May 28, 2010 at 9:45 am
If my body (knees and back) were up to it, I'd still be teaching motorcycle safety classes - a "weekend hobby" for 18 years. Don't think it pays enough to cover the mortgage, though! While I love my other hobbies like gardening, woodworking, crocheting, bicycling and bunches of others, I can't really imagine being without the puzzles invoked by my work in IT. Figuring out how to make something work better is just way too much fun! Despite the stress that often accompanies the job, I can go home most days knowing I've accomplished significant progress toward a goal.
Steph Brown
May 28, 2010 at 9:47 am
Pizza/bike shop, interesting. I'd come by!
I always wanted a book store/coffee shop, though having a liquor license at night would be fun.
May 28, 2010 at 10:35 am
Ben Wilson-179630 (5/27/2010)
i would quite happily give away databases to scuba dive full time, as long as i could earn the same money! i have enough other hobbies that i could escape to when diving became 'the daily grind'...now to find a way to earn the same money scuba diving, and i am there!
Ben,
You took the words right out of my mouth! :w00t: At one time, I was planning on "retiring" to a dive master gig on a dive boat . . . then I found out how little they earn relative to the cost of living on most islands.:crying:
I also enjoy woodworking and that has now taken the place of diving as my "fall back profession" . . . simply because I think I can do that when I retire and turn enough coin to be able to go diving. 😛 However, I am also a card-carrying (as in IATAN ID Card) independent travel agent and that is another part of my "retirement" plan.
In the mean time, I think I'll keep my hobbies as hobbies instead of turning them into jobs.
In the past, I have actually tried to do other things . . . however, I quickly figured out that I am a compulsive systems analyst and database developer . . . I figured out how to design a database for whatever I tried to do and how to make things more efficient.:-)
Ralph D. Wilson II
Development DBA
"Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax."
A. Lincoln
May 28, 2010 at 10:39 am
My hobby is nature photography and if I could make a living at it, I would drop the database gig in a heart beat.
May 28, 2010 at 11:35 am
I have a family now with two little girls, and one of them is physically and mentally challanged. So beside work, all my time goes to my family.
But years ago, in an other live so to speak, my favorite hobby was wildlife photography http://www.naturfoto.ch. And in contrary to Old Hand I would not have done it for a living.
Here is why:
I love programming, and equally or even more, I love to be in the woods watching wildlife and nature in general. I had quite some photography gear (and sill have). But sometimes it seemed to me that photography was only justification for being out there, spending hours waiting, watching. I would never have traded this freedom for money. There would have been pressure to produce images, and I wanted to preseve my joy and independancy to capture rare moments.
In my opinion, that's what a hobby is for: something you would die for, possibly quite the opposite of what you do for a living, as a great addition to the balance of your life.
May 28, 2010 at 11:56 am
Absolutely. One of my hobbies is photography. If I could make the money as a photographer that I'm making as a DBA, I'd be doing that instead. I love my work as a DBA, but photography would be much more enjoyable and relaxing to me. It would almost be like being retired.
-SQLBill
May 28, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Most people would be surprised how doing your hobby as a living is not as much fun as you think it would be. Playing guitar, having to travel, play concerts, eat on the road, live in a tour bus, do PR, deal with fans, etc. This might sound fun but I bet you would get tired of it.
The best way to hate your hobby is to make your living from it. The point of a hobby is to escape from the day to day activities. If you can combine both, lucky you!
May 28, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Tom Stafford-438908 (5/28/2010)
Most people would be surprised how doing your hobby as a living is not as much fun as you think it would be. Playing guitar, having to travel, play concerts, eat on the road, live in a tour bus, do PR, deal with fans, etc. This might sound fun but I bet you would get tired of it.The best way to hate your hobby is to make your living from it. The point of a hobby is to escape from the day to day activities. If you can combine both, lucky you!
Tom,
That's why I plan to not have to make much money when I work at my hobby . . . I plan to charge enough to cover my costs (and a little more for new toys 😉 ) and to keep from having too much "business."
Ralph D. Wilson II
Development DBA
"Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax."
A. Lincoln
May 28, 2010 at 12:58 pm
There is an old saying - "if you love what you do you won't work a day in your life".
I too hope to one day not need the income that requires me to continue on this path as over the years I have seen the expectations, demand and stress continue to rise.
May 28, 2010 at 2:32 pm
For me - Yes! I would love to be an author. Writing, Reading, and Researching would definitely pull me away from the Tech World. Another thing that would make me ponder the move would be Real Deap Analysis. (The more complex the better!)
I currently feel that I do not have the talent to be a successful writer so I will leave my hobby be (for the time being....)
Joe
May 28, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Laura Grob (5/28/2010)
There is an old saying - "if you love what you do you won't work a day in your life".I too hope to one day not need the income that requires me to continue on this path as over the years I have seen the expectations, demand and stress continue to rise.
"Amen!" to that! Although, I have learned, as time has passed, to let Natural Consequences more often visit those who are in need of that. 😉
If I were to write, I'd want to write about travel and evaluate dive operations, among other vacation activities. I'd also want to supply the photos. Hmmmm, now, that is a thought. 😉 I could write and illustrate a travel blog and still have some time for woodworking! 😉
Hmmmm, let's see, how long until I can retire?:hehe:
Ralph D. Wilson II
Development DBA
"Give me 6 hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening the ax."
A. Lincoln
May 28, 2010 at 9:32 pm
Music is my hobby. I am a part time musician. I play between 65 and 75 shows a year. But it's not enough money to pay the bills, so I use it as mad money.
The thing is, I don't think it would be as fun if I did it fulltime.
May 29, 2010 at 12:58 am
For me my great escape is cooking, which is fantastic as I get the opportunity to do it every evening to feed my family (though it is far from unknown for us to have takout when I'm just too shattered to cook). :hehe:
would I do it professionally? Not a chance. I love the social aspect of cooking something tasty and then sitting down with my family and / or friends and eating it, the whole package. Cooking in a pro kitchen must be a great high, but it is not for me, besides I love doing BI too, and I suspect that getting time to do it as part of my daily family routine just would not fly, nor would it be as interesting without real business problems to solve.
John
Assumption is the mother of all F***ups
May 31, 2010 at 3:38 pm
I agree if riding my Harley could be made into a job that pays the same I'd be all over it. Sign me up when you start your new company.
😛
May 31, 2010 at 7:05 pm
If you're good at a job that most people won't do, then you'll earn an average income. If you're good at a job that most people can't do, then you'll earn better than average. If you're doing something that most people would love to do and can easily learn to do, then chances are, it won't ever pay the bills, regardless of what the late night infomercials or motivational speakers tell you.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
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