Do you feel lost in your career? Are you stumbling around feeling unsure of what you want to be when you grow up? It isn’t uncommon for people to feel this way even when people are in their 60s or above. Recent studies indicate that a notable percentage of U.S. workers feel fulfilled or satisfied with their jobs. According to a 2023 report by The Conference Board, about 62.3% of U.S. workers expressed satisfaction with their jobs in 2022. A separate survey by Pew Research Center found that around half of U.S. workers reported being very or extremely satisfied with their jobs. These numbers highlight an improving trend in job satisfaction and fulfillment among U.S. workers.

Finding purpose in life is deeply personal and often elusive. While many equate it with discovering and pursuing a singular passion, modern research and career exploration tools, such as the Birkman Method, suggest otherwise. Living a life of purpose is about aligning with your interests—those innate drivers of motivation and energy shaping who you are and how you engage with the world.

Working with a career coach or counselor can help individuals uncover these interests and translate them into actionable career strategies. This blog explores how following your interests, as mapped by the Birkman Method, can lead to a fulfilling and purpose-driven life, with insights from supporting research and resources. It also explores my journey to synchronize my interests with my career path.

Why Interests Matter More Than Passion

While passion often implies a singular, consuming focus, interests are broader and more sustainable over time. A career coach or career counselor can guide individuals in understanding how interests provide a foundation for growth and fulfillment while offering flexibility to adapt as circumstances evolve. Research in psychology indicates that “following your passion” can be misleading, as passions may change or fail to align with practical career paths. Instead, focusing on interests creates a feedback loop of engagement and motivation, leading to persistence and success.

The Role of High-Interest Scores in Purpose

The Birkman Method identifies a person’s interests across ten distinct categories, offering a detailed map of what activities naturally energize them. Importantly, when someone scores exceptionally high—above 90/100—in one of these interest areas, it often acts as a “life mandate” or intrinsic need. Ignoring these high-scoring interests can lead to dissatisfaction, as they represent core activities essential for a person’s fulfillment.

For example, a person with a high score in “Helping Others” may find it almost non-negotiable to include altruistic or service-oriented work in their career. Similarly, someone with a high score in “Creative Expression” may experience deep frustration in environments that stifle innovation. A career counselor can help individuals recognize these mandates and identify roles or projects that fulfill these intrinsic needs.

When multiple interests score highly, you can often combine them to uncover a person’s life purpose. For instance, someone with high scores in “Creative Expression,” “Helping Others,” and “Planning and Organizing” might thrive in roles such as designing educational programs or leading non-profits focused on community development. A career coach can assist in identifying how these interests interplay, guiding individuals to careers that align with their unique combination of drivers.

Insights From Research on Purposeful Engagement and Aging

Adding to this discussion, Carol D. Ryff and colleagues’ article “Purposeful Engagement, Healthy Aging, and the Brain” highlights the profound impact of purposeful life engagement on healthy aging and brain function. The authors emphasize a eudaimonic model of well-being, which includes dimensions like autonomy, personal growth, and purpose in life. These elements are foundational for fostering a sense of purpose and motivation.

Notably, the research highlights that maintaining high levels of purposeful engagement is linked to increased longevity, reduced disease risk, lower physiological dysregulation, and anti-inflammatory gene expression. Neuroscientific findings also reveal that individuals with higher purpose recover faster from negative stimuli and exhibit stronger, more sustained activation of reward circuits in the brain. This connection underscores how aligning with interests—whether through career or personal endeavors—can significantly enhance fulfillment, overall health, and resilience.

For individuals using the Birkman Method, high-scoring interests can serve as anchors for cultivating this sense of purpose. People may uncover meaningful career paths and promote their mental and physical well-being by focusing on activities that align with these intrinsic drivers. People highly interested in music or art may pursue these passions through hobbies. Or, they may blend them with other interests. For example, someone highly interested in music, numbers, or hands-on work may combine these skills to become a music engineer.

Exploring the Ten Birkman Interest Categories

Here’s how the Birkman interest categories provide a framework for discovering and living a purposeful life:

1. Administrative

• Description: Enjoys organizing, processing data, and ensuring accuracy in records or systems.
• Career Correlation: Ideal for careers in administration, office management, bookkeeping, clerical work, and roles requiring attention to detail and order.

2. Artistic

• Description: Prefers creative expression and working with aesthetics, such as designing or performing.
• Career Correlation: Aligns with roles in graphic design, fine arts, music, theater, architecture, and creative writing.

3. Literary

• Description: Enjoys reading, writing, and analyzing written material.
• Career Correlation: Well-suited for careers in journalism, content writing, editing, academia, and law, where written communication and interpretation are central.

4. Mechanical

• Description: Prefers hands-on tasks, troubleshooting, and working with machinery or tools.
• Career Correlation: Fits careers in engineering, automotive repair, construction, technical trades, and maintenance roles.

5. Numerical

• Description: Enjoys working with numbers, calculations, and quantitative analysis.
• Career Correlation: Matches roles in accounting, data analysis, actuarial science, finance, and auditing.

6. Outdoor

• Description: Prefers physical activity in outdoor settings, often tied to nature and environmental tasks.
• Career Correlation: Suitable for careers in agriculture, forestry, landscaping, environmental science, and outdoor education or recreation.

7. Persuasive

• Description: Thrives on influencing others, selling ideas or products, and being in roles requiring negotiation.
• Career Correlation: Aligns with sales, marketing, public relations, politics, and fundraising.

8. Scientific

• Description: Interested in research, discovery, and understanding the natural or physical world through experimentation.
• Career Correlation: Best for roles in scientific research, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and technology development.

9. Social Service

• Description: Motivated by helping others, improving communities, and fostering well-being.
• Career Correlation: Perfect for careers in counseling, social work, education, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations.

10. Technical

• Description: Enjoys working with technology, systems, and technical problem-solving.
• Career Correlation: Suited for IT, engineering, software development, and roles in electronics or system operations.

Click here to view a sample report on Birkman Interests. This report is designed to help individuals identify the activities that naturally energize them, forming a critical part of career exploration and alignment. These interests often shape what individuals find fulfilling in their work, guiding them to roles that provide intrinsic satisfaction and long-term motivation. Matching career paths to these interests ensures that people are more engaged, productive, and satisfied professionally​​.

The Science Behind Interests and Fulfillment

Research from the Harvard Business Review highlights the value of exploring multiple interests rather than fixating on a single passion. A career coach or counselor can facilitate this approach, which allows individuals to discover sustainable career paths that align with their evolving needs and goals.

Studies also confirm that aligning work with high-interest areas boosts job satisfaction, improves mental well-being, and fosters a sense of accomplishment. Integrating these passions can unlock a uniquely fulfilling career trajectory for individuals with multiple high-interest scores.

Building a Career Aligned With High Interests

Working with a career counselor who understands tools like the Birkman Method can be transformative in aligning careers with personal interests. For example, a person interested in “Helping Others” may find counseling or healthcare roles rewarding. In contrast, someone with high “Creative Expression” and “Analytical Thinking” scores could explore fields like user experience design or marketing analytics.

The Birkman Career Exploration Report highlights how specific interests can guide career choices and provides actionable steps for integrating them into professional decisions. A career coach can further assist by helping individuals create strategies to navigate challenges and opportunities in their chosen paths.

Practical Steps to Live Purposefully

1. Seek Professional Guidance
   Contact a career coach or counselor to gain personalized insights into your high-interest areas.
2. Explore Career Pathways
   Use your Birkman assessment results to investigate roles and industries that align with your interests. The Birkman Job Families and Titles Report uses all the Birkman data to develop a prioritized list of Industries and specific titles that an individual will find rewarding.
3. Combine High Interests
   If you have multiple high-interest scores, work with a professional to explore how they intersect and create a unique value proposition.
4. Experiment and Reflect
   Test different roles or projects that align with your interests, refining your understanding of what fulfills you. Also, before you jump into a role, talk to people in that field to understand the daily work.
5. Advocate for Yourself
   Leverage your Birkman insights to negotiate roles or environments that align with your needs, ensuring sustained engagement and satisfaction.

My Story

I sought a career in advertising and marketing because it just felt right. I remember watching a Doritos commercial during the Superbowl and thinking, “I want to make commercials.”. I also remember sitting in an intro to advertising class at UGA and the professor said, to work in advertising you have to have a strong liver. As a college student that enjoyed a few beers on weekends, that sounded appealing to me. The professor also described elaborate parties hosted by media companies with celebrities. That also sounded appealing. So, I majored in advertising after changing my major a few times without costing my folks money. I loved the advertising classes. They were fun and creative. Whenever I presented projects in school I was always told that I did a good job of selling the work.

I’ve worked in advertising, marketing, and sales since 1993, but I’m still figuring out what I want to be. I realize the older I get the more I want to do something to help others. Its not enough for me to just help a business succeed with their marketing. I want to look the people I impact in the face. My Birkman Interest scores as 92% persuasive, 78% literary, 78% social service, 76% scientific, and 75% musical. I believe that everyone is in sales whether they want to believe it or not so my persuasive skills have paid off. I’ve always enjoyed writing since the time I was on yearbook staff in high school. I’ve always liked helping people, but I feel more of a pull to do this now more than ever. I want to have an impact on individuals and make a difference in their lives. I like the “why of things” hence the scientific score. Music is my happy place. I love concerts and live music especially hard rock and metal.

I truly believe that if you can find a job that blends the things you like you’ll be more fulfilled. Right now I feel drawn to coaching because it allows me to be persuasive, literary, service others and help them with the why of things. I get my musical interests and needs from my hobby of attending concerts, but maybe I can coach some musicians one day and blend that into my career path. Thanks for reading.

Conclusion: A Life of Purpose Through Interests

Living a life of purpose isn’t about finding a singular passion—it’s about understanding and following your interests. High scores in the Birkman Method reveal activities essential to your fulfillment, acting almost as life mandates. Combining these interests can lead to careers and life paths that energize and inspire. With the help of a career coach or career counselor, you can leverage these insights to design a future aligned with your motivations and values. By embracing your interests, you take a critical step toward uncovering your true purpose and living a deeply fulfilling life. Get in touch with Career Upside, your trusted career coach in Atlanta, GA, today to schedule your free consultation.

The research on purposeful engagement and aging underscores this further: aligning with your core interests promotes professional and personal satisfaction and contributes to long-term mental and physical well-being. To learn more about how Career Upside can help you with Career Coaching services, visit this page.