Tips How To Turn Your Hobby Into A Dream Job

In: How To

Everyone had his solid reasons when choosing a career path. Profitability, prestige or growing demand for a particular occupation often serves as a main reason for sticking to this line of job. However, do we love the jobs chosen this way? We may be satisfied by doing the work we do, but without passion to this type of activity it’s impossible to reach the true career fulfillment. And, if our job doesn’t make us happier, one way or another we’ll start considering making a career change. If you’re still looking for your true passion, here’s a guide to discovering it: http://resumeperk.com/blog/discover-your-true-calling-tips-from-resume-services-online.

On the contrary, hobbies are something which we truly enjoy doing even without getting paid for it. And, as our interest to some type of activity grows, we start asking ourselves, “Is it possible to transform my hobby into a full-time employment?” And the answer is YES. Today, our online resume service will outline the steps you’ll need to take to turn your hobby from a vocational activity to a labor of love.

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Sounds controversial, however, the only way to succeed in your hobby and to turn it into a source of income is to work at it every day. Occasional writing, knitting or gardening may make us feel a little happier, but won’t take us to success. Success comes from an everyday persistent work at what you love to do.

How to achieve it? Schedule at least half an hour every day to devote it to your hobby, and then just increase this time frame. Discipline makes miracles to our levels of professionalism, so, a schedule will help you develop faster and turn it into your main job.

Decide if this is something you want

Another major point is to think over if you really should turn your hobby into a source of stable income. You may enjoy photographing time after time, but will you be as happy when you’ll be obliged to deal with duties connected with photography for 8 or even 10 hours every day? Sometimes a hobby should remain just a hobby. If you, however, are totally confident that you’ll be comfortable when your hobby turns into a full-time occupation, then continue reading.

Listen to feedback from friends and family

When you’re enthusiastic about something, you can miss out an unexpected opportunity or inevitable obstacle. A fresh look from the side will help you to keep your feet on the ground. Moreover, a family member or even a Facebook subscriber can provide you with a plenty of worthy ideas or perspective at your work. Don’t be a total know-all; collect every remark concerning what you do, and this approach will take you to desired success faster.

Listening to (and accepting) criticism is a huge step forward in your professional development. We all learn from our mistakes, and it’s great to have qualified (or just interested) someone to point us out at them. If you cannot take criticism from the side calmly, see how to accept criticism in the right way and make it a helpful tool for your growth.

Seek for professional advice

Join professional communities in desired field or even take some courses. Expertise, advice and education are what can help you to rise from an amateur to professional level. Moreover, you’ll be able to establish some helpful professional connections. They will help you overcome the primary obstacles every newbie typically makes.

Actually, when you start seeking for professional guidance from the outside, you make a huge step for transforming your passion into your occupation. Counseling will help you identify your current level (we are rarely objective about our skills and their marketability) and create the further plan of actions. By the way, if you want to be successful, adopting these habits of successful people will do you any harm: http://resumeperk.com/blog/professional-executive-resumes-habits-of-successful-people.

Professional guidance matter a lot in all industries and your resume isn’t the exception. If you want your resume to be specifically tailored for a new career, rely on the expertise of our writers.

Learn to manage your time

As soon as you make up your mind to pursue the change, you’ll need an utmost ability to manage your time. At the very beginning, you need to balance your full-time job and your hobby which requires increasing attention and probably already brings you some coins. To a certain extent, it looks like having two jobs, and if you don’t track your time and prioritize activities, you’ll soon be stressed or even burnt out.

First, you need to make sure that such a heavy workload won’t affect your health – you still need to sleep at least 7 hours a day, eat healthy and find time for recreational activities. Second, you need to learn to set goals and break them into actionable steps. When the goal pertaining to your hobby is reached (i.e. it started brining you a certain amount of money or you found a client for a long-term contract), it is the right time to quit your job.

Be focused

Let’s say your hobby is interior design. The more you learn about it, the more tempting it gets to also know more about related subjects, such as gardening, DIY accessories and furniture, etc. Don’t lose your focus! If you want to make a name as an interior designer, let the interior design be (or blogging about it) your major activity. Don’t spread your efforts as this may lead to the opposite results. Keeping the focus will help you become an expert at your area faster and attract more target audience looking specifically for what you have to offer. Being interested in many things will make you a Jack of all trades and master of none.

Find your unique voice

No matter what the sphere of your hobby is, try and find something that differentiates you from the midst of people doing the same. Find your unique voice, your authenticity and stick with it. If you are a writer, develop your own unique style and tone of writing; if your hobby is knitting, invent something that would make your brand recognizable. Authenticity is what will bring people to you, motivating them to pay for the goods/services you have to offer.

Being unique and different from other people in your field will help you reach success in a new field faster. Inventing new approaches to your hobby will attract new clients to you.

Write (or blog) about your hobby

You may be fascinated about cooking, DIY jewelry, singing, interior design, etc. Anyway, you know something you can share with the others, and the best way to do it is by means of blogging or social media. In this way, you’ll generate more visitors and more attention to what you do, which will later help you in monetizing your hobby. Share your secrets, helpful tips, give away something, and people will be happy to stay tuned with you.

Never blogged before and don’t know where to get started? Read our secrets of becoming a popular blogger. Blogging is a profession itself; it takes people years to learn the peculiars of content writing and effective blog promotion. However, to spread the word about your expertise and your services, blogging basics will be enough. You’ll also need to enhance your professional email writing skills, as blogging implies communication with community and businesses.

Teach others to do what you are skilled at

There’s an effective practical way of monetizing the hobby you’re really good at. Let’s say you play the drums, or cook, or you create awesome nail art designs – you can teach others all of the above. The teaching process is a win-win situation: not only you get the money in exchange for your time and expertise, but also you practice your skills. And it’s not a secret that practicing is the way to perfection.

If you don’t plan to connect your future career path with teaching, it’s a good source of income when you have just left your full-time job and need to pay the bills. You can give it up as soon as your hobby starts bringing decent income. However, the teaching process can absorb you so much that you reconsider your professional path; who knows?

Teach people how to make business from your hobby

Making a home business out of creating handmade clothes sounds fascinating for some, but what if running a business isn’t your cup of tea? Or, in contrary, you’ve already built your business successfully but reached the glass ceiling and don’t know where to move on? In both cases, teaching people how to run their home business is a decent solution.

To make this idea a success, though, you’ll need an in-depth understanding of all business processes pertaining to the industry. You need to possess sound knowledge of making market research, promotion, finding clients, budgeting and taxes. If you’ve got what it takes and feel comfortable speaking in front of a big audience, you’ll find teaching a convenient career option.

Be flexible

If you have just discovered a passion that makes you happy, you might feel the desire to give up your full-time job to fully focus on an enjoyable hobby. Be careful! Firstly, the truth is that if you like something, it doesn’t mean that you will manage to make your living doing this. Secondly, you’ll need a plenty of time to develop in your hobby so that you could get paid for it. So, stay flexible and start with practicing your hobby (writing, painting, cooking, etc.) in the evenings and weekends, and only make a serious move if the hobby takes the most of your spare time and is already bringing you some coins.

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Pros of turning your hobby into a source of income

You’ll be your own boss
However cliché this phrase might sound, it perfectly expresses the state of things when you decide to start your own business out of hobby. You’ll manage your schedule, methods of work and income accordingly. For instance, if your hobby is interior design, you’ll decide on your own where to find clients, how to promote your services, establish your working hours and your fees. If you’re a self-starter, you’ll find the opportunity to be in control totally exciting, and will only benefit from multiple advantages of freelancing. Moreover, when you work independently, you can regulate your income by managing how much work you’re willing to take on and increasing your charges if you believe you deserve it.
Resignation from your old job doesn’t imply that you won’t need a resume any longer; learn the punctuation rules for resume or order a resume done by professional writer.
Your motivation will increase
When you see your full-time job as a mundane responsibility that brings you monthly paycheck, you typically experience low energy levels and lack of motivation. Sounds familiar? Moreover, the activity you don’t find motivating won’t facilitate your professional and personal growth. (Curious how to ensure your personal growth at work? See here: http://resumeperk.com/blog/importance-of-personal-development-in-the-workplace).
Making money by doing something you truly enjoy will keep you inspired and your motivation high. It’s likely that you find yourself working harder and feeling less tired. To some extent, committing to the labor of love can make a positive impact on your daily life.
You can get started only after a short preparation
Starting business from scratch is pretty time-consuming. However, when you decide to turn your hobby into business, things are much easier. First, you’re already familiar with peculiarities of your hobby as you deal with it regularly. You won’t need an education or training, as you learn through practice on your own. Your knowledge and experience allows you to start your business straightaway, after only a quick insight into the administrative and PR side of things.
You can work with friend or like-minded person
If you’ve been occupied by your hobby for over a year or even a few years, you probably have made connections with people who are doing the same or even makes money offering similar goods/services. In this case, your network can work to your advantage. These people can connect you to the right people who can help with your business or show you into profitable job positions (to find out more about lucrative job opportunities for self-employed writers, see here: http://resumeperk.com/blog/list-of-profitable-job-positions-for-writers). Moreover, you can even start your business with someone who enjoys the same things that you love, and experience the pleasure of working with a friend.

Cons of turning your hobby into job

There are undisputable benefits of turning your hobby into business (otherwise, why would you even consider it?). However, real life is more complicated than that. Maybe, your current job isn’t right for you. Still, before you decide to put money, energy and effort into career transition, take into account possible downsides of this decision.

Your hobby can lose its appeal
Let’s say, you play bass guitar in a local band on weekends and holidays. You consider it as a hobby, and truly enjoy it as a way to spend your spare time. However, as soon as you decide turning music into your career, things will change dramatically. Firstly, you’ll need to practice for hours every day - not because you like it, but for sake of your professional growth. Secondly, you’ll need to dive into business aspect of being a professional musician which is pretty time-consuming. You’ll become fully accountable for your professional development and success (if you’re interested in career planning advice, see here: http://resumeperk.com/blog/planning-a-future-career-are-you-for-or-against). This will inevitably bring the added stress in your life, and you’ll likely start taking it just like another job.
You have the odds of turning into a workaholic
If you enjoy your hobby no matter how much time you spend doing it, you’re at risk of losing your work-life balance. For instance, if you’re a freelance writer and this is your labor of love, you can end up taking as many orders as you can physically fulfill. This professional dedication can lead to the typical consequences of workaholism – overwork, stress, health issues and tense relationships with family and friends.
Your hobby might not be worth it
If your hobby or its results are highly praised by your family, friends or neighbors, it’s tempting to start thinking of it as a source of stable income. However, you need to put a lot of thought to identify if it’s worth it at all. For example, if you produce handmade jewelry, get objective about evaluating the potential market. Maybe, there’s a local store selling the same things so your goods won’t be in high demand. Before quitting your job, identify whether your hobby can bring you money at all, otherwise you’ll get disappointed.
Your hobby might lack long-term potential
In the present, you’re totally happy being busy with your hobby and that’s the main reason you want to turn it into a career. However, will you still find your hobby challenging and meaningful in 15 or 20 years from now? Will your baking, construction or crafting handmade clothes fulfill your ambitions in the future? At the age of 25, you enjoy the sole fact of getting things done. However, when you’re 45, you’ll want financial stability, opportunity to make an impact in your community, or other non-monetary benefits that leadership roles usually involve. You need to access whether your hobby has the potential to meet your future requirements.
Not sure how to format your resume to demonstrate your huge potential for to the employers? Learn more about how our resume writers can help you advance your career.
At the early stage, your income will be unstable
Many are fascinated about the aspect of being their own boss when making a business out of hobby. But make sure that at the very beginning it means unstable and lower income than you are used to. If you have a family, you need to consider this point very carefully, as your children shouldn’t suffer because their father decided to commit to labor of love.
If you don’t start your business but just switch career, you can always ask for a pay raise. In any case, it’s better not to quit your old job until your hobby start bringing you a regular income.

5 hobbies you can turn into a career

Given that you’re a real enthusiast of your hobby and are pretty experienced in it, you can turn nearly any hobby into a new job. However, there are a plenty of hobbies that are easiest to transform into a career:

Fitness/yoga trainer

If you were one of those lucky ones who never gave up exercising or went in for some sports on a regular basis, then you can make a career out of it. Or maybe, you’ve lost a lot of weight or built a fit, attractive body in a gym? Years of physical exercise have probably taught you the basics, thus, you’ve got the information to share with others. Probably, you’ll need some sort of certification or licensure to get started; still, becoming a trainer doesn’t require any investment at the beginning. Thus, if you truly love working out, enjoy working with people and are fascinated by making their lives better, go for it.

Are you working in the same company with your significant someone? If so, check how to save your relationships and maintain your professional image: http://resumeperk.com/blog/subtleties-of-love-relations-in-the-workplace.

Content writer

Content, or web writing has become a popular job option recently. It won’t require any investment and is entrance barrier is incredibly low. Technically, you can quickly update your resume (or buy a resume from an expert writer), sign up for a freelancing website and start taking simple orders. Content writing job has an average salary; however, if you build a reputation and find well-paying clientele, your yearly income can boost up to six figures. Nevertheless, if you can write well and know what it takes to create an outstanding post, you’ll always have a decent income working from anywhere you find convenient.

Interior/exterior designer

Are your guests fascinated by the way you’ve decorated your living room? Do you friends and neighbors ask you to help design their land areas on the weekends? Then, your new career path is pretty obvious. It’s easy to get started in this area as well; all you’ll need are good promotional activities. Hire a photographer to shoot your best design solution for the portfolio, post them in the web and ask your former clients to spread the word. However, it’s important to access your professional level objectively – a few good-looking projects don’t make you a designer yet. Moreover, you’ll need people skills for successful negotiations with clients – soft skills matter a lot for your career.

Photographer

If you’re good at photography, there’s a plenty career options available for you. The first and most popular one is studio or field photography (taking pictures of family, children, couples or important events such as weddings or birthday parties). This is an obvious career path; however, not the highest-paying one. Another good idea is corporate photography, such as working with real estate agents to make their listing look good to potential clients.

For genuine enthusiasts in a specific field the number of possible choices increase. You can become a fashion photographer if you know the peculiarities of making this kind of shots and follow the trends, or a wildlife photographer working for a relevant magazine. If you experience a career crisis, such change of career can positively change your life.

Cook

The art of creating delicious dishes often becomes a career for those who are tired of stressful corporate jobs and wants to become more independent and use their creativity. The number of options is nearly endless – you can work for a local restaurant/café as a cook, open your home bakery or restaurant, or even work as a food blogger/food photographer. Everything depends on which aspect of cooking excites you most. Since people are getting more interested in healthier food rather than fast-food, turning cooking into a career is a perspective choice.

If you’re an extravagant personality who is tired of ‘usual’ jobs, check out the list of world’s weirdest jobs. Maybe, you’ll find one of them appealing or get the ideas for a non-standard hobby.

Conclusion

Transforming your hobby into a job is real; however, you will have to make some serious steps to make your dream come true. You need to access the potential of that hobby, as well as find out whether you’ll be comfortable with this career course in the long run. Moreover, keep in mind that your hobby can be transformed into a career in several ways.

And if it turns out that you find a job opening connected with your hobby, make sure your resume is up to the standards to get this job. Or, order your resume done by a professional for an excellent result. It won’t cost you a bomb – our charges for resume writing are quite affordable and we have a flexible discount policy.

Have you ever turned your hobby into a source of income? Why/why not?

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