Discovering Your Ikigai: Finding Purpose in College and Career

Joel Gladd

3 Discovering Your Ikigai: Finding Purpose in College and Career

Joel Gladd

Finding your purpose can feel maddeningly elusive. The Japanese concept of Ikigai—literally “a reason for being”—offers a surprisingly pragmatic framework for navigating these waters, especially when facing pivotal life decisions about education and career.

Think of Ikigai as an elegant algorithm for human fulfillment, operating at the intersection of four crucial variables: what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. These elements must work in concert to produce optimal output—in this case, a life worth living.

Diagram showing the Ikigai framework. — Figure. This diagram illustrates the concept of Ikigai, a Japanese framework for finding purpose by combining what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. The overlapping areas help identify passions, missions, vocations, and professions, ultimately guiding you towards a fulfilling life.

What is Ikigai?

Ikigai solves what we might call a complex optimization problem with four key constraints:

Doing What You’re Good At: Your innate and developed capabilities
Doing What You Love: Activities that trigger flow states
Doing What the World Needs: Societal pain points you can address
Doing What You Can Get Paid For: Economic sustainability of your solution

When these vectors align, they create what psychologists call “eudaimonic well-being”—the kind of deep satisfaction that transcends mere happiness.

1. Doing What You Are Good At

The first dimension of Ikigai is finding what you’re good at. We all have things we’re good at–whether we picked them up along the way or they just came naturally, like a mechanic’s knack for diagnosing engine troubles. The trick is zeroing in on your personal strengths and making them work for you.

How do you figure this out if you haven’t been tinkering with engines for years or if there’s no equivalent for you? Think about it like a detective gathering evidence. Start by taking a personality and skills assessment; they’re not perfect, but they can point you in the right direction. Then do some field research–ask people who know you well what they think you excel at. Your friends, family, and teachers often spot talents you might overlook, like how you always seem to know just what to say when someone’s having a rough day. Ask your teachers and college faculty for feedback.

You can also be your own investigator. Think back to times when everything just clicked. Maybe it was explaining a tough concept to classmates, organizing a community event, or solving a tricky problem at your part-time job. These moments are clues pointing toward your natural abilities. Once you’ve gathered all this intel, you’ll have a clearer picture of your strengths and can start plotting a career path that plays to them.

Identifying your strengths is about understanding your unique edge in the workforce. It’s key to your value proposition.

Maria discovers her talent

Maria’s working toward her Associate’s degree in Education at the College of Western Idaho. Like many students, she wasn’t always sure what made her stand out. Through a skills assessment (think of it as a personal inventory, like taking stock at a store), Maria discovered something valuable about herself: she has a gift for taking complicated ideas and making them crystal clear to others. It’s like she can translate “technical speak” into everyday language that anyone can understand.

This discovery led Maria to explore teaching roles at different levels. She learned that instructional designers–the folks who develop training materials and online courses for businesses and schools–often start exactly where she is now. They need the same skills she’s building: breaking down complex information, creating clear explanations, and helping others learn effectively. Even better, she found out that instructional designers in Idaho typically earn the salary she’s looking for, with lots of opportunities to work remotely.

Instead of burning energy trying to become great at everything within education (which is about as practical as trying to be a master of every trade), Maria doubled down on her natural talent. She started volunteering as a peer tutor in the college’s learning center, where she helps other students understand tough concepts in subjects like biology and psychology. She’s also taking an elective in digital media to learn how to create engaging visual presentations–a key skill for modern educational careers.

2. Doing What You Love

Think of “doing what you love” like finding your favorite radio station—when you hit the right frequency, everything clicks. It’s about discovering activities that grab your attention so completely that you lose track of time, like when you’re so focused on fixing an engine that you forget to eat lunch. It’s the kind of activity psychologists refer to as “flow”.

Maybe you’re the person who can’t stop tinkering with computers, taking things apart to see how they work. Or perhaps you’re happiest when helping your cousin figure out why their car is making that weird noise. These natural inclinations are like compass needles pointing toward potentially satisfying careers.

Say you’re fascinated by motors and machines. This could lead you to careers ranging from diesel mechanics to industrial robotics—both fields with strong job markets in our area. The key is to be strategic. Sure you might love playing video games, but instead of dreaming about being a professional gamer, begin translating how that interest connects to real job opportunities and not just convenient slots in your dreamscape. Your understanding of game mechanics could mean you’re interested in UX design (do some research on this), or your experience managing online gaming teams (yes those are actual skills!) could mean you enjoy management positions more generally.

When you combine what you’re good at with what you love, you find your passion. For instance, Maria loves explaining complex ideas, and she’s also really good at it. This overlap gives her a sense of passion for designing learning experiences that help others understand challenging subjects. Passion is that feeling of enthusiasm and excitement that arises when you do something you love and are skilled at. This passion can be a key ingredient in helping you stay motivated and engaged as you pursue your career goals—BUT passion alone doesn’t far enough. Focusing on your passion at the expense of other considerations can lead to feelings of uselessness and isolation.

A partial diagram of the Ikigai model showing the intersection of 'What you love' and 'What you are good at,' labeled 'Passion,' along with a description noting 'Satisfaction, but feeling of uselessness. — Figure. This portion of the Ikigai diagram highlights how the overlap of ‘What you love’ and ‘What you are good at’ results in ‘Passion.’ However, without considering other aspects like the world’s needs or financial compensation, this passion may lead to satisfaction but also a sense of uselessness.

3. Doing What the World Needs

The third dimension of Ikigai involves understanding how you can contribute to society. Contributing to society means finding a way to make a positive impact on the world around you. This is different from simply exploring a passion because it involves considering how your skills and interests can help solve real-world problems and meet community needs.

For example, while you might be passionate about art, contributing to society could mean using your artistic skills to create educational murals, promote local culture, or support mental health initiatives through creative workshops. It’s about aligning your passion with a purpose that benefits others and creates a broader sense of fulfillment. There are many different ways to do this! The Treasure Valley needs people who can fill all kinds of roles—teachers, healthcare workers, business leaders, social workers, skilled tradespeople, and more. Consider what problems you see in your community and how you might help solve them.

When you combine what you love with what the world needs, you create a mission. A mission is about aligning your passions with the needs of others, allowing you to make a meaningful impact on the world. Maria loves teaching and helping others and recognizes that the community has a need for accessible education. By focusing on this overlap, Maria has found a mission in making education exciting for everyone. However, your mission alone often isn’t enough. There are many pursuits that feel meaningful and even noble but don’t provide enough income to live a flourishing life.

A partial diagram of the Ikigai model showing the intersection of 'What you love' and 'What the world needs,' labeled 'Mission,' with a description noting 'Delight and fullness, but no wealth.' — This section of the Ikigai model shows the overlap between ‘What you love’ and ‘What the world needs,’ resulting in a ‘Mission.’ A mission can bring delight and a sense of fulfillment, but without financial compensation, it may be difficult to sustain long-term.

4. Doing What You Can Be Paid For

Passion won’t keep your refrigerator stocked or your car running. Pursuing a mission can feel noble but unsustainable if it doesn’t provide the right income. Finding work that pays the bills isn’t just practical—it’s essential for building a stable life. Think of it like building a house: your interests and skills are the blueprint, but a steady paycheck is the foundation that keeps everything from toppling over.

Here’s the reality check many career counselors won’t give you: the sweet spot lies in finding work that both feeds your bank account and doesn’t drain your soul. Take Jordan, a former CWI student who loved working outdoors. Instead of pursuing a low-paying job as a hiking guide, he leveraged his passion into a career as a land surveyor. Now he spends his days outside while earning solid money helping construction projects and property developers.

The Treasure Valley’s job market offers some surprisingly lucrative paths that might not be on your radar. Everyone knows about the tech boom bringing software jobs to Boise, but did you know that skilled welders in our area often out-earn many college graduates? Or that medical lab technicians can earn a decent salary with just a two-year degree? The key is understanding where the money actually flows in our local economy, not where you wish it would.

This isn’t about chasing the biggest paycheck—it’s about finding sustainable work that can support the life you want to build.

When exploring career options, get granular about the numbers. Research actual starting salaries in our region (not national averages), factor in the cost of training or education, and consider growth potential. The Idaho Department of Labor’s website lists median wages for hundreds of occupations right here in our area—use it. Our Work-Based Learning Center can offer more guidance.

When you combine what you can be paid for with what the world needs, you create a vocation. A vocation is a career or occupation that meets a genuine demand in society while also providing financial stability. For example, Maria identified that her skills in teaching and communication are in demand, and she realized she could be paid for these skills by pursuing a career in education. Unlike a passion or mission, a vocation centers on practical contributions that also meet economic needs.

A partial diagram of the Ikigai model showing the intersection of 'What the world needs' and 'What you can be paid for,' labeled 'Vocation,' with a description noting 'Excitement and complacency, but sense of uncertainty.' — Figure. This section of the Ikigai model illustrates the overlap between ‘What the world needs’ and ‘What you can be paid for,’ resulting in ‘Vocation.’ A vocation can provide excitement and meet societal needs, but without a personal connection or passion, it may lead to a sense of uncertainty.

When you combine what you’re good at with what you can be paid for, you create a profession. It’s like discovering that your knack for untangling complex problems matches perfectly with a career in IT support that actually pays the bills. Think of a profession as the sweet spot where your talents meet the market’s demands, creating a reliable path to earning a living.

Take Maria’s situation: she’s got this natural gift for breaking down tough concepts into bite-sized pieces that anyone can understand. Instead of letting that talent collect dust, she’s channeling it into a career in education where schools actively hire and pay for exactly this skill. It’s like she’s discovered that her superpower has a price tag attached—in a good way.

But here’s the thing about professions: they don’t always set your heart on fire with passion or give you that deep sense of changing the world. Sometimes they’re more like a well-oiled machine that converts your abilities into a steady paycheck. You might be really good at data analysis and find stable, well-paying work doing it, even if spreadsheets don’t make your soul sing.

A partial diagram of the Ikigai model showing the intersection of 'What you are good at' and 'What you can be paid for,' labeled 'Profession,' with a description noting 'Comfortable, but feeling of emptiness.' — Figure. This segment of the Ikigai model illustrates the overlap between ‘What you are good at’ and ‘What you can be paid for,’ resulting in a ‘Profession.’ While a profession can offer comfort and financial stability, without passion or a deeper sense of purpose, it can often lead to a feeling of emptiness.

Having a vocation and profession ensures your career path is sustainable over the long term; however, without being grounded in the other Ikigai categories—your passion and mission—you may find yourself feeling empty or uncertain.

Finding Your Ikigai

Let’s return to Maria’s story to see how all the pieces of Ikigai can come together to create a fulfilling career path. Remember how she discovered her talent for making complex ideas simple? That was just the first piece of her puzzle.

Through her journey at CWI, Maria found that her natural teaching ability (what she’s good at) perfectly matched her love of helping others learn (what she loves). This created her passion. But Maria didn’t stop there—she looked deeper. She noticed that local businesses struggled to train their employees effectively, especially with more companies moving to online learning. This need in the community (what the world needs) aligned with her desire to teach, forming her mission.

The final piece clicked when Maria learned that instructional designers—professionals who create learning materials for companies and schools—earn competitive salaries in the Treasure Valley (what you can be paid for). By combining her teaching skills with digital design knowledge from her electives, Maria found a sweet spot where all four elements of Ikigai intersect.

But here’s what makes Maria’s story really valuable: she didn’t just think about these connections—she tested them. She volunteered at the learning center, took that digital media elective, and even created training materials for a local nonprofit. Each experience either confirmed her path or helped her adjust it. When she realized she preferred creating online courses to traditional classroom teaching, she shifted her focus accordingly.

Think of Maria’s approach like test-driving different cars before making a purchase. Each experience—whether it was tutoring, creating digital content, or helping organize training programs—gave her practical insights into what worked for her and what didn’t. She didn’t just dream about her ideal career; she went out and experienced pieces of it firsthand.

Your path might look different from Maria’s, but the process remains the same: identify your strengths, explore what excites you, look for real needs in your community, and find ways to make a living meeting those needs. Use your time at CWI to experiment with different roles through classwork, clubs, internships, and part-time jobs. Each experience brings you closer to finding your own unique intersection of passion, mission, profession, and vocation—your personal Ikigai.