Discover How People Turn Hobbies into Careers

Summary:

Taking something you love to do and making into a potential career can ensure professional fulfillment. Teens can test out their hobbies with pre-college online courses to get started.

Key Points:

• 7 out of 10 teens (aged 13-17) express an interest in starting their own businesses as adults.
• Creative hobbies naturally translate into service-based businesses.
• According to Forbes, tips to consider as a teen looking to turn a hobby into a business include identifying your passion, developing your skills (pre-college online courses are a great option), and managing your expectations when setbacks occur.
• Courses available to high school students can either teach you how to run a business, while others are tailored to specific subjects that might be a hobby you currently enjoy.

Did you know that research from Junior Achievement indicates that nearly 7 out of 10 teens (aged 13-17) express an interest in starting their own businesses as adults? After all, creative hobbies naturally lend themselves to service-based businesses. Think of it as a mindset: are you skilled in photography, graphic design, video editing, or social media management? These skills can easily be applied in a business setting. Are you willing to offer these capabilities to small businesses and individuals who need professional-quality work but lack a big budget? 

But how to get started?

In this article, we’ll explore how to turn hobbies into careers and examine pre-college online courses in various hobby-related fields that could potentially serve as a launchpad to your future. 

First, what tips does Forbes have for budding entrepreneurs?

According to Forbes, there are three tips to consider as a teen looking to turn a hobby into a business: 

1. Identify Your Passion and Research: Reflect on your interests and explore potential career paths that align with your hobbies.
2. Skill Development: Invest in courses, such as pre-college online courses for high school students, and practice regularly to elevate your skills. Seek feedback to enhance your skills further.
3. Manage Expectations: Be prepared for challenges, potential income instability, and the need for continued learning.

Additionally, focusing on subjects you love can bolster your college applications. Admissions committees now prioritize unique accomplishments over traditional extracurricular activities. Your essay will become more compelling when you can describe real challenges you solved on your own. Instead of writing about "what I learned from my studies," you can discuss navigating your first demanding customer or developing pricing that worked. These concrete experiences create memorable application materials.

Showing this initiative signals practical problem-solving and self-direction abilities that many high school activities can't match.

Turning a hobby into a career should always start with learning how business works. That’s why starting with pre-college business programs is crucial, regardless of what hobby to career you’ve set your sights on. Let’s start with the Northwestern Pre-College Online Program.

The Northwestern Pre-College Online Program

Business: Strategies, Innovation, and Success provides a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of business. In it, you’ll learn about:

• Business strategy
• Financing
• Marketing
• Sales
• Identifying your target customer
• Manufacturing and distribution
• Operations and supply chain

The Notre Dame Pre-College Online Program

The Notre Dame Pre-College Online Program also offers a relevant business course titled Business: From Startup to Success. In this course, you’ll discover the fundamentals and exciting inner workings of the world of business. Analyze companies like Lululemon, Nike, and AT&T. Create a hypothetical startup business where you’ll learn the basic legal, accounting, and tax considerations. You’ll practice reading financial statements and market insights, and apply growth strategies that will take you from startup to established business and ultimately to going public.

Beyond learning how a business works, understanding the world of entrepreneurship is essential. Let’s take a look at what Georgetown University has to offer. 

The Georgetown University Pre-College Online Program

Another great option is the Georgetown University Pre-College Online teen entrepreneurship course. This course will teach you how to identify a market need and the steps to take to launch a business. You’ll create a story for your product, write a business plan, learn the skills you’ll need to lead a team, and discover how to test out your product to deliver a successful launch.

Beyond learning the fundamentals of business and entrepreneurship, consider exploring fun hobbies like video game design, writing, or fashion design.

Transforming Your Favorite Hobbies into Potential Career Choices

Explore Video Game Design

Discover video game design with the Rochester Pre-College Online Program. In Intro to Video Game Design, you’ll seize the reins on designing your very own video game. Discover how digital games are built and the skills game designers and developers use. Learn the art of storytelling and the techniques used to embed puzzles, action-adventure, and drama. See interviews with top game designers and explore careers in the field.

Turn a Love for Writing as a Hobby into a Career

The art of writing is as old as time. If you’re a teen who loves reading and ELA classes, perhaps a future in writing is for you. The Georgetown University Pre-College Online Program offers two relevant courses.

In Creative Writing: The Power of Storytelling, you’ll experience the world of fiction writing. Explore the building blocks of captivating stories—vivid characters, intriguing plots, and powerful narrative techniques. Through hands-on writing activities and peer collaboration, you will push your creative boundaries and refine your storytelling craft. By the end, you’ll walk away with a compelling portfolio and the skills to continue writing with confidence and excitement. Even better, this course is also available in a for-credit version.

In Georgetown’s Journalism and Media in the Digital Age, you’ll discover the foundations of the ever-changing world of journalism, including how to craft a story, interview subjects, and identify pitfalls within the industry. Various experts, including news correspondents, prize-winning journalists, reporters, and political editors from renowned news and media outlets, discuss why they chose this field and how they specialized their skill sets.

Expand Your Love of Sports

Love sports, but not an athlete? (link Sept. B1 article when published) There are a variety of potential careers in sports medicine or even the business of sports. 

The Wake Forest Pre-College Online Immersion Program offers the course Sports Medicine: An Inside Look at the Major Injuries and Treatments. In this course, you’ll focus on three common injuries: ACL tear, shoulder dislocation, and concussion. Plus, you’ll learn about the traumas and treatments of star athletes. This online course is a must for those seeking a future career in the field, from orthopedic surgeon to athletic trainer.

The Northwestern Pre-College Online Program course, Business of Sports: Beyond the Field, is another excellent choice. Designed for motivated high school students, this course offers an insider's view of how sports teams operate behind the scenes, including the impact of data analytics and technology on talent development and game strategy, as well as the role of sponsorship deals and market expansion in driving revenue.

Reach for the Stars with Aerospace

If you dream of a future that takes you to the stars, then the Rice University Precollege Program course Space Exploration: The Road to Mars is for you. In this course, you’ll discover how commercial companies are harnessing astronautics. You’ll delve into the history and milestones of the space program, the future of Mars landings, and the scientific reasons for exploring the Red Planet. Compelling videos give you a front-row seat to interviews with space exploration leaders and astronauts. 

Grow Your Acumen in Fashion

Are you fascinated with the complex world of fashion? Do you think your future might be in fashion? Then the Parsons Paris Online Courses are for you. Here, you can experience fashion courses in sustainability, the business of fashion, building a brand, and fashion design.

Prelum, Powered by Kaplan, partners with many top universities and colleges in the nation. Our pre-college courses are presented as dynamic video lessons with interactive tools. The flexibility of the format allows you to study anywhere, at any time that fits your schedule. Hear from renowned faculty, and enjoy the support of seasoned mentors who will answer your questions and guide your learning experience. Each course finishes with a Capstone Project that, successfully delivered, earns you a Certificate of Completion.

Careers from hobbies just make sense. Everybody is good at something, so why not turn it into a career that you’ll love? Starting in high school has so many benefits, including setting yourself apart in your college application. Why wait? Get started today.

This was last reviewed by Ashley Simmons on 09/25/2025.