What Color is your Parachute comes to mind, but I haven't read it.

How did you decide upon what you wanted to do in life?

I'm a nurse. My mother suggested it. It sounded like a good idea at the time. I knew I would be good at it. I've always been interested in health and helping people. It has served me well. It doesn't take much brain power. ;)

reenum, look here, if you haven't already.

and here.

I am rather old and I still haven't got that stuff sorted out. I'm also going through a "crossroads", so I should be of some help. But, really, I'm no use at all. You have to figure this stuff out yourself.

How do I find that one thing that I'm passionate about.

One thing? Really? Why not just look at something that you really like and take it from there? I'm doing something ATM that doesn't really fit in with my long term plans, but I'm really liking it. Life is what happens when you're making other plans, as some dude once said.

Figure out what you are passionate about and then go hunt down that career.

I've known since I was five I was a writer...what I am most passionate about is my right to be left alone. How these mesh I have no idea.

I just sort of fell into what I do.
It's odd, I majored in fine arts (painting) and English, but I sell computers, servers, etc.
The funny thing is, though... that's what my father did for a living, too. Not my stepdad who raised me and who I'll be calling to wish a happy thanksgiving to, mind you. My biological father who I haven't seen since I was in junior high.

I wonder about that a lot.


But yeah, I wouldn't hope to base a career about some one major passion. For me, I like computers, I like technology, but I'm not PASSIONATE about it. That alone makes me better at my job. If I was a passionate mac fan, for instance, I would have pushed the new OS at everyone, and maybe not mentioned how most graphic design applications were not compatible just yet.
If your job is your passion then your passion becomes work. If I made my living sewing I would want to put my machine through a window. Because I keep it just beyond "hobby" level and can pick and choose who I will sew for, I can still have fun.

It has served me well. It doesn't take much brain power. ;)

OMG, beg to disagree... I remember my cousin studying for her NY nursing boards. That's some complex stuff right there. I have SO MUCH respect for nurses. My mom's a nurse, and I know how hard she's worked. When I was in the hospital the doctors didn't believe me when I said something was wrong, it was the nurses (led by my mom) who demanded he come back and actually take a look. If not for them I wouldn't have a right foot today, no exaggeration.

Frankly, I could have done so much more, if I'd only had confidence in myself. There are so many choices out there, things I think I would have liked but honestly? I like working in the supermarket. NOt a glamorous career, by far. But it's given me flexiblity (I have a much easier time changing my schedule for whatever reason), I work with a fun bunch of people, and I really do like people (despite my occasional complaining ^_^!). I started at 16, and except for working in a nursery school (I was interested in being a nursery school teacher), working in the supermarket is all I've done. I guess I'm not a career driven person.

I've always just done what I'm good at and people have given me money to do it.

I probably could've been more ambitious about it all...

I'm passionate about working hard at a job where I can create, teach, and learn. I don't want a job where I'm just a cog in the machine for 8 hours; I want to build the machine. I don't really care where I'm working as long as I can do that.

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone."
- Pablo Picasso

I'll start with a quote.

Peter Gibbons: Our high school guidance counselor used to ask us what you'd do if you had a million dollars and you didn't have to work. And invariably what you'd say was supposed to be your career. So, if you wanted to fix old cars then you're supposed to be an auto mechanic.
Samir: So what did you say?
Peter Gibbons: I never had an answer. I guess that's why I'm working at Initech
...
Lawrence: Well, what about you now? what would you do?
...
Peter Gibbons: Nothing.
Lawrence: Nothing, huh?
Peter Gibbons: I would relax... I would sit on my ass all day... I would do nothing.
Lawrence: Well, you don't need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Take a look at my cousin: he's broke, don't do shit.
From Office Space

You asked...
How do I find that one thing that I'm passionate about.
- Do lots of different things. Stick with the ones you love or are good at.
- Never assume you'll become passionate about anything. Passion isn't given, it's grown.
- Live below your means. You'll never get passionate about anything if you're worried about your bills.

Lifehacker is a good website for hints and tips on getting to the passionate place. Here's a couple of links about getting happy. They apply I think to your situation ...
Don't get too comfortable after work
Finding happiness in a harvard classroom

Finally, don't be too hard on yourself. Do the things that give you pleasure and don't worry too much about finding the perfect job. Embrace flexibility, accept the imperfections in your life. Never be embarrassed to dream about something that you know you'll never do.

Just to add, the circumstance of life do not always allow us to follow certain dreams. I was blissfully happy lecturing Spanish and linguistics in a small Uni in Ireland. However, my husband loses his job with dismaying regularity often requiring city and country changes. Each time I re-invent myself, taking whatever jobs suit my skills. I have deliberately ensured I have a very wide skills so I can pick, but I've never managed to ensure a return to my first love, teaching.

Having said that I tend to focus on the newness and difference of the job, and treat it as a kind of exciting life experience. I'm a glass half full kind of person but I've been very happy and challenged in all the different careers I've had. I've hated the change and the upheaval but I have no control over that. I can control my enthusiasm for a new challenge and a new opportunity to add to my skills base.

I've variously worked in University teaching,Police HQ, Managing director for a Tourist board, Surgery, and now Medical education, who knows what's next?

Sometimes dreams can be chains, and while I applaud trying to find something that really gives you a buzz, don't discount that your attitude can make a big difference in ensuring you're happy, whatever you find yourself doing!

Thanks so much for all the comments. Please keep them coming.

To further elaborate, I have begun doing things I think I would be passionate about. I've begun writing fiction and am doing NaNoWriMo this year. I may go on a police ride along to see what it is cops really do, etc.

I just need to get back to that stage in my life when I still had dreams and anything seemed possible. These tips are definitely helping me get to that direction.

I just need to get back to that stage in my life when I still had dreams and anything seemed possible.

Yes, me too, please. Perhaps giving up some of the things you've acquired since you last felt that way?

Or this? ---> How To Find Your Mission In Life

I was never happy in my career until I had a position where I had a project, a budget, a staff, a deadline and full authority over its design and execution. You could call it project manager, but I could usually shoehorn the management part into 3 or 4 hours a day and then carve out a piece for myself to work on exclusively.

I started out as a secretary, although I knew even when I was taking the course at 16, and working (illegally) at night in a pub, that it wasn't what I wanted to do. But I needed to earn a living and I thought it would be a good way of doing that.

After a few years temping in London I landed a job working for the laziest lawyer on earth. I ended up doing most of the work - conveyancing (property), so very little need to give advice, just checking titles. I found I had a flair for it, and I enjoyed it.

So I did my law degree at night school, whilst working for various law firms during the day - both large City firms and small one-man offices. After the Finals (which was 9 months full-time, and it was hell), I did my training ('articles', as it was called then) and qualified as a solicitor.

I worked in High Street firms, and whilst I enjoyed the research and advice aspects of it, I really didn't like dealing with the clients a lot of the time. I also hated all the bureaucracy that came with Legal Aid work (and it started to get more and more onerous).

The one day, instead of chucking it in the bin, I opened The Times Careers supplement, and the job was there! The one made for me. I didn't think I had a hope in hell of getting it, but I applied and was called for interview. I didn't hear from them for ages, and thought that was it, but a few weeks later I was told I'd got the job. They were recruiting a dozen people, which is why the process took so long.

I've been in this job for almost eight years now and I still love it. It involves a large element of law, a lot of research, giving my written opinions and with very limited contact with the public - not in person, only over the phone.

I fit into the niche for the job. I don't know if I could ever go back into private practice again, with its constant pressure to bill, bill, bill and the stress of dealing with demanding clients.

I wouldn't say it was my dream to do this, but I really enjoy the work, it pays me enough to live debt-free (apart from the mortgage), I work two days a week from home, I get 7 weeks paid holiday, plus 8 public holidays ...

My dream job? - I am Sylvie Guillem

I quit my Wall Street job about 16 months ago and moved back to my hometown thinking I would take some time off and figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I couldn't figure it out, in fact I kept gravitating back to where I had just left. Eventually I dug into what had attracted me to that industry in the first place (back in college) and then set out to find a path that would make me happy. Turns out there's more people doing the kind of work I'm passionate about than I had originally thought. I started a new job two months ago that'll get me headed down that path.

I also just fell into what I do. I started uni wanting to be a librarian, and got a job as a support worker for people with intellectual/developmental/learning disabilities (strike as appropriate for geographical location) because the hours were great while I was studying, and found I was really good at it. As time went on I was promoted to positions of greater responsibility and eventually into behavioural consultancy (I'm not a psychologist) then service management and policy. I'm very happy in my career and where I work, and while I feel very strongly about better lives for people with disabilities I think I could be just as happy in a different field - while I am passionate about my work it's not my passion.

seanyboy has the advice I was going to give covered above. Be open to new things and the delight of new experiences and challenges, and keep pushing to learn. Make yourself write an 'I have learned...' statement every day and when you have to struggle to end it without being trite, start a new project.

It all just kind of happened for me. When I left school, I still had no real idea of what to do and just applied for random menial jobs. I was talking to a guy one day who said he could put in a good word for me with his boss at the boat-building factory where he worked and I should call in to see said boss. It turned out that he was full of shit, but the boss hired me anyway. After getting sick of the disgraceful working conditions (they're better now, but things were pretty bad back in the '80s and '90s), I started studying business management/admin at night and looking around for something to do.

After a period of unemployment when (yet another) company went broke, I attended a government-funded program to help people get back into the workforce and they put me through a process of, rather than trying to think about where I wanted to work, thinking about this things I wanted to do. Once you have a list, think about what kind of organisations do those things. Then, we sat down with the Yellow Pages and made a huge list of all the companies that fit the description and started cold-calling. I got a job as a receptionist within a couple of weeks at a business/English college. I worked my way up to International Marketing Manager over the next 7 years or so, then quit when I got a better offer. After 5 years, that was no longer working and I started looking around for something similar but without the arsehole boss quotient. I was also doing some work providing technical advice on sport and recreation to a government agency when one of the people there that I was working with suggested I apply for a job with them, which I did and here I am.

Umm, was there a point to all that rambling? Well, my point is that it really doesn't matter where you work, or really even what industry, you can find a niche for yourself where you can do the things you want. Don't think about job titles or industries, think about the tasks you want to do every day and find someone who needs people to do that. The only really non-negotiable criteria I set was that I was not prepared to work somewhere that didn't actually do something worthwhile - I could never work for an insurance company, for example, because I consider them the evil scum of the earth. See, I do have some morals ;-)

The only tip I can give you is to take a look, at a high level at the things you have enjoyed doing, even if the pay was lousy. Look closely, and try to see a trend.

I did this in my late twenties. I noticed a real trend toward variety. The only thing I could really see was that I didn't like doing the same thing all the time. Most part-time jobs I'd had since I was a teen I really liked at first, but once I got it down, I lost interest.

At the same time, I noticed that I was enjoying the small part of my (then) job that involved the computer. It occurred to me that information technology was a largely changing field, because of advances, new software, etc. Long story short, I am now the chief designer for Microsoft. Well, I'm kidding of course, but I am 10 years into a career in IT that I've pretty much tripled my pay since my first job. Apart from some lousy bosses, I've really enjoyed my work. So long as the learning curve doesn't get too flat I'm a happy guy.

So, that's why I suggest looking for a trend. Even though you might LOVE something, if a lot of the traits of that industry go against what you need, you're kinda out of luck there.

Thank you all so much for the personal stories. They have inspired me to go forth and continue to discover my true self.

One last question: Were there any books or stories that you found particularly helpful while trying to decide what to do with your life?