Do you find yourself plateauing in your 9-5, or do you want to make a major pivot but are unsure of what you want to do? Career journeys can be a meandering road with lots of hurdles.

Joseph Liu writes in Forbes that it’s always good to have a Plan B in case your main gig does not align with your values.  

Liu emphasizes the importance of exploring your natural interests. The first step? Giving yourself some wiggle room in your daily routine to figure out what you like to do.  

“I quickly surmised the world of health policy and corporate consulting was not for me, but I was at a great company with a stable job, surrounded by interesting people and a positive culture,” writes Liu.  

“Instead of immediately jumping ship, I decided to learn as much as I could there and use my time outside of work to explore some of my other interests.” 

Testing the waters of diverting from your original path is another way to explore what you want to do. He suggests pursuing different variations of your career and dedicating evenings and weekends to your hobbies.  

For example, even if you don’t want to take on your hobby of baking as a career, it’s useful to examine why you like baking. From there, you can find careers that may incorporate the skills you need for baking, even if it’s not necessarily in the culinary field.  

Trying out new things can be intimidating and jumping around from one gig can come with its own negative connotations. But testing the waters and dabbling gives you room to explore what your true interests lie.  

Read more about how you can use your interests to find the right career for you on Forbes.  

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Youtuber LaurenZSide talks about how she turned her hobby into a career.

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