For me, it snuck up on me in my thirties. I lucked into school for design, and.... found my home. Never had a thing where I "identified" as the job.
How do I know? Hard to say... it just feels incredibly clear. It feels right like no other work ever has. It's sorta the old canard about "loving what you do."
In other words, I know because I love the work. I lose myself. I can spend whole days working, not drinking, not eating, just working. Hard to ignore.
And what if the answer is "putz away the week doing all sorts of different things none of which anyone would pay me for and any one of which if done exclusively for an extended period (or if required to do when not in the mood for it) would quickly become oppressive"?
Is it inconceivable that not everyone has a passion?
How do I know? Hard to say... it just feels incredibly clear. It feels right like no other work ever has. It's sorta the old canard about "loving what you do."
In other words, I know because I love the work. I lose myself. I can spend whole days working, not drinking, not eating, just working. Hard to ignore.