Anyone here aboard had a hobby ruined by going to work in that Hobby?. Lets say you went to work in a L G S full time. Would that ruin your passion in firearms?I did have two hobbies that turned into jobs. My 2nd job in highschool was at a motorcycle shop I still ride and own bikes at 56 plus. 2nd was a service parts manager at a boat dealership. I owned boats and held a six pack charter license( flats salt water plug & fly ) I will say the owner of the dealership did put a huge gash in my passion for boating . Really hard person to deal with evil and nasty. He hated boats and pepole go figure lol. Now that I am retired I could see me working part time at L G S . That wouldn't ruin it .

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Spin The Wheel

I shot PPC after I became a police office and sought to get better, putting in a lot of time and effort. I began shooting with the national guard on their indoor winter league team. Several years later I switched to the reserve and made the national composite pistol team. After a few years, it was a job, yes the ammo was nice but over 100 days a year active duty wore me out.

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Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

When I retired I thought I would do some volunteer work at the VA with some of the Vets with mental health issues. It lasted a month, I was back at work. I only do the things I like doing. One hobby is roasting coffee for my personal use. I sell some once in a while to help pay for the green beans. I collect bourbon, I enjoy tasting how different they can be. I shoot the guns I like. Retirement should be about what you like and want to do not about getting sucked back into a job. Read books, take up knitting.

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Carpriver.

In 1964, while watching the Beatles debut on Ed Sullivan, I was thunderstruck. I knew at that moment what I wanted to do with my life and proceeded to do anything to further that goal.

The fire never went out and I have chased and lived the dream. I made mistakes and bad business deals along the way but I raised a family, cultivated many wonderful friendships and memories along with a decent discography and resumé.

I sure don't deserve all the happiness He has brought me but I'll sure take it.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

A friend of mine opened a Bait & Tackle shop, that ended his fishing.

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Don

I went to work for my State fish and game dept. ended my desire to hunt or fish again.

I once ran a brothel. Lost all desire to....





Nah. Just kidding.

I worked part time at a large LGS and the owners never scared me away from guns, I learned to just avoid them in any aspect of my life!

Ivan

As a young man harleys where a dream for me 50 years ownership of my custom build motorcycle shop and i still ride my harleys and custom built motorcycles i guess a hobby and a passion are different motorcles and the freedom they give me are dear to my heart
When things got bad I would go and clear my mind with wind therapy
When the bills overloaded me again wind therapy cleared my mind
When the wife and kids overloaded me with problems wind therapy helped
In my 71 years on earth wind therapy is still my savior

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People who tell me I should make money with my hobbies get told "Once it becomes work it is not fun any more." So I will keep on working and when I retire in a few years there will be time to have more fun with my hobbies.

I love coffee!

My friend collects whiskies, scotch and bourbon

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Talk show host?

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i could take a job shooting evil bunnies for people.
i bet i'd love it for years.

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susie

Since I retired I really delved into my hobbies of collecting/ shooting my S&W revolvers and that lead to my reloading which I enjoy very much. However, I was spending so much time at my local indoor range/LGS I ended up working there. It started as one day a week, which was fine(gave me an excuse to put on pants and leave the house), now I work five days a week (only 28 hrs.)and the people I actually enjoy talking guns/shooting/reloading with have become the exception not the rule.

ETA, not ruined, but not what it was

I've always wanted to restore a car or build a street rod. Been in the automotive industry since about 1977. Had some real good ideas on what to incorporate also.

But, I always found doing something else was just as fulfilling.

Napping ain't become a job so far....

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Eccentric old coot

My advice for what it's worth. Never turn a hobby into a business.

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40 yrs Millwright Machinist

I went to work as a motorcycle mechanic. Lasted 3 years & went back to electronics.

Had a gun shop for 35 years..Guided hunters for 30 years fishing guide and Chesapeake Bay waterman too from the age of 12 till I moved to Wyoming. To be honest the hunting guide stuff did turn into a job as did the fishing stuff. The gun shop did become a bit of a job but I still like the gun stuff. At least I quit working on guns for others for the most part. I never made a lot of money doing the businesses but it paid for the farm and such. Many times we think we need to make a big splash when we do something. Never wanted to do that. Wanted to pay the bills and have a good life..for the most part I attained my goal..

Being a photographer let me into doing some jobs. Talk about taking the fun out of something.

We did a lot of music and picked up some money along the way, but nowhere near what we put into it. Maybe enough to buy a microphone or music stand here and there. Therefore it remained fun.

I loved music recording and thought I'd like to pursue that but kept it as a hobby. Worked like holy hell at it but it was fun. Getting paid would have ruined everything. It seems my passion for that has died.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I'm think more of hobbies I thought to get into, never had the time, and now I regret not jumping in and doing some of them. Cars have always been a passion, checking out the various car shows. The restoration work I've seen has been amazing. Something I've always wanted to do. Another passion is music. I've always wanted to learn how to play the piano, violin and guitar. Now my arthritic hands won't let me do that. Maybe in another life I can fulfill these desires, who knows.

Another thing I also did for about 3 years was play music..mostly at local knife and gun clubs(hillbilly bars) etc. We got to drink for free. LOL We were just a local bunch and played some lead in for the big names when they were touring locally(mid 60's) . Started at about 15 and quit by the age of 18. I drank too much.. Way way way too much. I always wished I could have played the guitar better and wanted to learn the banjo

Exactly why I never wanted to be a gynecologist.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

Not me. For once I actually listened to that little voice in the back of my head and it turned out to be a very good thing. As a life long passionate fisherman I turned down offers/suggestions/opportunities to build custom fishing rods and terminal tackle and work in the fishing departments of sporting goods stores.

That would have been one of the worst mistakes of my life and a total disaster.

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Real men love cats!

Loved sailing as a kid - still do. Used to be a computer engineer but ran out of work when we moved out of London to the South coast. Went back to school to study yacht design for 3 years, and have loved it ever since (graduated 1980)

I don't sail much any more, but still love it - I just hate racing.

I used tocollect comic books, action figures,collectable sports cards etc--opened a ""store"" which was actually my bedroom in my parents home.I never regretted it,made quite a bit of money at it and enjoyed it. Dunno why I got out of it??? Girls I guess??

I could not work at a LGS.....especially if they had an employee discount program....I could not afford the new house and gun safe's I would need to purchase to store all the handguns I would purchase....

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Hipcocked45

Conversely if you get paid for doing something you like.....and people respect your expertise...

That is precisely why I chose Law over gynecology.

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Forum consigliere

My passion was building high performance engines in my late teens/early twenties. It never left me. But when the family came along I needed steady employment. Being a mechanic ruined my engine building passion.

A close friend worked after school packaging cheese curds. he loved the stuff. Owner says "you can eat all you want, just eat them here". First day he stuffed himself, second day he had some. By the third day he wanted nothing to do with them and it lasted for years. I learned a lot from him.

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Front sight and squeeze

Yous got to take a nap so yous ain't too tired to go to bed !

I could be talked into working part time at an LGS. No way full time. Now that I am retired I can't, for the life of me, figure out how I was able to work all of those years.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

A long long time ago a NCO asked me why I wasn't on the rifle team,I told him I love to shoot and didn't want burn myself out shooting all the time.

Let Mike Rowe explain it. I've heard both sides, "do what you're passionate about, and the money will follow," and "Forget passion, just find something that pays well."

Rowe fills in the gap between those two diametrically opposed ideas: Don't Follow Your Passion - YouTube

If you don't want to watch the 5 minute video, he says if you're passionate about something but don't have the talent to do it, then forget about it. But if you find an opportunity to do something for which you do have the talent and skill, the passion for fulfilling a need in the marketplace will get you through.

I was an avid photographer, won quite a number of awards, had prints and slides accepted and placed in international salons. I thought I could afford more and better equipment if I did some weddings, portraits, special events. It didn't take me long to get turned off and today I have a pocket sized digital camera to photograph my guns and take on vacations. There is a closet full of film stuff I haven't touched in years.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Part time LGS is in my plans. For once, after decades of "It's OK, I got it on sale", I can tell my wife that I had to get this gun _ I Had a Discount!

Dang it, all this time I thought it was so I could stay up late reading and posting on this forum. hardcase60

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You want me to do what?

Once told my mother I thought I could make a living using my wit. She replied "half a living is better than none".

Don't know if this qualifies, but I really enjoyed hunting before I entered the Army. After I got back from Vietnam, the prospect of going out in the bush humping a rifle didn't appeal to me any more. Haven't been since.

Retired and loving it.....Both I and my wife are healthy and on 0(zero) medication....Sitting in a deer stand/loading shooting and turning some dirt with my John Deere is very relaxing(therapy) to me.......And I'm with Iggy...Afternoon naps are a big plus........

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S&W Accumulator