you overly rely on passion, you risk losing interest in your chosen field.

Your eagerness to do your work in the pursuit of growth is admirable. Especially in a new industry where you know virtually nothing, career passion can take you quite far. The problem starts when passion is the only thing keeping you at the job, all while you don't take the initiative to learn the ins and outs of your field. When you start to lose passion, what will you have left?

Is Career Passion Important?

While having a passion for your work is important in any field, that shouldn't be the only thing keeping you at your job. Some important facets of why you chose your career in the first place may not even relate to the job description itself.

Many stay with jobs for more than just the passion component, but other factors outside work. Some choose to go to a career that allows them to spend more time with family and friends and recreational activities. Below you can find a few things you'll need to know about relying on career passion for work ventures.

1. Career passion may not indicate a market opportunity

   Having passion is good, but it's important to have a career with a stable demand for workers. It ensures your career is sound and financially secure. Assess what avenues of growth are in the industry you're eyeing or what jobs are available.

2. Career passion is often taken as an advantage

   When your career passion is at its h3est, you can be more energized for success. It means output is done and delivered fast, quality is good, and the employee work pace is generally immediate.

3. Career passion doesn't always guarantee better work

   Sometimes having a passion isn't worth much if your strengths don't align with the hard skills needed for a job. While passion can easily get you by initially, it won't be enough to sustain a career in the industry for the long term.

4. You can nurture career passion outside of work

   Having passion shouldn't just be exclusive to work-related activities; being passionate about something in other parts of your life can create positive ripple effects for your work. It also proves that passion can't beat hard work.

5. Passions can change

   One of the biggest reasons why you shouldn't be too reliant on passion over hard work is because it's very susceptible to change after some time. What you thought was something you were passionate about a few years ago may no longer be the case today.

   A job provides social and financial stability in your life, so if you're always changing passions, it can't be easy to settle in a career path based on it.

Work to Live or Live to Work?

A passion for what you do is undoubtedly a great thing. It motivates you always to want to do well and excel in your industry. While having this drive is good, remember it shouldn't be the only thing propelling you to other work opportunities. Passion goes hand in hand with different qualities, like dedication, grit, and mental fortitude, to create a holistic work experience.

Are you in search of a job that fuels your latest passion? With over 53,000 job openings ready for you to explore, find your next job opportunity at Career.com!