Sarath Babu
Writing

Is My Profession My Passion?Archived

Reflection

Signs that tell you whether the work you do is a job or the thing you were going to do anyway. Written a year into development, while cybersecurity kept pulling me back.

C Sarath Babu (Chidatala Sarath Babu)'s writing on work and passion. A wooden signpost against a blue sky, its arms pointing three different ways

A year ago I found myself diving into development, but deep down I always knew cybersecurity was my true calling. Despite my current role, I constantly feel a pull back to the field that excites me the most.

This comes from my own journey, and from conversations with people who have found their purpose.

Consistent curiosity

Everyone is curious from time to time. What matters here is that it does not stop.

You stay engaged with your profession beyond what the job actually requires.

Do you find joy in learning and exploring ideas outside your regular work?
When someone brings up a topic from your field, do you get genuinely excited to say more?
Do you go looking for how the best people and companies in your field got there?

Inner peace

You find deep satisfaction in the work itself, driven by something inside rather than what anyone else thinks.

You face problems and still want to put in the sweat every day, because the whole of it comes out positive.

Would you stay with it even if nobody noticed what you contributed?
When you are working hard, do you feel energised rather than drained?
Beyond the money, is there a sense of purpose in it?
Are you proud of what you do, even when others do not fully understand why it matters?

Genuine care

You put thought into every part of the work, and go further than asked because it satisfies you, not because someone is watching.

Do you find yourself fixing the small details without being told?
Have you disagreed with at least one person because you felt strongly about something?
Does it bother you when you see gaps in your work, or in someone else's?

Natural talent alignment

You can trace what you do today back to what you were like as a child.

Think about your friends and the roles you naturally took in group activities, back when nobody was validating you for it. If you planned events or kept everyone on schedule, that organising instinct is probably still shaping your career now.

In childhood, what interested you most?
How would your friends have described you then, as a leader, an organiser, a problem solver, someone creative?
What tasks made you happy, and which ones did you hate?
Where did you agree with your parents, and where did you not?
Did you follow the rules, or push against them?

What it comes to

If these sound like you, then the work is not just a profession.

It is your ikigai. The point where what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for all meet.

I am focused on development right now. Cybersecurity is still my passion, and I know that is where I belong.