We’re often told: do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.

But what happens when you do what you love… and end up hating it?

I’ve seen this too many times to count.

A close friend who loved animals became a vet, expecting to spend her days cuddling puppies and helping pets. But her reality was very different. She found herself surrounded by suffering, delivering bad news to heartbroken owners, and sometimes being the one responsible for ending an animal’s life. She still loves animals—but the emotional toll of her work chipped away at her spirit.

Another friend entered medicine to help people. She was driven, intelligent, and compassionate. But what she didn’t expect was the broken systems, the red tape, and the way her day-to-day became more about managing crisis than providing care. Her passion for people didn’t fade—but her joy in the work did.

So here’s a truth that’s hard to hear: Sometimes turning your passion into your profession is the fastest way to fall out of love with it.

What if the real secret to job satisfaction isn’t about chasing your passion—but about designing a life?

The happiest people I know don’t necessarily have the sexiest job titles. They don’t all work in flashy industries or spend their days doing what they once dreamed of as kids.

What they do have is alignment.

• Their daily routine matches their ideal way of working.
• Their strengths are put to use in practical ways.
• Their values are mirrored in their environment.
• They enjoy what they do, not just what they stand for.

It’s not about the job title. It’s about the experience of the work itself.

I never dreamed of being a Solutions Architect

It wasn’t on my radar. Not in high school. Not even in my first years working. I thought I wanted to be in marketing. I’d watched shows and movies where smart, creative people listened to client briefs and delivered quick, genius ideas with snappy visuals. That looked exciting. That looked fulfilling.

So I did what I thought made sense. I got a job in marketing for a SharePoint consultancy.

And slowly—but steadily—I found myself being pulled behind the curtain of Microsoft consultancy. The real work—the design, the systems thinking, the process mapping—that was where my brain lit up. I worked my way through technical consulting, built hands-on solutions, led workshops, helped clients solve complex challenges…

And before I knew it, I had a job I never dreamed of—because I didn’t know it existed. And I loved it.

That’s when it clicked for me: the dream job might not be the one you expect. It might not look like what you imagined. But it feels like alignment, purpose, and momentum when you’re in it.

If you’re not sure what your “dream job” is, here’s a better way to approach it:

🔄 Don’t start with “what” you want to be. Start with how you want to spend your day.

Forget the title. Forget the prestige. Forget what your LinkedIn headline would say.

• Do you like talking to people all day?
• Do you want to be at home in your trackies?
• Do you thrive on checklists and structure?
• Or are you better in open-ended, creative spaces?
• Do you want your days predictable—or to be constantly responding to change?

Start with those answers. Design your career from your ideal lifestyle—not the other way around.

🔍 Break your “happy days” down into tasks, not roles.

Think about what energizes you:

• Do you love planning, structuring, or organising?
• Do you enjoy leading discussions or quietly researching?
• Do you like guiding others through change?
• Does solving puzzles light you up?

Then research jobs that involve those tasks. Even if the job title sounds dry, look closer—you might find the bones of something beautiful in the details.

🤝 Go to networking events—not for the connections, but for the truth

One of the best things you can do is talk to real people about their jobs. Not a recruiter, not a job ad—actual people, living the day-to-day you’re curious about.

Ask them:

• What do you actually do each day?
• What parts of the job surprised you?
• What do you love—and what do you put up with?
• If you could redesign your role, what would you change?

This gives you a much more accurate picture of what you’re really signing up for.

⏳ Make a time-bound, step-by-step roadmap

This is where dreaming meets doing. Set a clear target: “I want to be in a [Job Title] role, earning [$X], at [Type of Company] by [Date].”

Now reverse engineer it:

• What does that mean 5 years from now?
• 3 years?
• 12 months?
• 6 months?
• 3 months?
• Next week?
• Tomorrow?
• What could you do in the next 20 minutes?

When you break it down this way, it becomes less overwhelming and more actionable. Even if you’re pivoting careers entirely—it’s never too late to start.

The job you were meant to do might not exist on your radar yet

And that’s okay. That’s exciting, actually.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to know what we want to do from the beginning. But you can’t always think your way into it. Sometimes you need to try things, talk to people, follow threads of interest, and experiment.

If you don’t feel lit up by your job right now, ask yourself:

• Is it the industry, or the way I’m working?
• Is it the work itself, or how it’s measured and valued?
• What if the thing I love isn’t the job, but the type of problem I enjoy solving?

You might find your way to something that fits you better than you ever imagined—simply by chasing the tasks that bring you joy and learning where they live.

You don’t have to wait for the perfect opportunity. You just have to take the next smallest step toward a better one.

Your dream job might be hiding behind a title you’ve never heard of. But you’ll know you’ve found it—not by the name on your badge—but by how you feel at the end of the day.

Joyful. Energized. Proud. Like you’re in the right place.