Friday, November 9, 2012
When a hobby becomes something else...
I have a feeling that many of our classmates will have an idea for their next project that has to do with a hobby becoming something else - a career, a sickness, an obsession, etc. I was exploring this aspect when I came across this article in Forbes. This article is really interesting, but I do have to admit that I was most shocked to read that genealogy now ranks only behind gardening as America's favorite pastime. To be honest, I don't know if I would have considered genealogy a hobby before reading this. An interest, maybe. What is the difference between an interest and a hobby anyway? Hm, that's an idea. Anyway, this guy, who was always interested in genealogy, was laid off from one too many jobs before he decided to make his "hobby" his "career" - he is now one of the premier genealogists in the field. He was smart and innovative, making his presence known on social networks, which is what really set off his business. Social networks, the free marketing of the future! Clearly, it works, but it takes work to be successful and having a passion for something is not a bad place to start!
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I love this idea! Have you heard of that new show, I can't remember the name of it, with celebrities who trace their genealogy? It's a good time. You should check it out. Genealogy is very big now with technology and travel making it easier for us to not only trace our family history back, but to build a foundation for our children and our children's children to know where they came from and why that matters.
ReplyDeleteI've seen a few episodes of the show (Who Do You Think You Are-NBC) that Michele referenced above and agree-genealogy is a hot topic. In fact, at my college in the Continuing Education department, we offer 4 different genealogy classes this winter. While I like the idea of what makes an interest a hobby, that sounds like it would be a difficult topic to have enough to write about--since genealogy is so in but not overdone (at least, not in my mind), I would suggest going with that topic.
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