When 'Follow Your Passion' is a Waste of Time

These phrases, so familiar to us all, pop up regularly in career development. 'Follow your passion' and 'You can do anything!' mean well, but our words could be so much more supportive in a world of change.

This guest article is by Dr Trent Loader, a seasoned leader in career development, education, and workforce policy. Trent completed his PhD under the supervision of Dr Jim Bright. Jim co-authored the Chaos Theory of Careers (with Robert Pryor), and is an expert on change and uncertainty in career development as well as BECOME's Director of Evidence and Impact.

Simplistic platitudes, like 'Follow your passion!' regularly pop up in career development.

I've spoken to many people who found themselves stuck in their career, repeating these statements as the advice they received. We need to think about these stock phrases, because our words could be so much more supportive!

Instead of relying on overly simplistic and sometimes misleading advice (like 'follow your passion' or 'you can do anything'), the Chaos Theory of Careers (CTC) puts the emphasis on adaptability, open-mindedness, and the dynamic nature of career development.

So if we take 'follow your passion' as an example - that statement predisposes that you have a passion or that said passion is appropriate!

Actually, don't waste time searching for your 'passion'.

Passion is not a job, a sport, or a hobby. It is the full force of your attention and energy that you give to whatever is in front of you.

And if you're too busy looking for a passion to follow, you could miss an opportunity that changes your life.

Here are some alternative approaches based on the principles of change and adaptability in the Chaos Theory of Careers:

1. Encourage Exploration and Experimentation:

• Instead of: 'Follow your passion.'
• Say: 'Explore different interests and see where they lead you.'
• Rationale: Passion often develops through engagement and practice, not pre-existing clarity. Encouraging young people to try new experiences helps them discover what resonates with them.

2. Highlight the Value of Uncertainty:

• Instead of: 'You can do anything.'
• Say: 'Life is full of unexpected opportunities—stay open to them.'
  
• Rationale: Life and careers are unpredictable. Teaching young people to embrace uncertainty and see it as an opportunity for growth acknowledges complexity and the prevalence of chance events.

3. Focus on Building Resilience and Skills

• Instead of: 'Set one big goal and pursue it.'
• Say: 'Build skills and experiences that will help you adapt to changes and challenges.'
• Rationale: A strong skill set allows individuals to navigate and succeed in an ever-changing world. Encourage them to focus on developing transferable skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability.

Read more about Goals from Dr Jim Bright: Going for Goals

4. Promote a Flexible Mindset

• Instead of: 'Stick to your plan.'
• Say: 'Be ready to adjust your plans as you grow and learn.'
• Rationale: The CTC views career development as non-linear. Encourage young people to revise their goals and strategies based on their evolving interests and circumstances.
  
  

5. Encourage Reflection on Values, Not Just Interests

• Instead of: 'Do what makes you happy.'
• Say: 'Think about what matters to you and what kind of life you want to build.'
• Rationale: Career satisfaction often comes from alignment with your own personal values and purpose, not just fleeting passions.
  

By using these approaches with students or clients, you shift the focus from deterministic and idealistic advice to a more practical and empowering framework that acknowledges and works within the reality of career development as a dynamic and constantly changing process.

Change, uncertainty and career development practice

Learn more about how change and uncertainty affects how students and clients approach career development. 

Join Dr. Jim Bright, co-author of the Chaos Theory of Careers, and BECOME Education for 20 hours of intensive professional learning focused on contemporary best practice in career development. 

Contemporary career development

Change is inevitable in life, and yet some of the traditional ways we approach career decision-making reflect old assumptions and a hope for certainty that ultimately can't be fulfilled.

This course will provide you with the theory, evidence and practical approaches to reassess your career development professional practice and focus on ways to help your clients or students become change-ready, adaptable and creative about building their future, rather than passive and waiting to be told the 'best' answer.

Choose either the three-day in-person intensive in Sydney OR the multi-modal hybrid online format combining live online seminars with Dr. Jim Bright plus self-paced learning on BECOME's flexible online learning platform.

Intake for both formats is open now. Get more information, download the course overview, or sign up.

Read more on the BECOME blog:

• Career Development in Complex Times
• Cultivating Curiosity - How setting off in the spirit of play is serious business

Photo credits: Danilo Andjus / Getty Images (header), Cagkansayin / Getty Images (sign on grass), Cliff Thompson (photo of Jim Bright)