While there’s nothing wrong with a stable 9-5 job, it can sometimes feel stifling, especially if your heart isn’t fully into it.
Therefore, if you have a passion, like making music, starting a business, or even a new career path entirely — the first step is to muster up the courage to and pursue it. As David Sarokin once wrote, “Passion is what gives you boundless energy, intense almost single-minded focus, and the willpower to overcome even the most daunting obstacles. You can take steps to define your own passion and put work in building your career or business.”
Of course, the journey will not be easy. But you can make the time to prepare for it, even if you’re working full time.
Here are some places to start:
1. Learn from online experts at your leisure
Whether you’re switching careers or pursuing a business, you can always take online classes to build the skills you need to succeed in your venture. For instance, General Assembly’s online design courses can help aspiring designers learn specialized skills like UI, UX, and motion technology. Meanwhile, Maryville University’s online RN to BSN programgrants registered nurses the ability to pursue other careers in the field, like being a nurse educator or analyst. Despite these courses being purely online, students are taught to apply lessons in a practical setting, allowing you to gain a bit of experience before you graduate.
With online coursework, there’s no rush to finish quickly either. You can choose a few classes at a time, and only what your schedule permits.
2. Grab a value-adding part-time internship
Another way to build the skills you need and get your foot in the door is to land a part-time internship.
Look into positions that can provide you with valuable experience. For instance, if your passion is music production, internships for recording studios and radio stations can help you become more familiar with both the equipment and the industry. Music production also has a business and marketing aspect to it, which makes part-time jobs for those positions helpful as well.
Remember, one of the 10 Things Nobody Can Take Away From You is your experience — you just need to actively look for opportunities to gain it. Online job sites like Indeed, Craigslist, and CoolWorks easily let you search for positions that match your needs and background.
3. Look for opportunities to connect with industry experts
Networking events have plenty of benefits for those who are pursuing a new venture. For example, they give you the chance to connect with suppliers and organizations, which may help jumpstart your business. They're also often attended by industry experts, making for great opportunities to ask for tips.
To maximize every networking event, an article from Business 2 Community finds that it’s good practice to go in with a plan. Define your objectives: Is it to take inspiration? Is it to ask questions? Your answers will allow you to start meaningful conversations with the right people.
Many networking events are held during weekend or after office hours, so you won’t have to worry about it affecting your current job. Networking platforms like Meetup and Eventbrite are good places to start looking for events.
4. Read professionally-written books during your free time
Aside from approaching industry experts, another way to gain knowledge about the field that you're pursuing is to read books written by them. For example, those who want to learn more about building an ecommerce empire can benefit from Launch by Jeff Walker or Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller.
Incidentally, this activity is a good option for people that neither have the time to attend networking events or take classes.
Plus, if a particular title you're looking for isn't available in paperback, you can always grab an electronic copy of it from Google eBookstore or Amazon. There are also websites like Project Gutenberg and Open Library that offer their book collections for free.
It's neither easy nor impossible...
Chasing your passion while maintaining a full-time job isn’t easy. However, it’s also not impossible.
Just remember to take on the extra load only when you can. You don’t want to burn out. Pursuing the thing you love should be an enjoyable journey, so don’t rush to get to the end.
About the Author
Gale Jinx is a full-time business freelancer who has made it her goal to help her fellow readers succeed. She hopes her articles will be a good guide for those who are struggling to earn money. In her free time she can be found walking her dog.