Barbara Giella's career as a college professor has gone to the dogs - literally. She loved working with her new puppy so much, she left the campus to become a full-time pet trainer.
Bettina George once paddled boats on the weekends and taught elementary school during the week. Today she teaches kayaking and guides rafts full-time for the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Mountain Rest, South Carolina.
As a high school student, Hayne Baless spent every free period in the art room. Today, he makes his living in Connecticut, selling his unique creations at craft shows and galleries across the nation.
These three people all followed their hearts and turned their pastimes into paychecks, capitalizing on things they once made or did only in their free time. If you are ready to take your job search in a daring, unconventional direction, examining your hobbies and leisure activities is a great way to find an occupation to match your interests.
Adventurous Ventures
Finding a job centered on a hobby is often an exercise in creative thinking. Here are some of the ways to make favorite activities wage-worthy:
Selling a product or service: Many people earn money by marketing their talent, either working in an established business or by starting their own enterprise. If you plan to start your own business, arm yourself for success by writing a business plan describing your target customers, your projected income and expenses and your start-up costs, among other things. Be ready to tackle entrepreneurial tasks, including accounting, market research and
employee management. You'll need to follow zoning, income tax and sales tax laws and register your business with the state and county.
Teaching a hobby: Another option is to teach others about your favorite pastime. You might teach at a school, either as an elementary, high school, or university instructor, or as an enrichment teacher in a community center or college. Many hobby supply stores also have opportunities for teachers. Music stores and fabric stores, for example, often pay experts to conduct classes for their customers.
Selling or promoting hobby items: Most hobbies require supplies - everything from bicycle pumps and potting soil to glue guns and guitar picks. Consider working in a store that sells those supplies; you could advise customers on which products to choose and how to use them. Some companies also hire enthusiasts part time to promote hobby equipment at trade shows and competitions.
Equipment repair: From bicycle shops to violin repair studios, many businesses offer repair services to their customers. And being skilled in the sport or hobby is usually a prerequisite for store workers.
Hobby communications: Your expertise could turn into a writing or visual arts career. Many hobbies have trade magazines written for aficionados. These magazines need article writers and editors. Magazines also need photographs and illustrations, which they may buy from stock suppliers. Specialty areas, such as food photography and wildlife illustration, have more broad-reaching appeal. Local amateur athletes or teams may be interested in videotaped "game films."
Hobby organizations: Some hobbyists have associations to promote their activities and share ideas. Workers in these organizations keep membership lists, arrange meetings, coordinate educational programs, and promote the group's ideas. Finding paid jobs in these organizations may be difficult because many hobby associations are small or are staffed by volunteers. But a few paid jobs exist, often staffed by those who started out as volunteers themselves.
Other Options
Following are some common hobbies and a few of the occupations related to them. To find out how closely the occupations match your interests and what other types of skills are required, spend some time researching at the library or online and talking to people already on the job.
Animal care: Occupations focused on hands-on animal care include veterinarian technician or assistant, groomer, kennel assistant, farm worker, pet sitter and trainer. To help animals without giving direct care, options range widely, from pet supply store worker to environmental activist.
Arts and crafts: Many occupations have an artistic element. Some focus on design and drawing, such as fashion designer, graphic artist and muralist. Others - including terrazzo worker and set designer - use designing and building skills. For artistic types who like working with people, options include interior decorating, cosmetology, floral design, and art therapy.
Computers: If you like assembling systems and choosing the best components and software, consider work as a computer consultant. Solving computer glitches and answering people's computer questions is the realm of help-desk technicians and technical writers. Computer engineer and repair specialist are among the options for hardware tinkerers.
Cooking: Some options include chef, cook, host and restaurant manager. A cooking hobby might also signal an inclination toward hospitality or a penchant for writing cookbooks.
Gardening: Occupations associated with horticulture include landscape workers, conservationists and farm workers. Landscape architects combine design and botanical skills. Environmentalists often work for nonprofit groups.
Music: Musician is just one of many career options that include music teacher, music therapist, radio host, recreation worker, and musical instrument repairer. Promoters and agents often have a musical background. Job may also be found at recording studios, theaters and concert venues.
Theater: Occupations obviously related to theater include actor, director, set designer and stage crew. But many other occupations use dramatic skills, including radio announcer, teacher, lawyer, makeup artist and writer. And business occupations of all sorts - from bookkeeper to booking agent - play a role in making a theatrical performance a success.
Reading and writing: Reading-centered jobs include librarian, editor and researcher. Writers have jobs ranging from news reporter to technical writer to public relations specialist and web designer. Professional resume writers are often self-employed.
Sports: Sports enthusiasts may enjoy some of the jobs offered by stadiums, recreation facilities and gyms. Other options include dancer, physical or massage therapist, coach, instructor, sports writer or publicist, statistician, umpire or official, and sports equipment sales.
Learn more about how your interests relate to potential occupations by visiting a career or guidance counselor. Consider taking a career interest inventory to see how the activities you like compare with those preferred by workers in different types of jobs. And because interests are only part of choosing a career, counselors can help incorporate your other job-related characteristics, including work and volunteer experiences, favorite classes and projects, hopes for future earnings, and educational plans.
With a little effort and guidance, you could someday cash in on your passion. Just imagine being paid to play.
Adapted from The Occupational Outlook Quarterly, a publication of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.