How to make your hobby your job...
and still earn good money



There are numerous quotes out there about turning your passion into your profession - "If you turn your hobby into your job, you'll never have to work a day in your life".

Sounds great right? But how realistic is it for most of us?

You love playing 5-a-side football - so should you become a pro footballer? A large part of your spare time is spent cooking - should you become a chef and put up with the antisocial hours in order to live your passion?

Most of us know it’s not that easy, especially once our lives have unfolded to give us new fields of expertise, which in turn deliver an income upon which we or our families depend. Deep down we know we’ve missed the boat on that FA Cup winner’s medal…and the demands of a professional kitchen might just take the shine off that cherished hobby!

But there is a way to re-frame this problem.

I worked for many years at a fleet company, sourcing and maintaining company cars for large corporates. The workforce was diverse; we had specialists in finance and IT etc., and we had generalists who moved between roles and turned their hands to different tasks. But there was one common factor amongst those who stayed the longest: they loved cars. This meant that even when the work might get a bit boring, or when the business was going through a rough patch, these petrol-heads stayed around for the free test drives and the car chat. Those guys (and one or two gals!) were some of the happiest colleagues I’ve known.

Seen through this frame, options start to open up. It’s no longer a binary decision between sticking with what you’re good at and taking a massive gamble on the unknown. In between these two extremes lie a hundred creative hybrids that can be even more fulfilling than the big leap.

For instance, a friend of mine is a sports-mad accountant working for a major athleisure brand. Would he rather be turning out for City every Saturday? Probably, but he loves having a job that combines his core skills with his private passion.

Another friend is a production manager for a major food brand. A lot of her working day is grind, but as a keen cook she still gets a thrill from tweaking the production process and testing new flavours.

So whatever your expertise, and however you like to spend your spare time, finding that sweet spot where the two intersect might well be the route to your dream job.

If you want help making your next career move a more meaningful one then let's talk - I'd love to help you!


Holly

Your Business & Career Coach - helping you and your business reach their potential