How to Find a Fulfilling Career: 6 Steps Most People Skip

career fulfillment career passion Jul 23, 2025

Do you live to learn? Do you ever fall hard for a topic… devour every book, binge podcasts, and even think, “Should I change careers and do this full-time?” Then the moment you actually try the work, you feel surprisingly drained?

This is one of the most common, and most confusing, career dilemmas I see in my coaching practice. It's especially common for people with what Jonathan Fields, creator of the Sparketype© assessment, calls the Maven Sparketype©.

As someone who works with hundreds of professionals navigating mid-career pivots and uncertainty, I want to shine a light on this often-overlooked truth: Being fascinated by a topic doesn’t automatically translate into a fulfilling career.

Let’s unpack that together, and don’t worry, we’re going to make sense of it all.

🎧 Prefer to listen? How to Find Work that Doesn't Destroy your Soul

The Problem with Turning Curiosity Into a Fulfilling Career

First, let’s talk about the concept of the Sparketype®” If you haven’t taken the Sparketype assessment, I highly recommend it, it’s free and incredibly insightful.

Out of all the types, the Maven is the most common. A whopping 52% of people have it as either their primary or shadow Sparketype®.

Mavens are driven by a deep, near-primal urge to learn. You’re the kind of person who gets a buzz from uncovering new insights, loves to research, or gets absorbed into a fascinating topic. You love the thrill of discovery, understanding, the joy of soaking in knowledge just for its own sake.

As a Maven, you might hear yourself say:

“I just need to understand how this works.”
“I could read about this stuff all day.”
“This is so interesting, I wonder if I could make a career out of it…”

And that’s where things get tricky.

The Trap: Don’t Confuse Fascination with a Fulfilling Career

When we find something deeply interesting, it’s natural to want more of it. But here’s the problem: learning about something and doing the work of that thing are often radically different experiences.

And for Mavens, this gap can feel like an invisible trap.

Let me share a story from my practice that illustrates this perfectly.

Rebecca’s Story: When Pilates Isn’t the Answer

Rebecca Scott, a recent guest on my podcast, is a classic Maven. She's curious and has a true love of learning.

A while ago, she fell hard for Pilates. She dove into everything, the biomechanics, the mind-body connection, the health benefits. She could talk about it for hours.

And then came the thought: “Maybe I should become a Pilates instructor?”

It seemed logical, right? Love Pilates? Teach Pilates.

But something inside her made her pause. Thank goodness it did. She stopped and asked herself: “Do I want to spend my days standing in front of a class, motivating students, demonstrating movements, correcting posture, guiding energy?”

Her answer? A clear, resounding no.

Rebecca realized what lit her up wasn’t teaching. It wasn’t the repetition. It was the learning. The knowledge. The physiology. The philosophy.

The day-to-day work of being a Pilates instructor would drain her dry.

She dodged a career trap that so many fall into. And her story is the perfect example of why fascination does not equal fulfillment.

The Therapist Dilemma: When Loving Psychology Doesn’t Equal Career Fulfillment

Let’s look at another example, one I see all the time in coaching.

So many people are drawn to psychology. And honestly? Who can blame them. The human mind is fascinating.

I’ve worked with dozens of clients who lit up during their psychology courses. They devoured Freud and Jung, explored attachment theory, dissected cognitive distortions. They couldn’t get enough.

Then they became therapists. And everything changed.

Instead of learning, they were doing. Day after day, they held space for others, managed emotional energy, responded to crises, facilitated healing.

Important work. Meaningful work. But for a Maven? Not always energizing.

And this is the part that breaks their brain. They come to me saying: “But I love psychology. Why am I so burned out?”

Here’s why: studying psychology and practicing therapy are two completely different experiences.

Being a Maven means the act of learning is the reward. But many careers, especially helping professions like therapy, require applying that knowledge in a service-oriented way. And that is where the disconnect lives.

You might adore the theories. The research. The thrill of understanding the human mind. But the day-to-day reality of the job? That can feel draining, even when you are great at it.

The Heart of the Issue: You’re Not Starting Over

If this is hitting home, maybe you’re feeling stuck. You got the degree. You made the career move. And now your energy is gone. You’re asking yourself: Did I make a huge mistake?

Let me say this loud and clear: You are not starting over. You are getting clearer.

This isn’t failure. This is growth. This is self-awareness. And that clarity? It’s the foundation of a fulfilling career.

The truth is, your learning hasn’t gone to waste. Not even close. The knowledge you’ve gained, the passion you’ve built, the depth of understanding, all of that is part of you. It matters.

But here’s what might need to shift: the way you use it. Fulfillment might look different than you imagined. And that is a good thing.

Step by Step: How to Find a Fulfilling Career (Without Falling for the Trap)

So how do you make sure you’re not just chasing fascination…but actually creating a career that feels good, sustainable, and alive?

Here’s where we dig in.

1. Identify your Sparketype® profile

If you haven’t taken the Sparketype Assessment, start there. If you have, revisit your results with fresh eyes. Ask yourself:

What is my Sparketype® profile?
What fuels me? What topics or domains do I always return to?
What other Sparketype® is part of my profile? (Maybe the Advisor, who lives to guide, or the Scientist, who thrives when figuring things out.)

Why this matters: Awareness is everything. Understanding your inner drivers gives you the language to explain why something doesn’t feel right, even when it “should.”

2. Differentiate the Learning from the Labor

Ask yourself:

What exactly am I fascinated by?
What would it actually look like to work in this field day-to-day?
Do I want to be learning about this, or doing the applied version of it?

Imagine a week in the life of that profession:

If you love nutrition, do you want to read research studies, or counsel clients on meal plans?
If you love astronomy, do you want to explore stars, or crunch data for a telescope institute?
If you’re into yoga and meditation, do you want to dive into the philosophies and benefits, or guide others through classes and hold space for their emotions?
If you’re passionate about the outdoors, do you want to study ecosystems and hiking routes, or lead group treks through unpredictable weather and logistical planning?

The difference matters. A lot.

Ready to discover your dream career? Book your free Career Clarity Call today!

3. Experiment Without Commitment

Before you leap into a new certification, degree, or career, test the waters.

Volunteer
Shadow someone
Talk to professionals in the field
Try a small side project

Rebecca didn’t need to become a Pilates instructor to know it wasn’t for her. She simply imagined the day-to-day, and her body gave her the answer.

Trust that gut check. It’s wisdom.

4. Honor the Fascination, Even If It Stays a Hobby

Here’s something that might blow your mind: You don’t have to monetize every passion.

Some fascinations are meant to feed your soul, not pay your bills.

It’s okay, more than okay, to keep your love for psychology, or Pilates, or history, or linguistics, or astronomy alive through reading, discussion, and exploration, without making it your profession.

This doesn’t make it “less important.” It makes it yours.

5. Find a Career Path That Fuels Your Fascination

You don’t have to work as the thing you love, you can work around it.

Let’s say you’re fascinated by history. That doesn’t mean you need to become a historian or professor. Instead, what if you explored roles at companies like Ancestry or MyHeritage, where history and human stories are at the heart of the product? You could thrive in positions like user research, genealogy content curator, market research analyst, or even data storytelling, all of which let you dive into historical trends and archival data without being in academia.

Love the outdoors? You don’t have to become a park ranger or guide (unless that excites you). You might find a fulfilling role at REI, AllTrails, or The North Face in positions like product researcher, sustainability analyst, customer insights specialist, or content strategist for outdoor education. These roles keep you connected to what you love while using your natural learning strengths to make an impact.

Or maybe you’re passionate about mental health and psychology. If you love the subject but don’t want to spend your days in therapy sessions, look at companies like Calm, Headspace, or BetterHelp. Roles like curriculum researcher, behavioral content developer, UX researcher, or community education lead will keep you immersed in psychology in a way that feels energizing instead of draining.

Here’s a mindset shift that can change everything: what you do is different from where you do it.

The what is the actual work you love, the activity that makes you feel alive. For Mavens, that usually means learning, researching, and discovering. That’s your spark.

The where is the context, the industry or topic that fascinates you. Maybe it’s wellness, tech, sustainability, or the outdoors.

When you separate the two, everything clicks. You stop forcing yourself into the wrong roles and start finding careers that let you do the work you love in a world you care about. That’s where fulfillment begins.

6. Design Your Role Around Your Spark

If you do want to stay in your current field, ask: “How can I infuse more learning into my work?”

Can you take on research projects?
Can you mentor others through knowledge-sharing?
Can you propose learning-based initiatives or write thought pieces?
Does your company support professional development?
Can you upskill or learn new things on your own?

Sometimes the answer isn’t to leave, it’s to tweak.

Redefining What a Truly Fulfilling Career Looks Like

Fulfillment isn’t always loud. It doesn’t always come with a new title, a huge raise, or a dramatic career pivot. Sometimes it’s quieter.

It’s the feeling of alignment. The sense of “Yes… this is how I want my work to feel.”

If you’re a Maven, you’re wired for curiosity. That’s a gift. But true fulfillment comes when you match that curiosity with work that lets you use it in the right way.

You can love neuroscience and choose not to work in a hospital.
You can adore language and decide not to become a translator.
You can be fascinated by psychology and not want to be a therapist.

What fascinates you can inspire your path, but it doesn’t have to define it.

What Fulfillment Feels Like

Fulfillment isn’t a quick rush of excitement. It’s steady. Grounded. It feels like alignment — like waking up calm and clear, not to prove something, but to experience something meaningful.

And you deserve that.

So let’s stop confusing fascination with fulfillment. Let’s start asking better questions. Let’s design lives that honor how we’re truly wired.

And yes, you can absolutely build a career that feels fulfilling, even if it looks different from what you imagined.

I believe in your path, even if it’s winding. And you don’t have to walk it alone.

Ready to explore what your Sparketype® really means for your career? Book a coaching session with me and let’s find your version of fulfilling work. 💛

Book your free 30-minute Career Clarity Call and discover what fulfilling work looks like for you.

FAQ: Finding a Fulfilling Career

How do I find a fulfilling career?

Start by understanding what drives you. Take assessments like Sparketype©, reflect on your past roles, identify what energized or drained you, and experiment without committing to big leaps.

Which is a basic requirement for a fulfilling career?

Self-awareness. You need to know what genuinely matters to you. Without that, you risk chasing roles that look good on paper but feel empty in practice.

Can you feel fulfilled without changing careers?

Absolutely. Sometimes small shifts in your current role—like taking on projects that match your strengths, can transform your experience without a major move.

About Career Coach and Founder

Theresa White, Career Clarity Expert, 5x Certified Career Coach, and the Founder of Career Bloom, is known for her expertise in guiding people to get unstuck and find the direction they need to move forward in their careers—fast. In a time when so many people are re-evaluating their work, Theresa offers actionable insights that empower clients to identify their true strengths and pursue work that genuinely aligns with their goals.

Theresa’s clients often call her sessions “epiphanies” and “transformational.” She brings immediate clarity to career goals, helping people unlock a deep understanding of what makes work fulfilling for them. Past participants consistently describe her approach as “spot on” and an “answer to questions they’d been asking for weeks.”

Theresa’s approach is empathetic yet practical, and she’s known for empowering clients with a clear direction in as little as 30 days, guaranteeing results.

Connect with Theresa on LinkedIn, listen to the Career Clarity Unlocked Podcast, or schedule your free 30-minute career clarity consultation.

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