How to Turn a Passion into a Career
If you've ever thought about turning a hobby into a career, you're not alone. In fact, it's more common than ever before. But that doesn't mean it will be easy. In this post, we'll walk you through the steps of turning your passion into a career — from figuring out if it's really for you to making money and being happy with your work.
What is your passion?
The first step to turning your passion into a career is figuring out what that passion is. The answer may not be as easy as it sounds, but if you're lucky, it will come quickly and easily--and even if it doesn't feel like an obvious choice at first, the more time and thought you put into this process, the more likely that answer will become clear.
What do I love? What makes me happy? These are questions we all ask ourselves at one point or another in our lives, and they can be useful tools when trying to figure out what direction we want our careers (and lives) to take us. If there's something specific from which these answers spring forth easily for you: great! If not... well then let's figure out what those somethings might be!
Why do you want to turn your passion into a career?
"Why do you want to turn your passion into a career?" is the first question you should be asking yourself.
If the answer is "I'm not sure what I want to do," then that's fine. The world is full of people who are doing what they love and making money at it, so don't feel bad about taking some time to figure out your path before jumping headfirst into a new career path. But if there's something specific that drives you to pursue this goal--whether it's because you want more control over your time or finances, or simply because working with cars has always been fun for whatever reason--then by all means go ahead and start planning!
How will you make money from your passion?
The next step is to think about how you can make money from your passion. If you're passionate about writing, maybe that means becoming a freelance writer or working for an online publication. Maybe it means creating content for a blog or website on the side of your regular job. Or maybe it's something else entirely!
The key here is knowing what skills are relevant to your passion and then finding ways to apply those skills in the real world. So if one of your passions is painting, consider whether there are any jobs related to art that would allow for flexible hours so that they could fit around your other obligations (like family). And if not, consider whether another kind of work might be more feasible--for example: could someone with their own home studio set up part-time hours doing graphic design work? How much time do they want/need per week? What kinds of projects would interest them most?
What are you willing to give up to pursue your dream?
Now that you've figured out what your passion is, it's time to decide how much of your life you're willing to give up in order to pursue it. This can be hard because we tend not to realize just how much time and energy we spend on our hobbies until after we've made the decision to devote more of our time and energy into them.
But before you start making drastic changes in your life, try asking yourself these questions:
How many hours do I have available each week?
What other activities could I cut back on so that I have more room for this new pursuit? (For example: Would it be better if I stopped going out so often with friends or spending as much money on clothes.)
How will you find out if it's really working for you?
How will you know if it's working for you?
The first step in turning your passion into a career is finding out if people are actually interested in what you do. To do this, ask for feedback from customers and friends, as well as colleagues and family members. Here are some questions that can help:
What do you like about what I do?
What don't you like about it?
What would make it better?
If you could pay for my services, how much would be too much? (Or: How little could I charge and still make a living?)
You can turn a hobby into a career, but you have to know what you're getting into.
If you're thinking of turning your hobby into a career, there are several things to keep in mind. First, it's going to take hard work. You'll need to be willing to put in long hours and take on additional responsibilities. If you're passionate about something but aren't willing or able to put in the effort required, then perhaps this isn't the right path for you.
Second: make sure that what interests you actually pays well enough for people who do it professionally (or at least close). There are plenty of jobs out there where people love what they do but don't make much money doing it--and those can be great jobs! But if what motivates you most is making money from something rather than just enjoying yourself with it, then maybe consider other options instead (like starting your own business).
__________
Keep in mind that this is not an easy process--it takes time, energy, and commitment from all parties involved. Get started on your path today, so that someday soon (maybe even tomorrow!) you'll be living out your dream job with no regrets whatsoever!
