Choosing a Compatible Day Job

Your day job can help make or break your after-hours vocation; therefore, choosing which field to enter is important. Here are some factors to consider:

• What are your family obligations? You can care for children and other dependents while working in any job but some work environments make it harder than others.
• Is your vocation sedentary or active? If you're a writer, working a physically demanding job is more manageable than if you're a dancer or soccer player.
• Are there certain hours or days when you'll want to be free to practice your vocation? If you're a jazz musician who plays in clubs, Saturday night is a bad time to have to show up for work. If a crazy work schedule is getting in the way of your dream, can you take a few classes at a community college in order to transition into a more compatible field?
  
• What are you good at? Even if you're looking for entry-level work, you still have a number of occupations from which to choose. Retail, office and labor occupations all demand different skills. If you're just starting to work on a dream, carefully consider how you want to earn the money to pay for it. For example, an MFA in Creative Writing probably won't immediately lead to full-time freelancing; taking office technology classes while still in school would be a practical day job move, plus the computer skills will come in handy as you pursue your writing.
  

In her book The Renaissance Soul, Margaret Lobenstine details a number of requirements for a good day job. Ideally your job should fulfill at least one of them. Possibilities include:

• A good income that will not only pay your living expenses but also help support your vocation.
• A generous amount of free time and/or a flexible schedule.
• The opportunity to learn skills that will help you pursue your dream.
• The opportunity to make connections with people who could help you.
• Resources you can take advantage of on the job.

Since finding a job that fulfills all of these could be difficult, know which benefits are most important to you.

I highly recommend Lobenstine's book as a resource for the successful double life - visit http://www.togetunstuck.com/index.htm for more information.