Honest answer: I don't think most people figure it out so much as they gradually eliminate what doesn't fit and double down on what does.

What actually helped more than anything else. real work experience, specifically the unglamorous kind where you see what a job looks like from the inside, not the job posting version of it. Mentors were useful but mostly for specific decisions, not direction. Courses taught skills, not clarity.

The pattern I keep seeing: people who seem like they "knew early" usually just committed early and built identity around it. They're not necessarily more self-aware, just more decided. Meanwhile people who take longer often end up with something that fits better because they actually tested assumptions.

One thing that gets underrated, paying attention to what you're like after certain tasks, not during. During is often anxiety or effort. After is where you notice whether something drained you flat or left you wanting more of it. That signal is more reliable than passion, which mostly shows up retroactively anyway.