Do What You Love, Love What You Do

People in career transition often pause to take stock. One of the really valuable parts of job changing is taking the time to decide “What do I want to do?”

Too many of us stay locked into jobs or careers that we hate because we’re afraid of change, afraid of risk, or simply don’t believe we can get paid for doing what we love.

Today’s internet provides amazing opportunities to those considering alternate careers. Many Web 2.0 tools give an amazing ability to create subject matter expertise and monetize rapidly. For instance, a friend was a journalism graduate, who didn't want to work for a traditional corporate journalism job, but wanted to write, and run her own show.

My friend realized she really enjoys dining out, discovering emerging music acts, enjoying Chicago’s nightlife, and recommending her favorite places. She loves being a local expert about the Chicago area entertainment scene (I bet she likes the occasional VIP treatment also). She figured out how to make enjoying Chicago her job by building a website that provides independent restaurant and entertainment reviews in Chicago. That’s right…she earns her living going out to dinner. When she started out, she worked as a server for a few years while launching, but now runs her wonderful site full time.

It’s not always easy following one’s passion, and requires serious introspection and bravery. It’s not for everyone, certainly not for the weak of heart. Not every person thrives equally well in an entrepreneurial vs corporate environment. You’re probably not going to step into a salary equivalent to what you left.

For the brave workers who are sick of the corporate lifestyle, there’s never been a better time to jump off the cliff. Costs of entry are shockingly cheap. Computing power, promotion opportunities, guerrilla marketing opportunities, voice and data costs keep dropping and becoming more user friendly. Social media gives individuals a voice, and effective online guerrilla marketing gives us the opportunity to bootstrap and shamelessly promote our passion and expertise.

So whether your passion is stamp collecting, baseball, scrapbooking, cooking, or Chicago’s nightlife, consider that you might make your passion your job.

I’ve personally found that doing what I love makes every day an adventure to look forward to. I enjoy helping people, and reCareered gives me the opportunity to take what I learned sourcing top talent for large corporations, and applying it to candidates.

If you’d like more information, a free 30 minute resume consultation, or some advice about your career transition, just email your resume to reCareered at phil.rainmakers@gmail.com, and we'll schedule a time to talk.