Identifying your interests is a critical step in finding a job and finding your place in life.
You probably have a lot of interests that you think are entirely unrelated to your career preferences. We are all interested in things but think: "That can't be my day job, I can't make money doing that!"
I've already told you my favorite story about a young mechanical engineer whose passion in life was playing golf. He didn't think that he needed to do any of these self-assessment exercises. His plan was just to find a job as a mechanical engineer. When we looked at his motivated skills, we found that he had excellent design skills and that design is what he wanted to do. After we completed the interest survey, I advised him to start researching companies that use mechanical engineers to design golf equipment. And he ended up working for Karsten Manufacturing in Phoenix, Arizona. He ended up designing golf equipment and spending a fair amount of time testing out their equipment on the golf links.
What helped him nail the job was the fact that the company he focused on realized that he wasn't just bringing a set of skills. He was bringing a passion for the product and the industry.
Let me share another example. I met with an accountant who was completely bored working in an accounting/consulting firm. He made good money but couldn't stand the work. He was interested in cars. He loved cars! He did the work necessary in identifying his skills and his interests, started searching, and ended up as the accounting manager for a high end Sacramento automobile dealership. That's where he belonged and where he could thrive.
Sales and marketing jobs are particularly ripe for linking skills and interests. You know when you go into a store whether or not the person is really interested in the product. I recently bought a new camera at a large electronics store. I had some questions that were answered by two different sales people. I still wasn't certain which camera to choose, and started to think that maybe I wasn't ready to buy one at all. A third sales person asked if he could help me, and I could tell right away that he didn't just know everything about the different cameras. He knew everything about photography and wanted me to be as interested as he was! He wasn't necessarily doing what he wanted career wise, but he was working with exactly the things that interested him, sharing his passion and his knowledge with others.
The list of examples is endless. And it doesn't matter what your interests are. It could be cars or golf, video games, traveling, food, art, biking, hiking, police shows, fashion, mystery novels, sewing, painting, electronics, music ... whatever. The Lego company is now releasing a series of building kits based on famous architectural landmarks. That project was started by an architect who happened to be a Lego fan.
Identifying Your Interests (Passion) Exercise
This exercise is simple and fun and meant to help you focus on interests that you might not ordinarily have thought about as the basis for a career opportunity. The idea is to spend some time thinking about what you really like to spend your time doing, and to think about how your your education, experience and skills might be used in an industry that is aligned with your interests.
Start by making a list of your favorite things and favorite activities. (You can do this on a separate page or in your word processor). Make your list at least ten items long to make sure you've considered everything that interests you.
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3.__________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________
6. __________________________________________________________
7. __________________________________________________________
8. __________________________________________________________
9. __________________________________________________________
10. __________________________________________________________
Now go back and underline or highlight the activities or interests that you would most like to make a part of your career path ... and don't assume that it's not possible. This is not the time to be thinking about whether or not you can make money in some way related to your interests.
Later, we are going to be looking at how you can use your skills in relation to your interests. For now, let me just give you one more example:
Music is a really common interest and it's where people typically talk about "not giving up my day job." But think about it for a moment. There are people in the music industry who have the talent and the skill. They are the artists. But there are also the people who do the publicity and public relations. There are people who do the accounting. There are sales people and sales managers. The music industry requires technicians and engineers, building and designing the equipment, training those who will use it, and actually working in the studios and theaters operating the equipment. There have to be managers of all types for people and facilities. And there are attorneys dealing with contracts and intellectual property. The music industry also needs writers. They need caterers and travel agents. They need investment specialists and some times real estate professionals. And certainly there is a need in the music industry for therapists and substance abuse counselors.
If you think about this one industry, you will find that there are people using the skills and motivations that are associated with each and every career personality type that we looked at when we discussed the Holland Codes.
This is why it is so important to think about your interests in this way! You have to know what you are passionate about if you are going to find a career that gives you satisfaction.