I’ve written before that while colleges love evidence of passion in an application, that passion doesn’t need to be something a student is committing to for life. Cal Newport has blogged about this, too, and even wrote a book about it. And in this month’s Inc. Magazine, Jason Fried, CEO of Basecamp, explains why “Look for work you love” is actually terrible career advice.
Do things that you’re excited about today. Work hard to get good at them. Keep doing them as long as they hold your interest. You won’t necessarily love everything about every involvement or job. But if you make it a habit of committing to things that excite you today, then diving in until you make an impact in some way, some of those activities—and eventually, jobs—start to stick. And that’s when the passion follows you.