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What do you hope for when you are looking for a change in career? For some people, nothing matters quite as much to them as money, and as long as they are able to find a profitable job, they are happy. Others might suffice to know that the work they do helps somebody in some way, that it has some kind of useful social appeal. Both of these are fine aims, and both worthy of consideration, but many people would prefer something a little more from their career.
For a lot of people out there, the most important thing is that the work they do is, in some way, an expression of something they love to do, or a world that they love to be a part of. Turning what you love into a career is truly the dream, but it’s not a pipe dream. In this article, we are going to see how you might be able to turn your love of absolutely anything into a career.
What Is It?
First up, you will need to identify what it is that you really love to do. That might sound elementary, or you might feel you already know – but really think about it. Spend time on it as much as you can and try to get to the bottom of what it is that you really love to spend your time doing. It might be that you think you know you enjoy painting, but when you really think about it, it is much more the sketching part that you love. So spend a while just thinking and mulling over what you love to do.
“You know you’re not perfect, but your pride might hold you back from letting others know about the areas you are weakest in. You might be afraid of what they will think of you, so you plod on within your career, never advancing because you stay rooted within your limited skill set. You might then get passed over for promotion within your career. However, if you had the courage to speak to your boss about training possibilities, or if you had asked a colleague for help, the reality may have been very different.” – Don’t Let Fear Limit Your Career Potential
There’s no rush – the job can wait, and if you have been years in a dead-end job then it won’t make much difference to stay there just a little bit longer. Just spend some time carefully considering what it is that you personally love to do. Then think about whether or not it is something that has even the faintest glimmer of potential of being a career. Don’t think about the likelihood just yet – just ask yourself if it is even possible in your wildest dreams. If it is, you know that this is something you might want to work on and bring about into existence at some point in your life.
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Try Teaching
In many cases, even if you can’t make a career of the thing itself, you can make a career of teaching that thing. No matter what it might be that you really love, there are going to be people out there who love it too, and who want to learn more about it. It might be that you find yourself going to a traditional educational setting like a school and teaching the children the subject that you are passionate about, such as art or music. You might study for a while at the likes of Rutgers University to ensure that you are well-equipped to be able to teach the subject in question, and then you could find yourself doing so at a local institution. That can be a fantastic way to make that subject you love the centre of your career, but in a way that is stable and enjoyable, and where you can feel as though you are helping others at the same time too. Teaching really is a great way to approach this.
The World Of freelance
If you really want to make a career of something you love, you can always think about the possibility of freelancing. The beauty of freelance is that it is a mode of working that you can apply to pretty much anything that you might like to try and make money from. Whether it is writing, painting, graphic design, music or whatever else, freelancing is simply a way to make it yours and direct your career how you would like to, without having to worry about spending your days doing something you don’t absolutely adore. If you are keen to try freelancing, bear in mind that you might take a while developing a portfolio and getting your name out there, so be prepared to be patient. In time, you should find that you can easily start to make real money this way, which is going to be a huge joy.
As you can see, there are always ways to turn what you love into a fully-fledged career, so make sure that you are aware of that. You should always feel that it is a possibility to do this, no matter how difficult it might seem at first.
Freelance to Freedom is the book on how individuals can reconstruct their life to create financial and time freedom.
