How do I follow my passion?

I love this question because it’s so honest and I think many of us, even as adults, still feel this way sometimes.

First, yes, it is absolutely okay to just like something for now. In middle school, you are not supposed to have everything figured out. The fact that you enjoy math, science, coding, art, and history doesn’t mean you’re confused. It means you’re curious. And curiosity is a strength, not a weakness.

When I was younger, I didn’t wake up one day with a clear “this is my passion” moment. It took time. I tried things. Some things I liked for a while and then moved on from. Some things stayed. What helped me wasn’t asking, “What will I love forever?” but instead asking, “What do I enjoy learning more about right now?”

There’s also a difference between curiosity and long-term interest, and the only way to discover that difference is through experience. Curiosity is when something feels exciting or interesting. A deeper passion usually shows up when:
 - You’re willing to struggle to get better at it.
 - You don’t give up when it gets hard.
 - You find yourself thinking about it even when you don’t have to.

But even that can change and that’s okay. The idea that you must decide early or you’ll regret it later puts too much pressure on you. Most people’s paths are not straight lines. They explore, adjust, and sometimes completely change directions. School choices feel permanent, but they’re really just stepping stones. You don’t have to choose your entire future right now. You just have to choose your next step.

If you love learning new things, that might actually be part of who you are. Some people aren’t meant to fit into one narrow box; they build careers that combine different interests. For example, someone who loves math and art might go into design, architecture, or data visualization. Someone who loves science and coding might work in research, medicine, or technology. The combinations are endless.

Give yourself permission to explore without pressure. Your job right now is not to “figure out your whole life.” Your job is to stay curious, try things, and notice what makes you feel energized.

You are not behind. You are exactly where you should be. Wishing you confidence and courage as you explore!

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for figuring out the future. The future evolves with every decision we make. If you are passionate about the job or career you choose you will feel much more gratified. But even that statement is relative. Maybe your passion is family and having a job that provides flexibility to spend more time with family is more important and provides the same level of gratification. Knowing what your passion is as a teenager is not a requirement.

Keep in mind the things that are important to you and make decisions in that direction. Is a college education important to you? Since you seem highly interested in learning and might want to become an engineer, focus on that for now. Many individuals obtain college degrees and do not work in the field they chose as a major, your education is just one step in the ultimate future.

I personally would have never thought I would end up in an engineering field at your age. Much like you I thought computer programming or some kind of data analytics position would be my future. Decisions and personal circumstances led me to where I am today:

• Community College Major in Computer Programming -- Failed Trigonometry and PASCAL programing in my first year
• Agreements with my parents that I would reimburse them for failed classes - lead to Part Time Employment/Reduced College Hours
• Indecision due to confidence in myself, financial pressures (parents and my own), and continuing academic struggles - lead to Enlistment in the Navy (specialty computer operations)
• 10 years in the Navy gave me skills, confidence, and personal financial independence
• The birth of my daughter led to a decision to leave the military. Note: I could have remained in the military and retired. I sometimes wonder what life would have been if I had made a different decision, but I have no regrets.
• Acceptance of a position with (Bell Atlantic) now Verizon Telecom
• Promotion Requirement to get College Degree completed
• Now I plan fiber optic networks for Verizon delivering Residential Internet and TV services, Business High Capacity Data Circuits, Backbone Networks for Wireless carriers, and even Plain Old Telephone Services.

So keep asking yourself what you are passionate about, but don't think you need to plan your whole future out in one day. Are there individuals who just know what they want to do and work toward that goal? Absolutely! If you are not one of them, don't sweat the small stuff, your future just has a different trajectory.

It’s okay not to know your passion yet. Liking lots of things and being curious is a good thing, not a problem. You don’t have to decide your future in middle school, and the choices you make now won’t lock you into one path forever. Passion usually grows after you spend time learning, trying, and getting a little better at something—not before. For example, I attended Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts for instrumental music and played the flute. I really enjoyed it and even continued playing in college as a non major, but over time I learned that my strongest passion was actually science. For now, it’s enough to explore, enjoy learning, and see what sticks. Your interests can change, and that’s normal.

That's a great question. It's exciting that you find so many things interesting and a love of learning will help in almost any career! I didn't always want to be an engineer but made choices along the way that gave me flexibility and aligned with what I found interesting. So I chose maths, physics and computing at school because I found them all interesting and knew they could lead to a wide variety of careers. I later chose an engineering degree at University because it made use of all three again and would also lead to lots of career options.

Even now that I've been working in a gas transmission company for many years, I could still take the skills I've developed and change to another company in a totally different sector. So I'd suggest focusing on what you enjoy balanced with ensuring you are learning skills and knowledge that will give you options. Nothing is ever set in stone forever but if you go super specialist then it can be harder to change later if it doesn't work out.

I was also interested in many different things: I liked art, I played cello, I liked all my school subjects. However, as an only child, I knew in the 9th grade that I did not want to depend on a man or a spouse's income to put a roof over my head, clothes on my back, food in my mouth, and wheels under my feet. I learned about financial independence for two reasons: 1) my mother worked in a bank, and 2) I personally saw what happened to a neighbor lady with no skills when her husband left and divorced her and 3 kids.

So, I knew I needed to work and to be able to depend on myself. Engineering was my answer - why? I liked science and math and engineering paid very, very well. With a 4-year BS degree, I could make more than enough money to support myself in a good way. Becoming a doctor would take 8 years of expensive education and becoming a lawyer would take 7 years of education; however, an engineer, with only 4 years of college, could make very good money over time. Going to work fast may not be a need for you, but I was the first person to graduate from college in my family (both sides) and well, engineering has changed my life sooo positively!

It is fine to try something out to see if you like it and then switch to something new. As long as you have the basic math and science skills you will have lots of options to consider if you study Engineering at university. I started off thinking I would like chemical engineering and then switched to a totally different engineering field in aerospace once I took different university courses.