How to practice your Ikigai?

“Allow your passion to become your purpose, and it will one day become your profession.” Gabrielle Bernstein

According to a recent study, the most important thing for millennials, as well as baby boomers, is to follow their passion to achieve life goals. That gives them intrinsic motivation but then the question comes, what if the passion is unrealistic and not viable in the real world? The 21st century is highly competitive and fluid. Jobs and needs are evolving. The trends come and go and they leave behind success or unsuccessful stories like the Dot-com bubble burst. This century is the century of innovations and adaptations. The innovative smart engineering solutions would require contributions from all the engineering domains. Industry 4.0 demands amalgamation of different domains to find empathetic solutions. In such tumultuous times graduates needs to have roots and wings both. The roots in the form of core-skills and knowledge, and wings in the form of passion. The stereotyping of "following passion and hungry artists" is changing now. The job market needs competent and innovative employees in all sectors. At this point in time what you are taking from the world should be matched with what you are contributing.

Japanese secret of Ikigai is balancing the trend and passion both. It is the intersection of What you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. So balancing passion with required skills for employability will not only add to your life value but also meaning.

Though Covid-19 has created havoc around the world and this is the time to stay safe and taking care of your loved ones, it is also a great opportunity to mull over, explore, and think about your future plans.

This time also presents a dilemma. The dilemma of choosing between passion and choose a stream that leads to a successful career? Most of the students often opt for the second option. Many choose the engineering stream as it is a short course as compared to other professional courses and hence makes students job-ready quickly. May empirical studies suggest the choice of the stream is due to many external influences. According to a survey, in India 65% of students enroll in engineering courses due to parental pressure. The survey states that most of these students do not have a strong aptitude for subjects such as physics and math; which are the key subjects in engineering. Despite this, they are forced into studying in one of the many engineering colleges in our country. Peer induce is the second most important factor. The survey states that students often enroll in a course because their friends are doing it. Another important reason is the perception of a studied field in the job market. Most of the times students make a decision due to one of these factors.

Deciding without intrinsic motivation and non-alignment with your passion ultimately leads to disenchantment, dissatisfaction, low productivity and an increase in stress levels. At times, this can even become a fatal choice.

If we want to have a happy and productive workplace, we need to have happy employees. One of the ways to do this is by giving students the freedom to choose what they want to study and lead a career which they want to pursue. Students can do this by identifying their interests and skills. But it has a rider. A chosen profession totally based on interest and passion many not be financially lucrative but if you are good in what you do, the sky can be the limit.

What you need to do

Ask questions such as "What interests me the most?" "Is it tinkering with different types of devices? If yes, one can choose Mechanical Engineering. "Is it learning how the automated world functions? Then, Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Engineering can be a suitable option. "Do I want to solve the energy crisis and work towards building a better environment?" If you do, then Environmental Engineering is the right choice.
Do what you do best.
Know how to say No.
Conserve your energy.
Pay attention to your personal development.
Simplify, don't make things difficult.

Finding answers to such questions will help students figure out a career which they are excited about and evolve into an expert in that field. Thus, practice your Ikigai.

At the end of the day, students need to be satisfied with their decision. They should know trends may come and go, placement statistics can change, and parents and friends will move on. One thing which will remain constant is their decision; which can influence their professional life positively. This is why students should consider choosing a professional course based on their passion and interests alone. So, think during these times of upheaval. Think about your Ikigai, think about the meaning you want to have.

(The author is director and dean of an institute of technology)