Everyone has a dream or a passion in life, but not everyone drops everything to live these. Sure, you may think about quitting your day job to pursue what you really love to do, but when’s the right time to do it? And how can you prepare for the changes that will result from a possible lack of job security (not to mention infrequent paychecks)?
We recently interviewed someone who took that risk. Even before she became a full-time author, Kate Evangelista was already making a living from her love for the written word. Armed with a degree in literature, she taught high school English then worked as an essay consultant. She even made a brief detour into medical school! In the interview, she shared that while she loved teaching, she didn’t find it fulfilling enough to pursue in the long run. The problem with writing though is that it’s not the most stable of career options out there. It’s a classic case of working for love or for money—a dilemma some of us may be experiencing.
Since Kate successfully made the leap from the practical choice to something she was passionate about but might not earn her enough to pay the bills, we decided to pick her brain for practical things we should consider before we trade in our desk jobs for our dream careers. Read on to find out what tips she offered!
1. Assess your finances.
Kate said, “Make sure you have the funds or at least someone who can support you until you can get back on your feet. Most people say don’t quit your day job while pursuing your dream. That’s the smartest thing to do.”
2. Know exactly what the dream is.
“Be clear what your dream is. If it’s too broad then you might not get anywhere.” Kate explained, “For example, I want to be in entertainment. That’s an amazing dream, but it’s too broad because there are many facets to the entertainment industry. So you need to specify. Do you want to be an actor? Do you want to be a writer? A singer? Once you have a specific dream you can start carving a path toward it.”
3. Have a game plan.
“Short term. Midterm. Long term. Having goals will give you steps that work toward your dream. And with every goal you accomplish you feel good, which then propels you to achieve your next goal until eventually your dream has come true,” Kate said.
4. Be prepared for rejection.
“As a writer, I get rejected all the time. Lots of rejection,” Kate shared. “As painful as they can be, I keep going because rejection doesn’t change my love for what I’m doing. No matter what your dream is there will be rejection or failure. Being prepared allows you to get up after you fall and keep going.”
5. Practice patience.
“You will need a great amount of patience. Those who achieve overnight fame may seem lucky, but most of the time they don’t know how to deal with their success and they end up crashing and burning. (*cough* Justin Bieber *cough*) A great example of hard work is Taylor Swift. She didn’t get famous overnight. She worked hard to achieve where she is now in her career. So, be patient. Keep achieving your goals one at a time and you’ll eventually get there,” Kate said.
If you missed our previous article about Kate Evangelista, be sure to check it out here. Not only does she talk about her career and her latest novel Relish, she’s giving away some cool goodies too!
To learn more about Kate and her books, visit her website. You can also connect with her via Facebook and Twitter.
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