By Robyn Tellefsen & Jennifer Merritt
How big is the difference between your avocation and your
vocation? That depends -- traditionally, your avocation is
an activity you love, like guitar playing, while your
vocation represents your good ol' 9-5 job. If you happen to
perform in a mariachi band for a living, congratulations --
you've married passion with duty.
But for the countless others stuck in a corporate nightmare
while nursing a craving for kayaking, you know the drudgery
of spending only a quarter of your time doing what you love.
How can you change that? By pursuing an online degree in
your "hobby." Get inspired by these professionals who have
successfully blended their interests with their jobs though
online learning, then get to work -- work you love, that is.
Pursuing Passion
For Georgia Ioannou, pursuing her passion wasn't an easy
task. Although she had poured lots of time and money into
becoming a pilot (even moving from her native Canada to
Florida to get her pilot's license), she found doing so made
it hard to make ends meet.
"I took a series of minimum wage jobs to support myself, and
my progress screeched to a halt because I was barely
covering my bills," she recalls. Her mom, a registered
nurse, suggested Georgia become a nurse, because at the
time, the government offered nursing school grants to help
offset the shortage.
Not wanting to forgo her dream of becoming a pilot, Georgia
went for it, with plans to use the money she earned to
continue her aviation degree. But, the 31-year-old soon took
a detour. "I graduated with an RN license and got
sidetracked in life," she says. "I was blinded by the money,
[and] finally being able to afford the 'nice' things that
had been absent in my life."
Even so, Georgia was left feeling unfulfilled. She found
herself frustrated, and soon realized she didn't have to
feel this way if she didn't want to. Which is exactly why
Georgia decided to pick up where she left off with the help
of online learning. She is currently pursuing a degree in
aviation flight technology from Thomas Edison State College
(TESC, Trenton, NJ).
"Nursing made me realize that my time on this planet is
limited," she says. "I felt that it was time to start living
my life to the fullest now, instead of just existing."
That wasn't completely the case for Tom Moore. After the
events of September 11, 2001, Tom, a supervisor at Ford
Motor Company, discovered the plant he worked at was
closing. "That put me in a position to reeducate myself, or
relocate," says the 35-year-old. That's when he decided to
make the switch complete, pursuing a bachelor's degree in
social science and history through TESC. His ultimate goal
is to attend law school.
Tom acknowledges that the switch might not have been made if
it wasn't for the turn of events. "Things get in the way,"
he says, "being married, getting older. I wanted to do my
own thing for a while, but I really had no incentive to
leave."
The Beauty of the Blend
John Schuster, career coach and author of "Answering Your
Call: A Guide for Living Your Deepest Purpose"
(Berrett-Koehler, 2003), would say Georgia and Tom have
found their calling. "The highest level of integration
between avocation and vocation is when there is virtually no
difference between work and play."
That's exactly as it should be, according to Dr. Beverly
Potter, an Oakland, CA-based psychologist specializing in
career and workplace issues.
"You can't make a division between work and non-work," she
insists. "It's what you do. We have the idea that work is
toil -- that's from the late 1880s and factory work. But it
doesn't have to be that way.
"It's better for a person to foster and develop several
different specialties and blend them," she explains. "If you
develop an avocation and blend it with your current
specialty, it makes you a unique person."
In fact, the more you can integrate the skills and
activities you love into your work, the more flexible and
fully-developed you'll be, promises Dr. Potter.
Risky Business
But since doing what you love doesn't necessarily mean the
money will follow, you have to remain realistic, coaches
Schuster. "It's the dance between the practical, like making
the mortgage payment, and taking some risk," he says. "You
can't take away the risk -- then it's not an adventure. But
without practicality, you're living in a fantasy world."
Tom has experienced the burden of taking a risk not only for
his career, but his happiness. "Financially, it's been
tough," he says. "It's a choice to further my education."
In order to make that leap, Georgia suggests carefully
weighing your options. "It took me a while to discover that
a fancy car and home do not make me happy," she says. "The
pursuit of wealth in my 20s evolved to the pursuit of my
dreams."
Tips for making the switch
- The first step is hard, but it'll pay off in the
end. "If you fail, it's only a temporary setback, but if
you don't try at all, then your whole life was a
failure," says Georgia.
- No need to dive in head first. "Even if you take one
class a semester [online], at least you're doing
something," says Tom.
- Enlist the support of friends and family. "Even my
14-year-old brother eggs me on, telling me life is too
short to do a job you hate," says Georgia. And, Tom
says, you'll even find support in your online community.
"A lot of the students are nontraditional," he says,
"and are more willing to help each other."
Research the right school for you
- Concerned about going back to school? Many students
say online learning affords them flexibility and the
ability to work at their own pace.
- Look at what a prospective school can offer you in
terms of job professors, flexibility, and job placement.
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