How did you choose a career when you weren’t passionate about anything?
I’m 22 and genuinely stuck trying to choose what bachelor’s degree to study and I really need lived experiences/advice 😭
I graduated high school about 4 years ago and honestly feel like I’ve wasted a lot of time trying to figure myself out. I recently finished my Diploma of Health Science online, but now I need to decide what to do next and I feel so overwhelmed because I don’t want to make the wrong choice again.
One of my biggest problems is that I genuinely don’t feel passionate about anything right now.
People always say “follow your passion” but I honestly don’t even know what my passion is. Most things I enjoy feel more like hobbies or interests rather than something I can imagine building my whole life around. I feel like everyone around me already has this strong dream career or purpose and I just… don’t.
My issue isn’t really “I can’t find a job.”
It’s more that I don’t know what kind of career I actually want badly enough to commit years of study to.
I know realistically I care a lot about:
- stable income
- job security
- work-life balance
- future growth
- not being emotionally drained every day
- having a career that actually leads somewhere
A bit about me:
- I currently work as a support worker
- I’m good with technology/computers
- I like writing reports/documentation/admin work
- I prefer structured environments and routine
- I think I’d enjoy office-based work more long term
- I don’t mind helping people, but I don’t think I could handle something extremely emotionally heavy forever
- I want a career that feels professional and stable
- I also want flexibility and opportunities to grow later
Degrees/careers I’ve considered:
- Public Health
- Health Information Management
- Health Services Management
- Social Work
- Law/Paralegal pathways
- Government/admin careers
- Even real estate at one point 😭
I also considered nursing for a while because it’s stable and rewarding, but deep down I know it’s not something I want long term. I respect nurses so much, but I don’t think the lifestyle and emotional demands of nursing are right for me personally.
The problem is I overthink EVERYTHING. One minute I think:
“choose passion”
then the next minute I’m thinking:
“what if I graduate and can’t find a stable job?”
Math is another thing stressing me out. I don’t completely hate math, but I definitely struggle with understanding it sometimes, so degrees with super intense maths scare me a bit.
I think deep down I want:
- a calm, structured career
- decent pay and stability
- office/professional environment
- something versatile and future-proof
- a degree that won’t leave me unemployed or burnt out
I’d really appreciate REAL lived experiences from people in these careers/degrees:
- what your day-to-day is actually like
- salary progression
- burnout levels
- flexibility
- whether you regret your degree
- if you’d choose it again
- what personality types suit it
- how hard the degree actually was
Especially if you were someone who felt lost in your early 20s and eventually figured it out.
Any advice would genuinely help 🫶