How to Find Work You Love and Actually Get Paid for It (Using One Simple Framework)

Looking back, I almost wasted my 20s. I was this close to going down the wrong career path.

In my early 20s, I didn’t have anyone pushing me to think big or explore unconventional paths. When people say “choose your friends wisely,” they’re absolutely right—most of my peers were happy with the safe, traditional route.

I nearly followed along, and it would have cost me the best years of my life. In college, I interned at an accounting firm, and I remember sitting in a cubicle all day plugging numbers into spreadsheets, feeling zero excitement.

I thought a stable corporate job was what I was “supposed” to do, but I was utterly bored and unfulfilled.

Hi, I’m Deric. Over the last 5 years, I’ve built tech businesses from the ground up. I even bootstrapped one startup to about $80,000 USD per month by my mid-20s.

We’ve worked with hundreds of students through my coding bootcamp, and our programs have been featured in the press for redefining tech education.

I mention this not to brag, but to show that I eventually found my calling—and it wasn’t the path I started on.

Now I want to share the one insight that saved me from wasting my career, so you can find work you love and excel at too.

Promise: By the end of this blog, you’ll know the three key questions to ask yourself to discover a fulfilling, in-demand career (your true calling).

Plan: First, I’ll share how I realized I was on the wrong track (my story). Then I’ll introduce a powerful 3-circle framework that completely changed how I choose my work.

Finally, we’ll apply it step-by-step so you can use it right away, with real examples. Sound good? Let’s dive in.

My Turning Point – Realizing I Was on the Wrong Path

In my final year of university, I had a wake-up call. I was on track to become an accountant (yes, I studied Accounting & Finance because it seemed “safe”), but I realized that if I continued on that road, I’d end up miserable.

I saw people a few years ahead of me in those “stable” jobs who hated every minute. Sure, they made okay money, but they came home drained and constantly complained.

I even heard one senior colleague admit, “I can’t do this for the rest of my life.” I knew I didn’t want that fate—being good at something I didn’t care about, stuck in a grind.

Around the same time, I noticed something about myself: I spent all my free time tinkering with technology and business ideas.

I even ran a little side hustle in college flipping second-hand gadgets, just because I found it fun and exciting. I loved building things and solving tech problems.

I was the guy friends came to when their computer crashed or they needed advice on a new app. A close friend once told me, “Deric, you light up when you talk about tech.

Why are you still aiming for finance?” He was right—I was obsessed with tech and startups.

But I was afraid to stray from the traditional path. The people around me weren’t entrepreneurial, so I had convinced myself that a career in tech was unrealistic for me.

Then one day I stumbled on a blog post by author Michael Hyatt that introduced a simple diagram—a Venn diagram with three circles.

This diagram blew my mind. It answered the question I’d been wrestling with: “What should I do with my life?” The idea was that your ideal career is at the intersection of three things: your passion, your proficiency, and profitability.

In other words: what you love doing, what you’re good at, and what people will pay you for. Where those three overlap—that’s your sweet spot, your calling .

I remember thinking, “This makes so much sense.” It became clear why the accounting path felt so wrong: it was profitable and I was capable at it, but I had zero passion for it.

Even two out of three wasn’t enough—I realized I really needed all three to be happy in the long run.

The 3 Keys to a Fulfilling Career (The Framework That Changed Everything)

Let’s break down those three elements and why each one matters. You truly need all three:

Passion

What fires you up? What could you work on for hours and still feel energized? If you’re not passionate about your work, you’ll eventually feel empty or burnt out.

Life’s too short to spend it doing something you hate. However, remember that passion alone doesn’t pay the bills.

You might love playing video games or writing poetry, but unless you find a way to monetize that, it will remain a hobby. Passion is crucial for long-term happiness, but by itself it won’t put food on the table.

Proficiency

What are you good at, or what could you become good at? These are your skills and strengths. Maybe you’re great at coding, writing, teaching, or fixing cars.

Being skilled creates value for employers or customers, and it also builds your confidence. But beware: it’s possible to be good at something you don’t enjoy. (I know an auto mechanic who’s extremely talented at fixing cars, but he absolutely hates his job—because it was never his passion.)

On the flip side, if you love something but have zero skill in it yet, you’ll need to invest time to develop that proficiency. Loving music won’t make you a professional singer if you can’t carry a tune; you’d have to train and practice like crazy.

Profitability

Finally, does it pay? Is there market demand for it? Will someone actually pay you (and pay you well) to do this work?

If not, it’s not a sustainable career—it’s just a personal interest. You could be passionate about 16th-century poetry and even be an expert in it, but there are very few jobs for that niche.

On the other hand, if you love art and you’re good at design, that’s something people will pay for (think graphic designer, animator, etc.).

The point is, if none of your passion+skill areas have paying opportunities, you might need to rethink it or find a creative angle that is profitable.

Now, here’s why all three matter. If you leave out any one of the three, you’ll hit a wall:

• Passion + Skill, but No Profit = you’ll be broke (doing what you love, but unable to make a living from it).

• Passion + Profit, but No Skill = you’ll fail or get fired (you won’t be able to deliver results, despite your enthusiasm).

• Skill + Profit, but No Passion = you’ll be miserable (grinding away at something you don’t care about, just for a paycheck).

Finding the overlap of all three is like hitting the career jackpot. And it’s not just theory—real world data backs this up. Gallup surveys show that only about 21% of employees worldwide are engaged at work.

That means roughly four out of five people are not really into their jobs! No wonder so many folks are unhappy in their careers.

Often it’s because they’re missing one of these key elements: maybe they chose a job just for the money (no passion), or pursued something they loved with no market demand, or stuck with a convenient skill even if they disliked the work. The result is disengagement and dissatisfaction.

When I discovered this 3-circle framework, it completely shifted my direction. I actually sat down and wrote out my own three circles. Under “Passion” I put technology and building things.

Under “Proficiency” I listed problem-solving and coding. Under “Profitability” I wrote software/tech industry (since tech skills are in high demand).

The overlap was obvious to me: software development and tech entrepreneurship. That was my “aha!” moment. I realized I’d be wasting my potential if I didn’t pursue that path.

So I pivoted hard. I decided to teach myself to code by any means necessary—online courses, YouTube tutorials, you name it. I even quit my previous job to focus full-time on learning to code.

It was really difficult (and I couldn’t afford an expensive bootcamp or another degree), so I went the self-taught route. For months, I basically locked myself in my room and coded 8-12 hours a day.

In fact, in about 6 months of learning, I managed to reach a point where I was helping friends who had IT degrees with their coding tests, and I even landed multiple small software projects for clients.

That blew my mind: here I was, an outsider with no formal tech background, assisting computer science grads. It proved that with intense focus, you can rapidly gain skills that are in demand. More importantly, it confirmed I was on the right path.

Over the next few years, I launched my own tech ventures. Those projects not only became financially successful (eventually one of them hit that $80k/month mark I mentioned), but more importantly, I was waking up excited every day.

I had found my sweet spot at the intersection of passion, proficiency, and profit. (Quick side note: I share insights like this in my weekly newsletter, “Breaking The Mold,” where I talk about tech, AI, and startup life lessons. If that sounds interesting, there’s a link below.)

Applying the Framework to You

Now let’s talk about you. If you’re not happy with your current path, or you’re feeling a bit lost or stuck, this 3-circle framework is a tool you can use immediately. Here’s how to apply it step-by-step:

Passion

Identify what you love. Take a piece of paper and make a list of things you genuinely enjoy doing or topics that fascinate you.

It could be anything — writing code, making music, helping friends with their finances, designing logos, cooking, teaching kids, analyzing sports stats, whatever.

The key is that it energizes you. Think about times when you get so absorbed in an activity that hours fly by — those are big clues to your passions.

Proficiency

Identify what you’re good at (or could become good at). Now make a list of your skills and natural strengths.

These can be technical skills (like knowing a programming language, video editing, accounting) and soft skills (like communication, empathy, leadership).

If you’re not sure what your strengths are, ask people close to you — sometimes friends or family can point out talents that you take for granted.

Also include things you aren’t good at yet but have the potential to master. Maybe you’re really interested in UX design or data science; you can always learn and improve, so don’t be afraid to put it down just because you’re a beginner.

The idea is to map out where you either already have ability or are willing to put in the work to build ability.

Profitability

Identify what people will pay for. This is the reality-check step. Look at the first two lists (your passions and skills) and for each item or combination, ask: “Are there jobs or businesses in this area?

Is there demand for this in the marketplace?” You don’t need super detailed research for now, just a common-sense check. Circle any item that clearly has career potential.

Cross out or put a question mark next to things that don’t have an obvious way to make money. Be honest here. For each passion+skill you wrote, do a quick mental scan of the job market: is there a need for this?

For example, if one of your passions is playing video games, understand that turning that into a career (like becoming a pro streamer or game developer) is possible but highly competitive and far from guaranteed.

On the other hand, if you love art/design and you’re good at it, fields like graphic design, animation, UX/UI, etc. have lots of job opportunities.

If you love helping people and have a knack for science, there’s demand for nurses, medical technicians, etc. The point here is not to crush your dreams, but to align them with reality.

If none of your passion+skill combos have paying opportunities, you might need to get creative and brainstorm adjacent fields that are profitable. Often there’s a way to pivot an interest into a marketable skill with a little creativity.

After this exercise, you’ll hopefully spot one or a few career options that hit all three criteria. That’s your target zone. It could point to a specific role (like “UX designer” or “data analyst” or “teacher”), or maybe a broader industry that you should explore more.

If you do find something that satisfies passion, proficiency and profit, that’s fantastic — now you know where to focus your energy.

You may need to get a certification, build a portfolio, or start a side project to transition into that area, but at least you’ve got a clear direction that’s aligned with who you are and the real world.

If you don’t find anything that clearly checks all three boxes yet, don’t panic. It just means you might need to do more exploring or skill-building.

Sometimes you discover a passion by trying new things that you haven’t tried before, or you might need to level up a skill before the passion or profit side clicks into place.

And remember, you can be strategic about it: maybe you have a passion/skill combo that isn’t very profitable right now, so you keep that as a hobby or side hustle, and take a “day job” that builds your skills or pays the bills in the meantime.

The goal is to gradually steer yourself toward that golden intersection of the three circles. It might not happen overnight, but every skill you build and every experiment you try can move you closer.

Real-World Examples (Dreams vs. Market Reality)

To illustrate this, let me share two quick real-world examples from friends of mine: A friend of mine was a talented painter.

Painting was her passion and she was really good at it. But she realized making a living as a fine artist would be extremely tough (very limited market demand).

So, she pivoted into graphic design, where her artistic talent is in high demand. Now she designs visuals for clients and marketing agencies, making a solid income, and she still gets to be creative with art every day. She found a practical outlet for her passion and skill.

Another acquaintance of mine loved music history. He even got a degree in it because he was so passionate about the subject.

But after graduating, he found almost no jobs that required knowledge of 18th-century composers. He ended up working at an unrelated office job, essentially underemployed and not using that specialized knowledge at all.

He had passion and skill in that niche area, but no market demand for it. And sadly, he’s not alone—studies show over 50% of recent college grads end up underemployed in their first jobs, often because they didn’t consider the profitability factor of their field.

The lesson here isn’t that you should give up on what you love; it’s that you should do your homework on whether what you love can support the life you want. If not, consider adjusting course or finding a related area that is in demand.

These examples show that following your dreams is important, but you also have to align those dreams with economic reality. The sweet spot is finding where your dreams intersect with the needs of the world (and then making sure you have or acquire the skills to deliver on those needs).

The New Career Landscape – Why Upskilling Is a Must

Now, you might be thinking, “Okay, once I find my career sweet spot, I’m set for life, right?” Well, not exactly.

Today’s world is changing faster than ever, and one big lesson I’ve learned (and that my mentors and role models emphasize) is that you have to keep learning and adapting even after you land in your ideal zone.

The journey doesn’t end when you find your calling – in many ways, it’s just beginning, because the target is always moving.

Here’s some perspective: According to the World Economic Forum, by 2025 half of all employees globally will need to reskill or upskill to stay competitive.

That’s how rapid digital transformation and new technologies are upending industries. In fact, a recent report warned that 85 million jobs could be displaced by automation and AI by 2025.

But it’s not all doom and gloom – the same report predicted 97 million new roles will emerge by 2025 that never existed before . What does that mean? The type of work that needs doing is shifting. New opportunities are popping up, but they often demand new skills.

The “half-life” of skills is shorter than ever. One study noted that skills that were relevant just 5 years ago can be nearly obsolete today.

In some tech fields, a tool or programming language that was hot two years ago might already be outdated by a new framework or AI tool.

This sounds scary, but it’s actually an opportunity for those who embrace lifelong learning. It means that continuous education (in some form or another) is now part of any successful career.

You can’t just get a degree at 22 and never learn another thing and expect to thrive for 40 years. You have to keep evolving. The good news is: if you love what you do, a lot of this learning will be fun and self-driven.

For me, because I’m passionate about tech, I’m constantly reading, taking online courses, or experimenting with new technologies – not because someone forces me to, but because I’m genuinely interested. It’s a habit that keeps me relevant.

Another thing that’s changing is the pathways into careers. It used to be very linear: you get a degree, that degree leads to a job, and you stick with that field.

Now, alternative education paths are exploding in popularity, because they can adapt faster to what employers need. For example, I run a coding bootcamp where we’ve taught over 100 students programming skills.

Many of these students were from completely different backgrounds (business, biology, even music) who wanted to switch into tech. And we’ve seen that with a focused, project-based curriculum, someone can go from zero coding knowledge to being job-ready in as little as 6 months.

In fact, industry-wide data shows about 71% of coding bootcamp graduates find a tech job within 6 months of completing a program . Employers are catching on to this too: about 69% of employers consider bootcamp grads to be strong hires because of their practical skills and knowledge .

The point is, if you identify that you need a new skill to reach your career sweet spot, you don’t necessarily have to spend 4 years back in college for it.

There are online courses, bootcamps, certification programs, and communities that can help you retool much faster and more affordably.

Times are changing so much that constant upskilling isn’t just for overachievers; it’s becoming the norm. And those who embrace it will have a huge advantage.

I experienced this first-hand: remember, I pivoted from finance to tech by self-learning and later building my own education startup.

Traditional education didn’t prepare me for what I wanted to do, so I had to create my own path.

It was hard, but it also made me realize that resourcefulness and the willingness to learn are superpowers in today’s economy. If you have those, you can navigate whatever changes come.

One of my favorite thinkers, Naval Ravikant, has a quote: “Earn with your mind, not your time.” In the modern world, your knowledge, creativity, and skills are the assets that create value – not just the hours you put in.

So think of learning as investing in your biggest asset: yourself. Every new skill or experience is like adding another tool to your toolbox that could open a door or solve a problem down the line.

Before I wrap up, let me share a personal note about my journey after finding my calling. By 2023, my coding education business (Sigma School) had stabilized and was running on a healthy 70-80% profit margin.

I had built systems and a small team, and for the first time I thought, “Hey, things are comfortable. I could actually chill for a bit.” And I did take a breather. But I quickly realized I’m not ready to coast.

I’m still young and hungry to make a bigger impact. I don’t want to just maintain; I want to create and innovate.

So now, in 2024 and beyond, I’ve shifted back into growth mode — reinvesting in the product, hiring more senior people, and yes, spending more money and taking bigger risks again.

My goal is to 10x our impact, aiming to eventually reach a revenue milestone that would’ve sounded ridiculous to my younger self. It’s scary and exciting at the same time.

Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to know that finding your calling doesn’t mean you just kick back and ride into the sunset.

The world will keep throwing new challenges and opportunities at you, and that’s a good thing. Embrace it. When you’re in the right field, you won’t really want to stand still — you’ll be driven to grow, not just for money, but because it’s fulfilling to pursue your potential.

Conclusion – Don’t Settle, Design Your Future

So, let me ask you: Where do you stand with these three factors we talked about – passion, proficiency, and profit?

Have you found a spot where what you love, what you’re good at, and what pays all intersect? If yes, that’s awesome — keep doubling down on that and growing in that direction. Never stop sharpening your skills and expanding your impact in that area.

If you haven’t found it yet, don’t worry. Most of us don’t land in our perfect calling immediately. The key is to identify what’s missing for you right now.

Do you need to discover a passion (something that truly excites you)? Do you need to level up your skills or learn a completely new one? Or do you have passion and skill, but need to find a more profitable angle for it?

Once you know what gap you need to fill, you can take action. For me, realizing my ideal path (tech entrepreneurship) was step one; taking the leap and actually building it was step two.

It wasn’t easy — there were plenty of late nights, failed experiments, and moments of doubt — but it was so worth it.

I can honestly say I wake up excited about what I do now, and that is an amazing feeling. You deserve that feeling too. Don’t settle for a career that lacks passion or that underutilizes your gifts.

And remember, especially in today’s world with new industries and technologies (like AI) emerging every year, there are more opportunities than ever to create a career that truly fits you.

Don’t listen to the cynics who say you should “play it safe” and settle for a mediocre job just because it’s stable. Often those are people who gave up on finding what they love, or who are afraid to step outside their comfort zone. You don’t have to live like that.

Aim for that intersection of passion, proficiency, and profit, and don’t be afraid to re-invent yourself along the way.

It might take time and effort to get there, but once you do, you’ll know it — because you’ll actually enjoy your work and be rewarded for it, both personally and financially.

That’s when work doesn’t really feel like “work” in the draining sense; it becomes a meaningful part of a life you’re happy with.

Thanks so much for listening. If you found this helpful, please give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing for more content on tech careers, personal growth, and using AI to level up your life.

I’d also love to hear from you: what are your passions, skills, and ideas for making them profitable? How are you planning to bring them together? Drop a comment below with your thoughts. Let’s share and learn from each other’s journeys.