City U

Turn your passion into a career

Ask a youngster what they want to be when they grow up and you’ll get answers like a pilot, firefighter, astronaut, professional athlete, or other high-visibility careers. As we age, these career aspirations often change. Sometimes we take a job just because it’s easy to get, or doesn’t require more training, and end up loathing going to work.

Statistics

Gallup poll: Only 36% of employees in the U.S. expressed satisfaction with their work. What comes next?

Adviser Advice

ANdrew's story

How you spend your free time? What are your marketable skills?

MORE Tips

STATistics

Analysis conducted by Pew Research Center discovered that three out of 10 employees say their current job is just to get them by, not an avenue toward a career. According to a Gallup survey only 36% of the employees in the United States expressed satisfaction with their work. Breaking that down into a ratio: For every 2.4 workers who were engaged, one was disengaged. The study found that for all those who were actively disengaged, 74% were looking for new opportunities. No matter where you currently stand with your livelihood, you still have time to find a career you love.

Adviser advice

Look at how you spend your free time, what activities do you most enjoy and determine your marketable skills, says Deirdre Grimes, director, Career Center at City University of Seattle. “Hobbies often equate to passions,” she explains. “But turning your hobby into a profession depends on the available job opportunities and how willing you are to hone your skills.” If you need additional skills or education, consider getting more experience or returning to school, says Grimes.

Andrew's STory

When Andrew Campbell attended Rainier Beach High School, he noticed many students around him headed on the wrong path and that’s when he knew he wanted to help kids like them and kids like himself get on the right path. He slowly got the education he needed to pursue his passion. “It took me seven years to get my bachelor’s degree and an additional two years to receive my master’s degree,” Campbell says. First he thought he’d turn pro as a football player, but that didn’t work out as imagined. His path took a different turn when his high school football coach’s wife asked Campbell to assist with her students. That trajectory continues to this day as he found his way in a school setting, first as a substitute teacher, then as a teacher and now as a coach and mentor.

MORE TIPS

Grimes recommends networking in the form of informational interviews with those already working in your desired position. You might find these people in an industry-related association for your chosen field, which you should consider joining. Make sure to be a good listener and have an open mind, says Grimes. Another avenue is to take a personality assessment like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which results in career suggestions for you, says Grimes. “You can then look at job postings for those positions to determine your level of passion,” What you try the first time might not turn out to be your dream job, says Campbell. Be willing to fall down seven times and get up eight, he says. “I’ve been written off countless times, but look where I am now,” says Campbell. “The public school system didn’t work for me, but now I know what not to do with my kids.” He sees a little of himself in every student he works with, something he may have realized in high school.

Education elevates, passion propels, determination delivers! Enjoy the journey!

– Deirdre Grimes

36%

work satisfaction

74 %

disengaged workers look for new opportunities

Today Campbell, a CityU graduate, is the owner and founder of Shine Kinesthetics, a business focused on generating better lives for local youth through tutoring, mentoring and coaching. He selected the first part of his organization’s name because his mother would apply Vaseline to his face in the morning so he would “shine” at school. “Kinesthetic” is a learning style based on processing information through tactile stimuli. Campbell recognized he was a kinesthetic learner and discovered a high percentage of young people have the same learning style. “Currently, I’m the quarterback of a group of students of color at Lake Washington High School in an after-school program,” he says. “I teach leadership curriculum, a word of the day, how to budget by getting and spending ‘Shine’ dollars and so much more. It’s very interactive.” You can feel as excited about your employment as Campbell is with a little research to decide on your goal for a profession and some more schooling.

By City University of Seattle

Produced by ST Content Studio

Andrew Campbell

Andrew Campbell and students at CityU

City University of Seattle is accredited through the doctoral level. Find programs in business, leadership, education, health and human services, computer and information systems. CityU is ranked as a 2022 Best Online Bachelor program by US News & World Report.