Employment Advice Column: Turning Your Hobby Into A Career

Dear Joanna

I love to write and blog. How do I turn my passion and interest into paid employment and a career?

Signed: Writer’s block

Dear WB,

I think it’s a great idea. Finding something you love to do and turning it into a career and getting paid,  is a wonderful goal! After a long process, I too turned my hobby and passion into a meaningful career as a job coach with job seekers with diverse abilities. And now I’m at Reena. The rest is history. Let me share with you some tips and strategies that I have applied and used in my career search to achieve this as well as some suggestions from columnist Jacquelyn Smith’s posting https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/10/07/six-tips-for-turning-your-hobby-into-your-job/#487dbdbf3248

1. Teach others to do what you love.  You can do this by volunteering as a tutor or “instructor” at a local community centre, library, place of worship, association, and any organization that you have researched and connected with to see if they are interested in your writing and blogging.
2. Again, as a volunteer at first, create a Powerpoint presentation on a topic that you wrote and posted. Share your story or topic on a panel or debate in the community. Research upcoming conferences, community events and any opportunity where you can contact the organizers to see if you can present your topic of interest, and be a guest speaker. Perhaps your next employer/boss might in the audience one day!
3. Sell/import/invent/craft a blog or story for enthusiasts in your hobby. For example, pick topics that are important to you. Blog about them on social media. Source people who share your hobby. Use as many social media tools and sites to showcase your work – it could be writing or even posting a video clip!  Check out meetup.com.  Don’t forget to share your work with real-time people. Be pro-active. Build your contacts and network as much as possible to let as many people know about you and your blogging as possible.
4. Create a side-line business. Research and follow the most successful entrepreneurs and businesses in your area of interest as well as the experts in your hobby on social media. Engage in conversation with them. Join their groups on Linkedin. Start initiating these contacts to bring traffic to your blog, your Facebook page or your website. For example, for your hobby, consider taking on some editing jobs. Start small. Create a website, an email address and/or a Facebook page. Begin to “brand yourself”.

Joanna

To submit your questions and comments to this column IN CONFIDENCE, please email jsamuels@reena.org