A conversation with a friend of mine got me thinking about how career paths develop, and how we decide what we want to do.

My friend was salutatorian of our high school - the student who excelled academically, excelled at sports, and was everyone’s frind. She went to an Ivy League school and majored in environmental studies. Following graduation, she accepted a job at the Department of Energy - which she quickly figured out was not the ideal place for her. She worked there for several months, I suppose trying to see if she’d adapt to the work and begin to enjoy it more. Eventually she made the decision to leave, and has been working various part-time jobs while trying to answer the big question: What do I want to do?

We all know that you’re supposed to find a job that you love - but how do you find out what you love to do? The tricky part seems to be figuring out what you’re really passionate about, enough so that work doesn’t feel like work.

When I was a freshman, I declared accounting as my major and never switched. I graduated, and got a job in a public accounting firm, and I’m on track to get my CPA. It’s not surprising that my friend has the impression that I know exactly what I want.

Here’s a secret to those of you who don’t understand why others seem to have it figured out and you don’t: None of us really have it figured out.

My advice/response to my friend was as follows:

If you speak to people who have a job that they love, chances are that their path to get there was not clear to them as they were moving to that point. There’s also a good chance that those people will switch jobs or at least shift their focus again in the future. The world is not static, and especially for an extreme high-achiever like my friend, we need change to keep us interested.

So forget about trying to pick one job that will keep you happy for the rest of your life. Try to find something that you are passionate about now, and keep an open mind towards future job opportunities that you may develop a passion for in the future. If you really can’t decide what you’re passionate about, find something that pays the bills and provides you with valuable experiences - that will help you move on to your ideal career once you figure out what it is.

Your response:

What would you tell my friend, or other college graduates who are struggling with this question? If someone is struggling to decide what motivates them, what they are passionate about, what advice would you give them to help them figure this out?