Some people have a natural gift to be able to learn. They can pick up any subject and by putting in hard work they can get good at it. Some people have a natural interest in a specific subject, and these people enjoy the process of learning and don’t find the work being put in as ‘hard’, but instead it is fun. They too will get good, or even great at this subject. Then there are other people. No matter how hard they work on any subject, the hard work may never truly pay off enough for them to get ‘good’. Instead, they feel frustrations, and anxiety and even may come to hate it, being too hard.

Why do I bring this up? Well, it turns out that as much as people may generally fit into one of these three groups, we can all take any specific subject or topic and put ourselves into one of these three categories in it. Learning a language? Well, you may find it impossible if you never had to learn another language before, especially at an older age. But have you already learned 5 other languages? You can get really good at the sixth one with some hard work being put in. Do you absolutely enjoy baking? Then learning a new recipe or technique might be so much fun that it feels like easy work, even if you put in days of effort to get really great results.

This concept is also very relevant to the I.T. industry. If you are here reading this, you probably belong to the industry or intend to in the near future.

The I.T. industry is a very broad category, with so many different topics and subjects to pick and choose from. I would dare say that if you enjoy computers in a general sense, then there is an area of I.T. out there that you can be passionate about, and enjoy working in. If you are reading this, and really hate your job in the I.T. sector, you might want to pay attention here.

Passion fuels a fire of learning that makes the whole process fun, exciting and enjoyable. You can enjoy the process of becoming good at a topic, and might even find yourself becoming great at it as well. The trick is to find the area that interests you the most, and dive in. You can start learning about it in your spare time, and look for opportunities to apply it to your current role, your next project, or otherwise to your next C.V application. Learning in your own time and applying for a job in that area is a great way to get the job you will enjoy. Better yet, that job can take you from good to great, while enjoying yourself at the same time!

The other great thing about the Industry is the fast pace it moves in. You have the opportunity to completely retrain every 5-10 years to get out of something you find dull and boring, into something that you can get really fired up over. Or move from one area you really enjoy that you don’t find as challenging anymore, into a new field of technology to keep things fun and interesting, while transferring the skills you have built up along the way.

So what is your new Passion going to be? Or have you already found it?