Remember when our high school teachers told us to take class more seriously because college professors would be harder on us than they were?

I don’t know about you, but I had college professors cancel class simply because they didn’t want to be there.

Then the college professors told us we needed to find our career path and stick with it because employers frown upon “job hoppers”?

I’m starting to wonder if the people who give us advice on the next parts of life tend to paint the future in a more difficult light because they don’t want to feel responsible if they told us it would be easier than it actually is.

With a seemingly unlimited amount of opportunities in today’s world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of choices available to us.

It can lead to overthinking, anxiety, and sometimes—inaction.

Being indecisive doesn’t mean you’ll never reach success, or that you’re incapable of making a decision.

To me, it means that you’re passionate about the things you participate in and value making the best decision for yourself.

Don’t Apologize for Job Hopping

I’ll say it—I encourage job hopping.

There are many benefits that come along with it.

The first thing that comes to mind is the essentially “free” raise you can get by switching companies.

Generally, companies give their employees a 3% annual raise.

“However when you switch companies, you can expect to see a salary increase of 10–20%.”

You may not want to consistently switch companies and create instability in your life, but if you’re unhappy and the only reason you’re staying at your current employer is that you’re scared of leaving — taking the jump may be worth it financially, as well as mentally.

In fact, Baby Boomers are reported to have job-hopped just as much as millennials when they were our age.

Weird how that works.

We Just Want to Live a Fulfilled Life

Young millennials have been labeled a lot of different things by society, but if there’s one thing that’s true about us — it’s that we want to be happy.

We’re the first generation to experience life before technology took over, while also embracing the digital shift into our lives.

We value experiences.

We value time freedom.

We want to find our purpose and our passion.

If you’ve felt indecisive about choosing a career, you’re not alone.

Trying to find a job that aligns with your values and your passion is tough.

Sometimes you may have to sacrifice some of your ideal traits and take a job that allows you to pay the bills while you inch closer to finding your passion.

We Develop Different Passions Through Life

Sometimes passions change.

If you asked me when I was 15 what my passion was, it probably would’ve been baseball.

I absolutely loved it and wanted to become an MLB pitcher.

But after my experience with college baseball, I haven’t missed it one bit.

I struggle to imagine the days where baseball was my passion.

Right now, I believe there’s never been a better opportunity to find work or create your own that brings you the fulfillment you’re searching for.

Entrepreneurship is currently placed on a pedestal and this may be a viable option for you, but the truth is that not everyone is meant to be an entrepreneur.

Don’t feel bad if you enjoy your 9–5 job.

There’s nothing wrong with it.

In fact, there’s times where I wish I had a 9–5.

It’d be nice to know exactly how much I’m getting paid every two weeks.

It’d be nice to not be responsible for everything within my business.

But right now, I enjoy helping others through telling my story and sharing my knowledge & thoughts around personal finance.

Unlimited Opportunities

There’s simply more options for a career path than there used to be.

If you work a regular 9–5 job, there’s nothing stopping you from creating a business in your free time.

Who knows, maybe that side business will replace your 9–5 income eventually.

This becomes a reality for a lot of people and sometimes it just takes a little courage to take that leap.

The great thing about starting things on the side is that if your passions or dreams change, you can change your path whenever you’d like.

The Bottom Line

Passion breeds success.

Sometimes we lose sight of our passions and get caught up in life & material possessions.

But when you find your true passion, you can feel it.

You start to move & live different.

It’s rewarding. Uplifting.

Being indecisive and thinking through decisions doesn’t have to be a negative thing.

Aligning decisions isn’t easy and sometimes it takes time to let them play out.

“Passion becomes purpose with a plan”
‍
- Justin Castelli

_{Originally published Jan 12, 2021}