It was 5 years ago, today, that I lost my job.
Not my job but my career.
October 14, 2020, from my basement studio where I was remotely doing my morning radio show, I was asked by the then-few months-into-the-job General Manager to do a zoom call with him.
I finish the show, logon to the zoom meeting and there he is with our business manager/HR person.
And from there, I was done with my morning radio show and the station that I had been an on-air talent for the past 17 years.
It was, of course, a shock and scary but with the support of my wife and kids, I leaned into the voiceover stuff I had been doing on the side since 2004.
Voiceover was going to be my NEW career.
I ramped up just about everything to do with my voiceover career: webinars, coaching, amount of auditions per day, techniques, etc.
And as of 5 years later I can say it was the right decision. I'm projected to do better financially with voiceover than I did at my highest earnings in radio.
I guess it was a good thing that only 2 responses came about from the 100+ jobs I applied for. Maybe it was fate telling me 'nah. Focus on the voice acting stuff?'
What's my point? The point is that if you're in a 9 to 5 job, don't discount the stuff you love as a backup.
Love woodworking? Dig in a little deeper on it and try to make something sellable.
Painting your passsion? Put some prints on Etsy and see if anything sells.
I'm not saying ditch your day job. I'm saying that if there's something you're passionate about, give that at least a little consideration as a career.
With the times being what they are right now, it never hurts to have a backup in place. So why not try to 'level-up' those passionate endeavors now?
Better to get that stuff supercharged now before you find yourself trying to find a job.
Because, who knows, your next job might not just be your job but your passion.