Should you follow your passion when choosing a career?
“More than anything else, what I tell young people is that you’ve got to find that thing you’re passionate about. It might be literature, it might be medicine, it might be law, whatever it is that you want to take on. Find out what you’re passionate about and then really understand what your greatest aspirations are in achieving something that will be lasting in that area of your passion.”
This was the take-home message in a speech I attended my freshman year at Dartmouth College. The speaker was our incoming President, Jim Yong Kim, who would Dartmouth for three years before moving on to act as President of the World Bank for the next seven years.
I remember being inspired by the speech.
The Advice That Changed How I Approach Every Job Interview
There’s nothing quite like being broke to put the pressure on you to nail an interview. I had just moved to California and had less than $500 in the bank — about half a month’s rent. My fledgling life-coaching business was beginning to take off, but income from my two clients definitely wasn’t enough to cover my bills. So I found myself looking for part-time jobs in a new city with few connections.
Eventually, I came across an opportunity to teach a first-year seminar at a university campus. I had never taught college students before, but I had my master’s degree and met the qualifications on paper. The position was everything I was looking for: It started immediately, was part-time, and paid well. As a bonus, it would be fun and interesting work.