Turning your hobby into a job may be just the thing for you especially if you are thinking of pursuing your project as a new career. But it’s not something you should do on a whim. Pursuing your passion as any kind of job is something that takes some thought and planning first. Before you come up with something, it’s important to ask yourself why you want to turn your hobby into a job and if at all you want to make your hobby a full-on career or if it is just a way to have extra. One of the things to consider Ange Uwimana, a youth mentor says is to ensure you have a clear understanding of why you want to turn your hobby into any kind of job so that you don’t end up disappointing your results. Uwimana says it’s important to understand your hobby well. These are something you want to do, not something you have to do and you do it when you want. She says that according to different studies, hobbies help us decompress and get back to our jobs and routines with renewed energy. Once you turn your hobby into a job, Uwimana says it comes with a different set of expectations and responsibilities. That means your hobby is no longer an escape from your day-to-day routine. It’s a part of your everyday routine. Once you’ve decided you want your hobby to be more than a hobby, there is need to plan how you’re going to accomplish that transition. For instance, she says one can start by writing down their goals, including short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. Ask yourself exactly what you want to accomplish and how you will accomplish it. Another point, an educator Andy Burora believes is doing research to get a better idea about your niche. This, he says, can be done through visiting competitor’s websites and checking out social media, and see what others in your new field do and try to figure out how they do it. Also, he says it’s important to do some research to determine if your hobby really has the potential to become a full-fledged career or even an income-generating side hustle. “It’s essential to also find other people in your area and uncover how they did it before jumping in with both feet. Try reaching out to them to see if they can offer you any tips about turning your passion into profit,” he says. Studies have also shown that it’s important to always think of ways you can incorporate your passion into a pay check. For starters, you could teach like-minded folks about your passion and get paid for it. You might also give lectures about your area of expertise. Envision all the ways you can monetise your hobby (from teaching, training, repairing, etc.) as a way to launch your new career. Once one discovers that there are indeed job opportunities within your desired area of interest, they might want to get a full-time job immediately so that they can do what they love all the time. However, it’s advisable that you turn your hobby into a job by starting out part-time, on the side, and then slowly move more time and attention over to the hobby as a career.
