Too Quirky For The Workforce? Five Ways To Turn Your Personal Passions Into Paying Careers

This post is presented in partnership with Box Hill Institute.

We know you want to hold onto your personality.

That sweet pocket of time between high school and work is precisely when you get to show off your individuality and be exactly who you want to be, without having to worry about uniforms or neckties.

After that, it’s back to conformity, right?

Not necessarily. There’s no reason for you to box-up your personality just because you’re entering the workforce. In fact, your personal interests and unique quirks should help inform the precise career path you’re planning on heading into. Why should the fun end when work begins?

We spoke to some of the lecturers and course coordinators at Box Hill Institute in Melbourne to uncover five of the most interesting careers its students can explore, depending on their personal passions; from music producing to dog grooming.

Read on and consider some real-life careers you may have only previously entertained as a fantasy. Yes, you can get paid to do each of these...

“This one goes to 11.” Work as a Music Producer or Band Manager.

For many, the extent of music producing involves pushing up the dials on a mixing board and then giving the thumbs up to the musician on the other side of the glass. At Box Hill, you can see how much more there is to offer by studying Audio Production, Composition, Performance and, under Frank Varrasso, a two-decade veteran of the industry, Business.

(Some of his past colleagues include Beyoncé, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Kylie Minogue.)

“[In my course] students actually have the tangibility to put on live events, put on tours, release music, release singles, albums, EPs, all these kinds of things,” Frank told Student Edge.

"It’s a really great opportunity for students to become self-sufficient within the industry. So once they finish the course, they kind of know how record companies work.”

Music Business can lead to careers in band management, gig booking, releasing (and promoting) records by your favourite artists and developing epic stage shows (like this one, with a giant fire-breathing spider robot).

“Putting on live shows is really unique, because students learn about management, they learn about booking agents, they learn how agents operate and they put on shows themselves. All these sorts of things really prepare them for the outside world.”

But if you're worried about one day coming face to face with Queen Bey and freaking out, Frank offers this sage advice:

“As much as these superstars are known worldwide, the beautiful thing is they’re people like you and I. They have feelings. They are regular people. You can quite easily be over-awed by the fact that they’re extremely talented musicians and performers, but the essence is, when I’m working with them, they are just normal human beings.”

Can you ‘hack’ a career as a Cyber Security Expert?

You could become the next Mr. Robot (well, except for the whole ‘bringing down modern civilisation as we know it’ part) if you decide to get into the profession of Cyber Security.

Taking Box Hill’s Certificate IV in Information Technology can get you into one of the most important roles in the world today. You’ll learn how to identify threats small or large, stop hacks before they happen and potentially keep organisations, and even entire nations, safe.

You’ll also be able to figure out precisely what’s going on with your computer next time it crashes, saving you a trip to the Genius Bar.

The power is yours, if you’re a Sustainable Building Designer.

Or maybe you just want to straight up save the planet. With an Advanced Diploma of Building Design (Architectural), you can learn how to construct sustainable buildings, both residential and commercial.

Meaning: you can find ways to make the world greener with your environmentally-thoughtful processes, beginning with a building’s design and continuing all the way through to its demolition (should it come to that).

You’re basically Captain Planet with a drafting triangle.

Be like Kanye. Become a Fashion Designer.

Kanye keeps complaining that the fashion world won’t let him into the industry. If only he had a Bachelor of Fashion from Box Hill.

We asked Debbie Pratt, formerly of Nike and current course coordinator for Fashion Design and Fashion Merchandise at Box Hill, why the world of couture is a smart study choice.

“The great thing about this industry is that the skills are transferable, so you can move into different, diverse areas,” she said.

Of course, if you've got grand designs of creating audacious Fashion Week outfits, Debbie says you need to couple your creativity with the course's practical skills first.

“Everything we do is underpinned by theory, but theory put into practice," she said.

"You can be really creative, but what you really have to have is really strong technical skills as well.

“[Students] have to be able to make patterns and stick garments and finish garments beautifully, because if they don’t understand all of that, garments won’t sell. You can be as creative as you like, but what you need to do is apply those technical skills and combine it with your creativity, so you have the understanding to create a beautiful commercial garment at the end of the day."

Wildlife Rescuer: Gotta catch ‘em all.

Animal lover? You can work as a Wildlife Rescuer – or even a Zookeeper! - with a Certificate III in Captive Animals. It’ll allow you to save endangered species and assist in their conservation. It’s Pokémon Go but for real.

Or, if you just want to spend your day cuddling dogs, consider a Certificate III in Pet Grooming, which will help you coif and style canines, so they’re runway ready. Someone’s gotta do it.

Learn more about Box Hill Institute and their courses here. Visit their Open Days at the Lilydale Lakeside campus on August 21 and Box Hill campus on August 28. Register now to attend a Box Hill Institute Open Day.

Photo: Comedy Central.