Turn your passion into your job?

Or do your job with passion?

This is the cake I made to celebrate my daughter's birthday.

Every year I make her cake; they're not perfect, but I enjoy it, and she likes them.

Three years ago, I also started making cakes for my little one. So, I indulge in it twice a year like this.

I enjoy cooking, and being abroad, it has become a necessity: eating out is definitely expensive, and bitterballen are not for us!

Many women, mothers, and partners of those who have found work here in the Netherlands (the "spouses"), unable to work in their own field, have decided to turn their culinary skills into their profession, perhaps by starting a small business, a catering service, or even opening a successful restaurant. For many of them, cooking is a ritual culturally linked to the female figure. If you're good at it, you do it for the whole family (the extended ones with 30 cousins on each side), so why not turn it into a job?

When looking for a new job, you start with what you already know how to do and what you would like to do. Some suggest looking into your hobbies and passions.

But which one and by what criteria?

First reflection, as a woman, immigrant, mother, and freelancer.

There are many organizations for women focusing on manual labor; after all, we have centuries of experience in creative work.

When I suggest doing something for women, in my condition and regarding work, the first proposal concerns cooking or creative work.

Something inside me lights up, and lately, I can't even hold back: creative manual work is, in my opinion, a sort of therapy. If I'm feeling down, I cook, sew, paint, etc. I feel better this way. I know it works like this for many people. And for many women, it can be the right path, building their work around something that heals, that they're passionate about, and that they're good at.

But in addition to creative abilities, for many women, there are diplomas, degrees, master's degrees, and years of experience in a certain field, from human resources to teaching, engineering, or medical work.

Talents, skills, and abilities that, in a different context, are not utilized.

Creative work becomes a fallback, not a choice.

If turning your passion into work is not the result of a heartfelt choice, the passion will fade, and there will be frustrations and regrets. I could have.

Second reflection: in addition to considering whether your passion has a market and whether it can be turned into a job, there's another practical aspect to consider.

Hobbies are a refuge from the noises of everyday life; they can help reduce stress and improve skills. They're spaces where particular abilities are highlighted, nourishing self-esteem, and in some cases, lead to joining groups and associations, expanding the network of relationships.

The transition from hobby to work adds a new layer of complexity: managing the business. This includes evaluating the costs associated with production or service provision, developing effective marketing strategies to promote your work, establishing collaborations with other professionals or companies, managing finances, and much more.

While hobbies can be a refuge from the stress of daily life, starting a business based on a hobby requires a new perspective.

You need to balance the passion for the activity with the entrepreneurial skills needed to grow and thrive in the market.