Joe falls into a midlife career change; the importance of passion in your career

Thinking of a midlife career change? Read Joe's story.

Joe's background was in technology and worked for a variety of large and small tech companies in the Los Angeles area. But he had always loved cooking so after a move to the Santa Barbara area he decided to try a midlife career change. It worked out for him but not in the manner he expected. In Joe's words:

When I moved to Mendocino, I found a restaurant that I fell in love with and propositioned then for a job. They started me as a prep cook and within 3 months, I was Chef de Cuisine. I thrived there for about 18 months until I fell in a freak accident and broke my leg, doing irreparable damage to several ligaments and, sadly, I can't be on my feet to the extent required to cook anymore... alas. However, turning lemons into lemonade, I have taken the knowledge gained and parlayed it into a great advantage as an event planner. I can communicate more effectively with both kitchen and client, leading to very, very happy events for groups from 2 to 200.

The lessons here are many. First, if you pursue a passion, something that you really love doing, your odds of succeeding go up dramatically (tips how to do this). Second, you have to take responsibility for your happiness, just as Joe did. Joe, who is now happier than he ever was, even used a serious accident as an enabler for launching a new company.

Joe is not a fictional character and in fact you can reach him at Harvest Market if you are in need of event planning.