Of course, being a career coach, I couldn't stop myself from asking how Beth got started in the carriage-ride business. Turns out Beth has been around horses all her life. She is one of only four people in the state that makes a full-time living off providing carriage rides around the tri-state area. After listening to her stories, I can't imagine Beth, the consummate horse lover, doing a different type of work.
While Beth's profession is certainly unique, the fact that the seed for her future career was first planted in childhood is far from unusual. In my work with clients, I always ask about childhood interests and hobbies. The activities we enjoy as children provide clues to our innate talents; more so than the way we spend our time as "responsible" adults who strive to satisfy societal expectations, often at the risk of ignoring our inner desires.
Of course, linking your childhood pursuits to adult career options is not always as obvious as matching a girl's passion for horses to a thriving carriage ride business. But with some research and creative thinking, it can be fun to consider the possibilities. For example:
- A lifetime love of pets could be parlayed into a pet-oriented business such as dog-groomer, animal behaviorist or a pet-sitting franchise.
- A long-forgotten interest in the performing arts could be revived in a career as a development officer for an arts organization, an arts administrator or as a public-relations freelancer who specializes in promoting community arts event.
- A passion for baking could lead to opportunities in food writing, catering or as a specialty food retailer.
Pairing your childhood interests with the skills you have developed as an adult can lead to some interesting possibilities. So grab those old yearbooks and scrapbooks, put on some music from your teen years and indulge in a nostalgic journey back to the old days. You might just find the spark that will ignite your next career has been smoldering inside of you for a long, long time.
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