I wanted to take a little break to discuss something that I think/worry about A LOT. Now that I'm progressing deeper into my late twenties, the fact that I still don't have a solid career path bothers me very, very much.
To give a bit of school/work background, I graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2007 with a BA in Psychology. During my time at school I worked for almost 6 years as a manager at a Van's Shoes. I loved it there and stayed longer than I probably should have. After Vans, I worked for a year doing administrative duties at a local Hospice organization in Hawaii. I was very thankful for the opportunity to work in a social work setting as social services is a possible path I'd like to pursue. After my year at Hospice Hawaii I decided to take a chance and move to Seattle to be with my boyfriend and experience life outside of my small island home. It took about 9 months for me to find work out here, but finally landed an office manager position at a small Seattle software company. I've been at this present company for over a year now and have learned tons of new skills in the computer world. And although these skills will be beneficial in finding other positions, technology isn't really the field I see myself in.
Due to some family circumstances, my boyfriend and I will be moving back to Hawaii in the next few months and I will find myself searching for a new job back home. And while the prospects for finding work in Hawaii are not too promising, that isn't really the issue I'm worried about.
For me, the issue lies in finding my passion. At 27 years old, I figured I would have my act together by now. There are things that interest me, such as, social services, crafting, teaching, baking, but these topics are kind of all over the place and none of them present a real "oomph" when I think about them. To me social work seems like the clearest path, but then doubts of my ability and drive start creeping in. How will I know I'm capable? What if I find that it's not really what I want? I don't have much experience, why would a Master's program even accept me? All of these questions give me great anxiety.
My plan at the moment is to try and find an entry level job in the social services field to see if it's something that I could/should or even want to do before applying to graduate school. This will help me gain insight into the field, as well as much needed experience.
I just get so scared that I'll never find my place. Sometimes I feel like the only 27 year old that has no clue what they're doing. I have to keep telling myself that everyone has a different experience in searching for that path. I have to stop comparing myself to the accomplishments of my peers (who in my opinion are way ahead of me) and that things happen when they're supposed to happen and that helps to calm the fears.
How do you find your passion? If anyone has any advice, I would love to hear it.
Gas Works Park Path - courtesy of
Kevin
