PATHFINDERS #15: ‘Why You Don’t Need a Single Passion to Succeed’

Have you ever felt pressured to come up with just one answer when someone asks, “Which profession do you want to choose?” This is a common question we all face from childhood, and over time, it programs our minds to think of only one profession—often without real knowledge or clarity about whether it truly suits us. Not all of us are lucky enough to stumble upon the right choice. This pressure often leads individuals to choose something that appears shiny rather than what they are truly meant for.

The Burden of Specialization

Most schools and career counselors emphasize specialization to avoid confusion later. Even family and society expect students to stay focused and remain stable in their career paths. These expectations and pressures create anxiety and self-doubt, making students afraid of making the “wrong” choice.

Like many others, choosing a career was not easy for me. Though I was passionate about the folk art of my region and theater, I forced myself to choose a career that would provide a stable income. I wasn’t confident about making a living through writing, and even though I had some gigs in translation, I never fully explored the field. I tried my luck in soft skills training—something I am quite confident about—but I never embraced it as a full-time profession, as I remained committed to my teaching career.

A New Perspective on Multipotentiality

It was only after taking courses in career counseling that I realized my potential in multiple fields. During a recent counseling session with an undergraduate student, I offered her a range of career options in two different fields. Early in my counseling career, I used to blame myself if I couldn’t provide clients with absolute clarity about their career choices. However, thanks to an opportunity to teach undergraduate students about listening skills, I came across a TED Talk by Emilie Wapnick titled “Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling.” In her talk, she introduces the concept of Multipotentiality—the idea that some of us have multiple interests and skills rather than a single passion.

Embracing Multiple Interests

After watching her speech, I forgave myself for the misconceptions I had about people pursuing diverse paths. And I realized—I was one of them.

I understood that there is no harm in having multiple interests and skills instead of just one passion. Unfortunately, society often forces people like us to suppress our talents in order to fit into a narrow career mold.

Multipotentiality is a Strength

Career confusion is common, but it doesn’t mean something is wrong. Having multiple interests and abilities should be seen as a strength, not a limitation.

The world is evolving at such a rapid pace that mastery in a single skill can become obsolete in no time. The current job market values adaptability, creativity, and cross-disciplinary thinking—all of which are traits of multipotentialites.

Breaking Societal Stereotypes

I feel immense satisfaction when I am invited to speak about the basics of the stock market to commerce students. (And yes, I do know the basics!) According to societal expectations, I shouldn’t be learning about the stock market since I come from a humanities background. So, I won’t tell you that one of my friends, who also comes from an arts background, wants to pursue stock trading as a career—because he has already received all the training for it!