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Hi Rachel and Kristen!
This is more of a comment/general thoughts on the Passion Profile philosophy that I was interested on getting your thoughts on:
Ever since I did the Passion Profile quiz and short course (I’m a true and true Thriver), I have shared the quiz far and wide to as many friends as I can – so far no one has gotten a result they think is completely wrong for them.
Interestingly, I’m finding all of my friends are Thrivers or Tribe Members (the two profiles that I believe cross over the most, then Fire Starter/Side Hustler cross over the most again).
But even more interestingly – my partner is a Side Hustler, so quite opposite to myself. One of my friends Karien who is also a Thriver, got the guy she’s dating to do the quiz and he got Side Hustler. She says that’s definitely him – for example he’s developing a product on the side of his regular job, and has spent $50k developing it. For a Thriver like her, the thought of spending $50k on a side project makes her feel nauseous! 🙂
My question is – do you think that we are generally attracted to people who are similar to us in friendship, but seek the opposite in relationships? Is it a matter of Yin/Yang and being attracted to different qualities that you are missing within yourself perhaps? But like attracts like for friends?
Second question is – have you ever considered writing a book? I talk to so many people about your Passion Profiles and the theory around combining your values around time, passion and money with your work, and that’s what makes it so unique. I could just definitely see a ‘The Passion Profile’ book on the shelves one day.
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for your reply, yes I have looked at a number of options and have settled on dietetics for a number of reasons. I have been researching this pathway for a while and at least in Australia the term nutritionist is not a regulated term. As a result the quality of nutritionists vary greatly, some have only done online courses for a couple of weeks and call themselves nutritionists.
I’ve seen a ‘nutritionist’ go on one of our TV morning shows and talk about a ‘study’ that said eating chocolate daily made you lose weight – seriously. Now it turns out this study was a prank (to make a point about the media not researching nutrition studies before reporting on them), and this ‘nutritionist’ was not qualified to read the medical literature or comment on this study – but she just wanted her face on the TV. Health coaches tends to have the same problem, it’s even more vague than a nutritionist and for me it’s just not a credible health profession – I know that sounds harsh, but that’s truly how I feel about them.
A dietitian is more regulated and more respected within the industry, plus has to be university educated. There are also more job opportunities for dieticians since they can do everything a nutritionist can do, I have a family friend who is a lecturer in nutrition at a university and she strongly recommended not becoming a nutritionist due to the job market and credibility.
One thing I thought of doing while I study is be a nutrition or food assistant in a health setting, this doesn’t require qualifications beyond a food handling certificate, but is a good way to start working in the nutrition and dietetics industry before being fully qualified.
Hi Rachel,
Thank you for the advice! That is really good advice, I had a chat with my 80 year old self 😉 and this is what she had to say:
“What? You think 28 is too old to change careers? Ha! That is crazy talk, especially when your instincts about the PR industry were right and it’s only going to get more stressful and continue to shrink. Being a travel agent was a great job in the 80s but that all changed with the internet, PR’s likely going to go that way too – and you know studying lights you up and health science will likely be less demanding and allow you to work more reasonable hours than PR – perfect for a Thriver!”
So that really helped me find clarity that I do want to change careers – as scary and exciting as that may be! The idea of buying textbooks and attending lectures again, really light me up – yes I am a bit of a Hermione/nerd! haha
I have found in my city there is one dietetics course that does a fast tracked version that is completed in 4 years rather than 5, plus my boyfriend suggested finding out if the university does summer units so I could finish units faster and I’ve realised I can likely use the electives I completed during my Arts degree and transfer them as credit. It’s still going to realistically be years, but there may be ways to lighten the study load.
Thanks again!
Hi Rachel and Kristen,
I wanted to ask a question about career changes and how a career change will trigger many different life decisions/opportunities – first a bit of background: I am really thinking of changing my career completely, I’ve worked in public relations and communications for 5+ years but I’ve had a lot of blows in the industry – redundancies, agencies that made me hate my life by under-resourcing that led to working ridiculously long hours (I’m a 100% Thriver so I NEED work life balance) and the latest blow came just before last Christmas. I thought I had found a PR job where I was really happy, but then was let go during my trial period – unpacking the situation with a counsellor has led me to find a lot of the situation was likely related to money in the business and I was the easiest team member to let go of.
Over the last year I have been really considering a career in Dietetics and Nutrition, I find health particularly how food relates to health, has always been a keen interest of mine – I read all about it in my spare time. I also love the idea of helping people get healthier with food, both mentally and physically. Plus my own Grandma was able to get back on track when a dietitian helped her gain weight after having her teeth removed, I’d love to help people in that way – and I’ve started to feel that PR while a fun profession has always been a bit superficial. Additionally I feel a lot of my blows in this industry is because the industry is shrinking (like journalism) and the money is not in the industry that it once was, so I worry about how the industry will look in 10 years time.
Now I’m 28, and I’m at the cusp of making a lot of other big life decisions – I’m halfway towards saving for a house deposit, my partner and I are ready to move in together, we talk about doing things like travel, having a baby, buying a place to live and he also would like to do an MBA.
I know I’m not old, but I think about the 5 years a dietitian course will take… I feel this decision would be a lot easier if I was 21! So now I’m having all these questions, should I keep saving for a house deposit and buy a house? Should I study? Should my partner and I travel since he hasn’t had the travel the world experience? Should we have a baby?
I’m torn between staying on the path I’m on now in PR which will lead me to buying a property and having a baby, or jump into something I feel is my passion and that I’m called to but will potentially put that other path on ‘hold.’
Hi Kristen and Rachel,
Firstly I’d like to thank you both for the impact the passion profiles has had on my life so far. I’ve almost finished the short course and I feel so clear on what I want for my next role.
I’m a classic ‘Thriver,’ I highly value balance and am not getting that from my current company. In past jobs where I’ve been happy, I’ve been able to work 9-5pm 90-95% of the time – with a decent lunch break every day.
I’m currently looking for work and have a few interview opportunities lined up, I want to know how I ask about my dealbreaker without sounding like I’m not willing to put in a few extra hours when is absolutely needed. The truth is, I don’t mind the occasional overtime – if I’m working on an event (I work in PR) and we’re getting everything ready the night before that is absolutely fine. Or if I get an urgent request from a producer at a radio station for my client to appear that night on their radio show at 5pm, again I’m completely ok with that – but when my company assigns me 20+ hours of work in a month in excess of my full time hours, I absolutely hate it and my health becomes really affected – anxiety, depression, panic attacks etc. This is what my current company is doing which is why I’m leaving!
So, how can I make sure in interviews this very important dealbreaker is asked without sounding like I’m not occasionally willing to go beyond what the office hours are?
