When Your Passion and Career Don't Align

“What do you do for a living?”

“What industry do you work in?”

These are the questions I dread when making small chat with strangers at the bar or any other casual environment.  I spent the past couple of years “job shamming” myself.  You are probably asking yourself “Why would do such a thing Dominek?”  By asking the two questions above you are not going to know more about me, because my career doesn’t define who I am or my passion.  The world we live in conditions you as an adult to ask a complete stranger or new person what they do for a living to quickly tell you more about themselves from their education to income.  I have spent the majority of my career in multiple industries and mainly in sales positions.  I don’t love sales - I’m just good at it.  At the age of 33 I have FINALLY become okay with the fact that my career does not define me, but in my world, it funds my passion.

Some individuals are blessed to incorporate their passion into their careers such as lawyers, doctors, teachers, and social workers.  At a younger age, some people know what their passion is, and they work towards it early on.   I believe in a term called “passion late bloomers,” and this is the category I fall into, and it’s better late than never.  We have all taken different paths in this journey called life, and it’s one of the many beauties of it.  In today’s times, entrepreneurship is on the rise, and people are finding a successful way to merge their passion with a business plan and getting these coins at the same time.

I started blogging back in 2016, and it became a creative outlet and it had me excited to power through my day at work and get home to work on something that is MINE.  My friends hear me often refer to my life outside of work as my 6:01 Life because Worker Dom is done at 6 and content creation begins at 6:01.  Use of my time includes responding to Instagram engagement, looking up new restaurants, or reading blogging-related content while on the subway.

I am a firm believer that if you can give 8 hours a day to your employer what is one FULL hour to something you love or passionate about?

Although my career is a means to pay my expenses and fund my passion, it is still just as important to give my employer my 100% while on their time and even excel in my position.  Remaining stagnant in your company at your own will makes you replaceable which means no raise to get those finer things in life.  As I mentioned, I have predominantly worked in sales because it comes naturally to me and I am good at it.  The art of persuasion is something I have mastered but me telling you that is what I do gives you no insight into who I am.

What I am trying to tell you is stop job shaming yourself because your passion doesn’t line up with your career.  What I am also trying to say to you when you meet a new person find out what lights their fire versus where they spend their 40 hours a week because their passion may not align with their career.

That podcast you spend hours recording and editing.  Keep telling people about it.

That blog that you keep posting to consistently.  Let people know your web address.

That dopeness you keep creating.  Keep sharing it.

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