Last year, a YouTuber was ranked by Forbes as the 8th highest paid individual pursuing that craft. He made 11 million dollars in 2017. His name is Ryan and he’s barely 8 years old. Ryan makes a living reviewing toys for kids like him. If this doesn’t register as the career of your dreams, nothing would.
It sounds surreal, a kid getting paid to play with toys all day, yet the internet has brought about several possibilities of this similitude. In case you’re wondering, it is also possible to get paid to sleep.
The central theme we can all agree on is that getting paid doing what you love is no longer an illusion. It is possible and it isn’t so hard to achieve. There are several benefits we can attribute to making a career out of what you love. However, these points might not prove compelling unless we carry out a critical analysis of the current state of the labour market.
How Traditional Jobs Work
A job, according to the dictionary, is defined as a regular and official activity that you do to get paid. Putting this in perspective, you are required to dedicate time and effort towards achieving set objectives and, in return, you earn money.
This sounds easy and, ideally, it should be. But then, life isn’t black and white. Those grey areas cloud our perception of what a job really is. Perhaps, we can explore statistics which talk about job satisfaction and employee retention.
Gallup released a report recently which showed that 85% of employees are emotionally disconnected from their jobs. According to Forbes, ‘engaged’ means they feel a sense of passion or they are committed to advancing a particular cause. In essence, we can say that 85% of employees hate their jobs.
What is a Career?
A career, on the other hand, describes the lifelong pursuit of an ambition. It encapsulates the total progression of your professional life. Usually, people who reach the echelon in the course of their jobs are said to have enjoyed an illustrious career and this is because their success is attributed to an underlying passion for their job.
Research has shown that people become miserable when they are earning low income (or no income). Many people persevere in their jobs simply because they do not want to go broke.
This is a valid concern, yet, the approach towards mitigating it is wrong. The economic downturn is such that there’s no job security any longer. Just imagine, 27% of companies claim that they’ve fired employees for misusing office internet. In the United States, there’s an average monthly layoff of about 1600 staffs.
So, apart from the fact that people hate their jobs, they can lose it anytime as well.
How to Build a Career
Is then expedient that folks get enlightened on how they can build a career. How they can get paid doing what they’re passionate about. Think of Ryan, the millionaire 7-year-old. Think of your pop stars and favourite athletes. Think of those guys who get paid to talk about themselves.
Stories about people quitting their million dollar jobs are everywhere and we can identify a pattern in these success stories. In three steps, several individuals have successfully monetized their passion and built a career out of it.
1. A Critical Analysis of Your Skills
Get a pen and paper, write down what you love doing. Nothing is too weird or absurd, people get paid to cry. Your skills might be innate or cultivated. Irrespective of how you got it, it is yours and you’re allowed to make money off it.
2. Getting Hours of Experience
Here’s where the real work is. Whether your passion entails writing, programming, or photography, you’ll need to put in significant hours to become really good at it. There are several ways to do this and it is possible to get paid in the process of getting experience.
3. Getting the Word Out
Now, you’re all set and it’s just a matter of informing the world of your expertise. This is usually the hardest part and it is the period where people begin to consider sticking to their paid jobs. Thankfully, there’s a way out.
But… We all know that passion doesn’t instantly translate to funds. In fact, it almost never does at first. So you might still need to work your regular job while pursuing your career on the side. This is a common practice. It’s not unusual to see aspiring actors wait tables for steady income while expecting their next big break. Also, there are people who work their white collar jobs normally but still offer consultancy services on the side.
Looking at it critically, this can be very tasking. Working at your job, advertising your talents, meeting deadlines, it can be discouraging if you do not have the right orientation and necessary help. Thankfully, there are companies devoted to helping people achieve their dreams while they work. These companies serve as a plinth for you to soar.
They do not just offer you exposure, they are committed to your personal growth and they help you manage your relationship with clients. Usually, you are required to sign up to become a freelancer and then your service is broadcasted to millions of prospective clients. If you’re new to the concept of freelancing, you can learn more about it here.
Conclusion
The freelancing economy has been tipped to become the major means of income for millions of people. In the United States alone, 1.8 trillion dollars was spent in the freelance market. As such, there’s a wide market and getting in early might prove advantageous. If you have a skill you would like to offer while working at your job, you can start the journey to freedom right here on TERAWORK.
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