Finding The Intersection Between Interest & Opportunity
One of the best pieces of career advice I have received over the last couple of years came via Kristian Andersen in a lunch ’n learn we hosted at Sigstr. We were talking about the hunt that many go on to find and follow their passion(s) as they work to develop their career path. Pursuing a passion is an honorable endeavor and one that many pursue, but Kristian made the great point that following your passion often can lead to a less than desirable result. Why is that? The vast majority of “passions” present a very difficult path to being financially viable. Now, money certainly isn’t everything, but we all must make a living and find ways to become financially stable. If we can do this while satisfying a passion in the same line of work, then by all means we should do that.
Kristian’s point, however, was that a very small percentage of people are actually able to pull this off…it’s a reality of life. His advice was to instead find the intersection of interest and opportunity. To me this is about finding something that you get excited about every single day when you wake up, but also presents opportunity for personal and professional growth. Find a role and subject matter that interests you, surrounded by people that you enjoy spending time with, and a company that aligns to your personal values. This intersection of interest and opportunity can turn into a career path of prosperity and then provide time on the side to scratch that passion itch.
As I reflect on my path, it has been the intersection of SaaS, entrepreneurship and customer management. Over the years I have grown to find a lot of joy in managing and representing customers, building and developing teams and studying the craft of customer success, entrepreneurship and leadership. The work is challenging and rewarding and there is always room to grow and learn. It took me several years to find this combination, but now that I have I am more excited than ever to charge ahead.
This advice from Kristian has been inspiring as I work to pursue my personal and professional goals within the field of customer success. For the new project we have aspirations to build a vibrant company that creates opportunity for all and aligns to an important mission. With this, we hope to provide a means to our employees for finding the intersection of interest and opportunity.
