Why Having a Passion is Essential to Professional Development

When Breana started the program, her goal was to get clarity on her skills, find happiness in her professional life that ultimately stems into her personal life, and know how to communicate professionally. Her ultimate dream was to see the direction she wanted and what steps she needed to take to get there.

Once Breana discovered her passions, it became clear she wanted to bridge her passions and skillset into her next career role. And knowing her passions helped her become more confident at work and overall helped her professional development. 

Here is Breana’s Career Exploration journey toward landing her dream job.

I've been in advertising for the past five years. I started my career at an agency and went to the publishing side. From there, I transitioned into ad operations, where I'm currently a marketing manager.

A significant hesitation for me going into the program was thinking a few hours a week would be tough with my crazy busy schedule. But, I also thought..will this be worth it? Will this work for me? And 100 percent it was! I'm so happy I did. You can always make time for things to help yourself and your future. So, for me, this was an excellent investment.

Before starting this program, I was confused about my role in my career overall. I was just going through motions and steps. I never understood what I liked to do. I knew I didn't want to do certain things, but I never took the time to understand my skills and interests and how I could apply those to my role. 

I was dealing with a lack of confidence in meetings and wasn’t clear about what was expected. I’d prepare all weekend for a meeting on Monday and find out that’s not what was expected of me. Through the coaching, I made a communication tweak. I simply asked for clarity. I asked the CEO what he would like to see, and from there,  I learned what to expect moving forward. Now I feel prepared! I currently lead the meetings and can guide the conversation. 

Through the career exploration process, I've gained more confidence in myself. In addition, I've learned much about who I am, career-wise and outside of my role, and I've realized that I love cooking! 

Through the passion exercise in the program, I  realized that I love lifestyle, health, wellness, and animals, which inspired me to want to get into the food industry. But, unfortunately, that’s one thing I don’t have experience-wise, so I started my Youtube channel, which is the perfect opportunity to build experience on my own. I love to see something tangible from this experience and a way to make a bridge into a new industry. So it’s a win-win for fulfilling a passion and gaining experience.

I also started looking for places where I could combine my skills and passions and got an interview for a role in that industry, and I got a job offer!  That was cool because it was just the second interview I’d had in this process, and I've never had a job offer so quickly before PLUS at a higher salary. I feel like I got there so soon because I was prepared with my career success stories and knew the right questions to ask in the interview to ensure it would be the right fit. And honestly, it wasn’t, but I could turn it down confidently.

The most significant impact of this work is number one, knowing my boundaries. I started this journey working hours and hours and not putting time into what I enjoy or making sure I log off—so setting myself up for success and self-care. 

The second would be I learned so much about myself. I learned about my interests and passions, which have helped me grow as a person, professionally as a manager, and colleague. 

And the third thing is I've learned that it's important to have passions. Before this, I wouldn't have any desire to do anything outside of work. I would get home and just sit and watch Netflix. 

I was not expecting to love the process so much! It was cool to see how the exercises flowed so well from start to end; it showed me a clear path into that end game, and having it on paper and seeing so much I've accomplished is huge! Also, it was cool to know that I could combine my skills and passions into a career path and see those two worlds collide. 

Right now, I'm hiring for a new role at my company and working on my management and training skills. I started a Youtube channel and filmed my first video, and I'm going to post it soon. I’m also browsing new jobs within the food industry to see what else comes my way!  

UPDATE: Soon after our interview Breana landed her dream job as a Marketing Manager at Google Food!

Watch Breana's interview: