Blogger Steve Pavlina says, “A career is just a hobby you’ve committed to exploring more deeply.” He might be on to something, especially in this time of difficult economics. With a growing number of people out of work, there is time to focus on hobbies. And you might just find your next career in your favorite hobby.
Pavlina focuses on exploration. He says you don’t need to make a perfect choice when you are doing your hobby. That’s because personal enjoyment comes from exploring the work (hobby) you are doing. The exploration can be more important than the outcome. If you don’t enjoy the hobby, dump it and try something else. If you like the hobby, stick with it and see where it takes you.
Take this blog for example. Did you know that there are people out there making a living by writing blogs? That’s right. Some of their blogs get so good that they are interviewed on TV news shows.
And one of my first books was not a book at all — at least, not in the beginning. One of my hobbies is cartooning. I have been cartooning ever since I was a kid. I love it. I did not “write a book.” Instead, I collected cartoons that I had already drawn. That project turned out to be Church People: Saved By Grace Just In The Nick Of Time.
Here’s the deal, and it can work for you — or for those whom you serve as workforce and career development professionals. Pavlina offers four factors for consideration:
- Enjoyment.
- Skill.
- Service.
- Income.
Let’s see how it works.
A New Focus …
If you focus on exploring what you enjoy, even if it’s just as a hobby, there is a progression that you are likely to encounter if you stick with it long enough:
- Enjoyment – do what you enjoy. If you enjoy it, you will keep doing it. And if you keep doing it, it will becomesa habit.
- Skill – if you do your habit long enough, you’ll get good at it. When you get good at it, your new habit becomes a skill.
- Service – if you share your skill with others, you’ll add value to their lives. At that point, you are delivering a service.
- Income – if you add enough value to the lives of enough other people, before you know it, you will be generating income.
When your hobby becomes a habit that results in a skill which adds value as a service, at that time, it has the potential to become a new career — one which you will never want to retire from. This process works whether you’re self-employed or traditionally employed, and the steps may overlap as well.
Making the Transition From Hobby to Career …
Pavlina points out that, while you can experience these steps in any order, ENJOYMENT is almost the best place to begin. He says that “clarity” in enjoyment helps with the other three parts. That’s because almost never do people achieve satisfying careers by pursuing the job that seems to promise the most money. They earn the most money by doing the things they are best at doing — and those things they enjoy doing the most.
Food For Thought …
Entrepreneurs are people who see other people’s unsolved problem as an opportunity to serve. Beyond the bottom line, business is really all about solving problems and adding value. If you don’t add value or solve a problem, you won’t be in business very long. And if you do, you have a business and a career. That’s because there will always be problems all around us.
If you can find what you really like to do — a favorite hobby — and use it to solve a problem for someone else or add value to their lives, you have great potential for a new career. And it may be more true in a bad economy that it is in a good economy. It’s food for thought. Think about it!
This article really made a lot of sense to me–it focused on being productive and doing what one enjoys, and through that process, a new career can emerge. The idea of doing what you enjoy to solve problems or make lives better, is a great way to begin a lasting and rewarding career.I look forward to sharing this idea with my students!
I work with students and interns who are often either transitioning in their careers or inquiring about opportunities to discover “what they should do with their college experience.” These questions often arise if they’ve discovered that their current internship has been “less than fulfilling.” I often tell them to reflect on what aspects they enjoyed doing and how those skills match how they like to spend their free time. The article really sums it up in a nice way, providing the benchmarks and process to use via the evaluation of a person’s interests, skills and service rewards to determine true areas of growth and satisfaction. Thanks for sharing it!
I agree that this is a marvelous, succinct, and dead on article. I am not a professional in this field yet, but I have always told my children, and anyone else I new who was struggling with career choices that you need to follow your “gut” and do what feels best. I have always believed that if you do what you love, you will do it well and find a way to make a living. This article lays out a very nice process of getting to that point. Thanks!
I totally agree with this article. I believe if you can get a customer to step out of the box and dare to try, creating your own business from a hobby would be wonderful. I’M READY TO TRY WITH MY CUSTOMERS!!!
I really enjoy the article: Turn your hobby into a career. I am a firm believer that our purpose here on earth is our gift from God. I belive when we find it we will enjoy it, become skillful and provide a service to others as well as make an income from it. I believe when you start out fulfilling your hobby/purpose God will line everything else up.
This is something that brings one joy and realistically pays what you need then the transition process will be easier than those who would financially struggle. I find my hobbies - mechanics and cooking- something that I would not want to pursue as a full time job because it brings me stress-free joy. When you add the business into the hobby the stakes change, and the sense of joy lessens; you must run the rat race, whether you like to or not. However, if you are a true artisan at your hobby then perhaps recognition will make you income in a short amount of time. I think the roles you play and the position you are in your life also plays a huge factor in your success. Timing is the key and chance is risky.
I think we should encourage our customers to pursue what they enjoy, but we should also understand what there income situation is and the amount of time it will take them to pursue their leisurely love. Perhaps they should try a little side business before they give it all. Especially for those who lack basic people, math, business sense.
Yes, I am more conservative with clients because I want them to be able to pay their family first. Overall, I do like the concept and I think it works for those, of course, who know the right people.
Great article! you really have so much more joy out of a career when you do something you are passionate about.
I agree with the author of the article I believe the concept of building a career base on your hobby was to ensure that you would not get bored, while providing a living for yourself and helping others at the same time. If you enjoy what you do then you become your own motivator.