Have you ever thought about making your hobby a career?

SPC Margaret Higgins — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 10:33:34 -0400

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2015 10:35 AM

1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 10:35:16 -0400

I wish. Fishing wont pay the bills

Response by Sgt Tom Cunnally made Oct 20 at 2015 10:41 AM

Sgt Tom Cunnally — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 10:41:08 -0400

Yes I started stock trading as a hobby with just a few shares when I had a few extra bucks. But when I retired from Loral I cashed in my 401 k funds and opened an account with Charles Schwab and became a Day Trader. I spent all day in the Schwab Office and bought stocks in the AM when the market opened and sold them just before the markets closed.. It became a full time occupation until the market crashed in 2008..and now I am a Reformed Day Trader and only trade IPOs once in a while as opposed to every day..

Response by PO1 Todd Cousins made Oct 20 at 2015 10:45 AM

PO1 Todd Cousins — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 10:45:01 -0400

Actually I have. I am an avid warhammer 40k player and have considered making YouTube videos for the game not as a career maybe but to supplement my retirement check.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Oct 20 at 2015 12:19 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 12:19:55 -0400

All the time!! But unfortunately my hobbies don't pay well. Though I am seriously looking at making my volunteer work potentially a full time career switch. I am a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) member and I just got trained at the federal Emergency Management Institute and am now qualified through FEMA to teach and run a CERT program. Keeping the fingers crossed as I press the flesh at the state level.

Response by SGT Josheua Cooke made Oct 20 at 2015 12:30 PM

SGT Josheua Cooke — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 12:30:31 -0400

Some folks have hobbies that are easy to translate into a money making business. Pottery, crafts, wood working, etc. are great ways to become self sufficient assuming you can find an untapped or lightly tapped niche market. The cold reality of this desire to do what one loves to make money, is that not everything is a marketable product of service.

I have been trying to figure out how to make any of my passions work for me, and largely it revolves around not being able to put the required time and energy into a startup because of the need to continue making a stable living. If you can write a business plan then the Small Business Administration (SBA) can help bulletproof your business model and help you to get a VA backed business loan. Remember to borrow enough to "pay" yourself a livable wage until your business begins to make money for itself. Unless of course you are able to maintain working/ and doing the hobby on the side.

Just the ramblings of a fool. Good luck

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 20 at 2015 12:32 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 20 Oct 2015 12:32:09 -0400

Now that I'm out, I've started just that. I've just sent my first batch of music to the copyright office and I'm focusing more on learning more about FOSS and IT Security.