Blogging Hobby or Profession? Learn How to Differentiate the Two

Blogging a Hobby or a Profession and How to Know the Difference?

I’m sure that you have met at least one person who blogs as a hobby. Then again, since you are reading this, I’m sure you have heard of people who have become millionaires just by blogging. You are probably extremely confused right now regarding the magnitude of blogging in general.

In all honesty, it’s as simple as playing cricket, or football. A child plays football as a hobby or just another pastime. A grown-up man may also play football once in a while to maintain his physique and keep up with his hobby. In a similar way, it all depends on how serious you are about your hobby and how far you want to take it. Then again, just your wishes or seriousness alone can’t turn your hobby into your job.

But let us just assure you that blogging can be of both forms- a hobby or a job, and both are okay. If it’s just for fun or if it is a form of let-out to you, then it is a hobby, and blogs run as hobbies are okay. It all depends on you, really.

And if you are not very indulgent and are more serious about earning money from the things you spend time on, then you can take up blogging as a profession too. Especially if you are really good at something particular, you can use your knowledge and expertise in that field and monetize your blogging efforts.

How to Understand whether it is a Hobby or a Job?

If you are considering the blog you already have or you want to create a blog, here are a few factors you can consider to understand the difference between blogging as a hobby and blogging as a profession.

What’s the Reason Behind Your Blog?

Ask yourself why you would like to open the new blog you have been thinking about for some time or the blog you have already opened. Is it because you are just really interested in that particular field? Is it because the topic is really trending, and maybe you could offer your two cents on this? Think.

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If you are a really good cook and you have decided to share various recipes of yours with the rest of the world, then well, maybe it is hobby blogging.

But if you are a very good chef who owns a small local restaurant and wants to share his unique recipes with foodies in order to draw your target market more towards his restaurant, then well, you are probably thinking of professional blogging. In this case, the reason alone will make you super serious about the blog, and you will be desperate for more and more people to visit your blog.

How Serious Are You About Your Blog?

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The next big question is how serious you are about your blog. How many times do you usually visit your blog? How many items do you post per month? How much time are you investing in your blog?

Ask these questions to yourself. If you are visiting your blog once in a while and are not much concerned with how many visitors it is getting every day, then this is for sure hobby blogging. It is probably for sharing with mostly friends and acquaintances and you don’t have big plans for it.

How much do you earn from it?

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I know that it’s an odd question and that “a lot” to one person can be “not enough” to another. But despite that, considering an average situation, how much do you really earn from it? Because irrespective of the topics that are posted on a particular blog, you can still make some money from it.

But the straightest way of answering that question is by asking if the money you are making from your blog is enough for you to quit your current job. Is it enough? Could you quit your day job because of the money you are making from your blog?

Would it be enough to compensate for the salary your current job offers? If not, it is a hobby blog. If yes, then, congratulations, you have a professional blog!

And if you don’t have a good design on your blog or if the blog isn’t soothing to the eyes of your readers, then you may not be able to earn at all. And if you don’t know about design, I would recommend hiring a designer or checking web design pricing.

What are your expectations from the blog?

Blogging as a passion, Blogging as hobby, Blogging Passion or Hobby

This is probably the most important question because your expectations from the blog and your plans regarding it will determine whether you remain a hobby blogger or a professional blogger.

This question, a lot of people will probably shoot the same answer that they want to start with a small blog that they can maintain alongside their regular jobs and studies. They want this to be carried on for some time till it is popular enough to be a good money-maker.

At that particular point, the blogger plans to quit his regular job and invest their entire time into blogging so that the blog, which has a lot of potential now, can turn into a professional thing.

Let me tell you why that won’t work. There are very rare occasions on Earth where something spontaneous that has been more or less unattended bloomed all of a sudden like a wildflower. But apart from those rare occasions and near-miracles that have managed to make history, the world really does not work this way.

Study successful business ventures or huge businesses. None of these became so huge, just a casual yet lucky accident on the part of the entrepreneur. All of them had to be planned, carefully tailored to meet the needs of the customer, and nurtured day in and day out until the day those were stable enough. And even when they were stable, they still had to be customized from time to time in order to defeat the competitors, or just barely survive.

So, anything that makes money for you can be called a business venture, and every single business venture needs your time, smart, solid plans, and a lot of effort with immense patience on your part.

Did I scare you? I hope I didn’t. Because when it comes to blogging it is probably not as difficult as the day job you already have.

Can Blogging be Both a Hobby and a Profession?

Now comes the biggest question of all! Can your hobby be your profession, and your profession be the thing you love? The simple answer is: Yes, but only if you are good enough!

Just like a professional soccer player can derive both money and pleasure from his games, you can derive both from blogging too. But in order to reach that, your hobby needs to be so good that it can be considered to be of professional level.

Let’s take up the example of cooking. So, you love to cook, and it’s your passion. But in order to earn money, you are working in the Accounts section of a company. You absolutely hate the job and secretly dream of opening a restaurant someday or writing a cookbook. But you neither have that kind of cash at the moment, and cooking is just a hobby.

In situations like this, if your cooking is good enough, then blogging might just be your thing. If your recipes are unique and if you work on your blogging skills and can manage great traffic to your blog, then within a very short time, your hobby can be your profession too!

But in order to attempt that, you really need to evaluate yourself. Don’t depend on just what you think of yourself. Take help from friends and family. Cook a favorite dish and invite at least an amateur food critic to evaluate you. Or write down one of your most unique recipes and send it to a friend who loves to cook too.

See how he reacts! Does he think that your recipe is pretty much average? Or does he think that everybody knows about this already? Or does he think that one particular ingredient you have added to the recipe did wonders and that the whole dish now tastes better? Note these down.

Try several people. If you are good at it, then your blog probably has really good prospects, provided you follow other great tips and tricks. A great blog does not survive entirely on great content, but a number of factors and carefully tailored tactics make it survive, and then thrive!

What Kind of Blogging Would You Now Choose?

Now that the world of blogging is clear to you and you are well aware of the various responsibilities and the boons that come from different kinds of blogging, which one will you choose?

It is obviously completely up to you. But before you delve into one, do carefully measure your willingness in the matter and the way you want your life to be in the coming years. And once you have made up your mind, make sure that there is no stopping you!

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Avatar of Sunny Kumar
Sunny Kumar
Hello! I’m Sunny Kumar from New Delhi, India, a tech enthusiast and blogger with an IT degree from IIT-D. My expertise lies in SEO, Cloud Computing, Telecom & Networking, and CEH. I specialize in SEO, WordPress Development, and PC Building. And being a proficient WordPress user, I’m dedicated to delivering quality content and a remarkable user experience.

6 thoughts on “Blogging Hobby or Profession? Learn How to Differentiate the Two”

  1. I recently found useful information blogging hobby and profession on your website especially this blog page. Great post really appreciable work. I am an Internet marketer by profession a Blogger by passion. I like to stay connected with your Blog Theguidex. Wishing you a great career.

    Thanks for sharing. Happy Blogging 🙂

    Reply
  2. Thanks for this insightful post! It really cleared the fog between hobby blogging and professional blogging. I found it immensely helpful to gauge my own interest and seriousness towards blogging.

    Reply

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