MANY of us try to like our jobs or work out a living doing something we like. Unfortunately, very few people manage to achieve that, mainly because we do not have control over the many variables in life that pave the way to a desired future.

At the tender age of 11, I decided I wanted to be an engineer. More than that, I wanted to work closely with aircraft. I guess repeatedly watching space shuttle launches on Discovery with my dad had somehow gave me a fondness towards anything that flies. How could you not be fascinated when more than 70 tonnes of steel reaches approximately 29,000 km/h to get into space?
I have no regrets about pursuing my dream profession, but I’m actually more concerned about getting bored of a job than actually getting one in the first place.

We all dream about going to work every day and enjoying every second of it, but the reality is, getting stuck in a rut at some point is pretty much inevitable.

I came across an article several years ago that said getting back to something that you unconditionally love will help you get over work depression. Basically, if you have passion for what you’re doing, you won’t get tired of it.

It sounds simple, but there are obviously so many people out there who are not enjoying their jobs, and allowing stress to slowly seep into their lives.
I have come across many people work just for their pay cheques, but only a handful who can say that they are truly passionate about what they do.

For me, my full-time “job” now is studying engineering, and already it has taken me on many bumpy rides. It’s fairly common among engineering students to start asking themselves: “Why am I even studying this?”
It’s during times like this that you naturally wish you had something, a passion, that you can fall back on.

For me, I always look to these passions of mine whenever the journey to my dream career gets rough. Writing is one of those passions, something that I took up fairly recently.
It was only towards the end of the BRATs workshop I attended that my passion for writing was established. Whether it was reporting an an event, or just coming up with stories on current issues, being a BRAT allowed me to enjoy experiences that my chosen area of study didn’t allow for.

I’m sure you will agree with me that your profession and passion don’t always go together. So my question is this – do you have a passion to seek refuge in when times are rough, professionally? For me, being able to write for the BRATs is my priceless passion.
* The write is a member of the BRATs, a young journalism programme by R.AGE. Log on to facebook.com/starbrats for more information and to read all their stories.