6 answers
1
Question
Asked
484 views
How do you balance chasing a career and building a dream without giving up on either?
“Hi everyone, I’m at a bit of a crossroads in my life and would really appreciate some guidance. I have a bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Technology, graduated with honors and currently work as a medical assistant. While in college, I discovered a hidden passion—fashion design. It started as a hobby but quickly turned into something I truly love. I started a fashion brand(Awulak), creating customized outfits for people with no tutor and completely developing my skills from just Youtube, and it’s been one of the most fulfilling parts of my journey.
Now, I find myself torn between two dreams. On one hand, I want to pursue a career in dietetics, which feels like a natural path considering my degree. On the other hand, I dream of growing my fashion brand into something bigger, something that tells stories and touches lives.
If anyone has ever been in a place like this—where your heart is divided between a career and a business—how did you navigate it? How did you decide what to focus on without feeling like you were giving up on something you love? I would deeply appreciate your thoughts. Thank you for listening.
Login to comment
6 answers
Updated
Hagen’s Answer
Great question Mary. This is hardly the whole answer, but one thing that has helped me is to see my "career" or job as an enabler. That means the career I choose needs to expand my life opportunities. For example, if you want to travel, then it makes sense to choose a career that includes travel. If you want to work in fashion design, then pick a career in fashion. That's kind of a "duh", but the idea is the old notion of working for the weekends - a relatively sharp divide between work life and goals and personal life and goals doesn't work - there's just not enough time or money to carve things up that way. You need to be able to address both goals at once. For example, when I am on the treadmill I am reading a book related to my career. I practice guitar while I am on Zoom calls. I satisfy my desire to see the world while on business trips. It's not exactly easy to sort that out - e.g. making time to go to a museum on a business trip, but over time you get good at it.
I also second Angle's thought about being patient. A lot of life kind of happens to you - some good, some bad. You can't know how things are going to turn out even tomorrow let alone in your life, so it's good to be patient and stay aware of opportunities that pop up as opposed to imposing your will on the world. Most of us don't really know THAT much about what we want today and we're REALLY bad at predicting what we will want in the future so it makes sense to be patient and humble - humble in the sense that you don't have enough information to make a terrific decision even if you would make a terrific decision, so you need to stay flexible and alert to what's happening and how you feel about that - your feelings will most certainly change over time.
Pray. I know that sounds weird, but ask for insight and assistance in your life and decision. I am not a classicly religious person but I do pray or meditate on what I am experiencing and ask for help making the best decisions I can. That seems to help (a lot). Over time you may find as I have that the belief that you can reason out your life is mistaken. In the Taoist sense you need to bring your whole being into your life and give your mind a rest at times. The mind is comparably week compared to that wholeness.
Read. There's a huge personal and career advantage available to people who read. That one is simple and very powerful.
Use AI. From the standpoint of "answers" AI (e.g. OpenAI and Gemini) pretty much have them all. They are an extremely efficient way to answer questions. Today, it's more about being a wise questioner than someone who knows everything - an expert.
I also second Angle's thought about being patient. A lot of life kind of happens to you - some good, some bad. You can't know how things are going to turn out even tomorrow let alone in your life, so it's good to be patient and stay aware of opportunities that pop up as opposed to imposing your will on the world. Most of us don't really know THAT much about what we want today and we're REALLY bad at predicting what we will want in the future so it makes sense to be patient and humble - humble in the sense that you don't have enough information to make a terrific decision even if you would make a terrific decision, so you need to stay flexible and alert to what's happening and how you feel about that - your feelings will most certainly change over time.
Hagen recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Iryna’s Answer
Hi Mary! Combining a career in dietetics with fashion design can be creatively rewarding and fulfilling. Here are some strategies to help integrate both passions:
1. Identify Overlapping Interests
Lifestyle Branding: Create a brand that focuses on healthy living through fashion, offering stylish yet functional clothing designed for active individuals.
Fashion Nutrition: Explore the intersection of nutrition and fashion, promoting healthy eating habits within the fashion industry.
2. Education and Skills
Dual Training: Consider courses that cover both nutrition and fashion design. Look for programs or online classes that allow flexibility.
Certifications: Obtain certifications in dietetics while taking fashion design classes to enhance your credibility in both fields.
3. Practical Experience
Internships: Seek internships in both fields. Look for opportunities in dietetic consulting for fashion brands or fashion shows that promote healthy lifestyles.
Freelancing: Offer freelance services as a nutrition consultant for models or fashion designers needing expertise in health and wellness.
4. Networking
Industry Events: Attend fashion shows and dietetics conferences to connect with professionals in both fields. This can lead to collaborations and partnerships.
Online Communities: Join forums or social media groups that focus on health and fashion to share ideas and gain insights.
5. Create Content
Social Media: Utilize platforms like Instagram or TikTok to showcase your expertise in both fields. Share tips on healthy eating for fashion enthusiasts, or how to design clothes that aid in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Blogging/Vlogging: Start a blog or YouTube channel where you discuss both dietetics and fashion, providing followers with valuable content in both areas.
6. Develop Products
Fashion Collections: Design clothing lines that promote health consciousness, like activewear made with sustainable materials and that are comfortable for various body types.
Nutrition Guides: Create nutrition guides or cookbooks aimed at fashion professionals or trends in dietary habits among designers and models.
7. Time Management
Prioritize: Allocate specific times during the week to focus on each career path.
Plan Projects: Work on small projects that incorporate both interests, such as healthy meal plans for fashion events.
8. Continuous Learning
Stay Updated: Keep up with trends in both dietetics and fashion. This will help you remain relevant in both industries and find innovative ways to blend them.
By following these strategies, you can effectively combine your careers in dietetics and fashion design, creating a unique niche that allows you to thrive in both fields. Good luck!
1. Identify Overlapping Interests
Lifestyle Branding: Create a brand that focuses on healthy living through fashion, offering stylish yet functional clothing designed for active individuals.
Fashion Nutrition: Explore the intersection of nutrition and fashion, promoting healthy eating habits within the fashion industry.
2. Education and Skills
Dual Training: Consider courses that cover both nutrition and fashion design. Look for programs or online classes that allow flexibility.
Certifications: Obtain certifications in dietetics while taking fashion design classes to enhance your credibility in both fields.
3. Practical Experience
Internships: Seek internships in both fields. Look for opportunities in dietetic consulting for fashion brands or fashion shows that promote healthy lifestyles.
Freelancing: Offer freelance services as a nutrition consultant for models or fashion designers needing expertise in health and wellness.
4. Networking
Industry Events: Attend fashion shows and dietetics conferences to connect with professionals in both fields. This can lead to collaborations and partnerships.
Online Communities: Join forums or social media groups that focus on health and fashion to share ideas and gain insights.
5. Create Content
Social Media: Utilize platforms like Instagram or TikTok to showcase your expertise in both fields. Share tips on healthy eating for fashion enthusiasts, or how to design clothes that aid in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Blogging/Vlogging: Start a blog or YouTube channel where you discuss both dietetics and fashion, providing followers with valuable content in both areas.
6. Develop Products
Fashion Collections: Design clothing lines that promote health consciousness, like activewear made with sustainable materials and that are comfortable for various body types.
Nutrition Guides: Create nutrition guides or cookbooks aimed at fashion professionals or trends in dietary habits among designers and models.
7. Time Management
Prioritize: Allocate specific times during the week to focus on each career path.
Plan Projects: Work on small projects that incorporate both interests, such as healthy meal plans for fashion events.
8. Continuous Learning
Stay Updated: Keep up with trends in both dietetics and fashion. This will help you remain relevant in both industries and find innovative ways to blend them.
By following these strategies, you can effectively combine your careers in dietetics and fashion design, creating a unique niche that allows you to thrive in both fields. Good luck!
Thanks very much ,Iryna. This was so insightful.
Mary
Updated
Angel’s Answer
It’s great that you have two passions you care deeply about! Balancing a career and a business requires thoughtful planning and flexibility. Here are a few ideas to help you navigate both:
Clarify your goals: Define what excites you about dietetics and fashion design. What are your long-term visions for each? This will help you prioritize.
Manage your time: Be realistic about how much time and energy you can dedicate to each. Use the 80/20 rule to focus on the most impactful tasks in both areas.
Consider a hybrid approach: Can your fashion brand incorporate health or wellness? Combining your passions might allow you to grow both without choosing one over the other.
Stay flexible: Your priorities may shift over time. It's okay to explore both paths and adjust as you learn more about what drives you.
Talk to mentors: Seek guidance from people who have experience in both fields to help you navigate the balancing act.
Above all, be patient with yourself—success doesn’t have to be immediate, and you don’t have to choose just one dream. Keep evolving!
Clarify your goals: Define what excites you about dietetics and fashion design. What are your long-term visions for each? This will help you prioritize.
Manage your time: Be realistic about how much time and energy you can dedicate to each. Use the 80/20 rule to focus on the most impactful tasks in both areas.
Consider a hybrid approach: Can your fashion brand incorporate health or wellness? Combining your passions might allow you to grow both without choosing one over the other.
Stay flexible: Your priorities may shift over time. It's okay to explore both paths and adjust as you learn more about what drives you.
Talk to mentors: Seek guidance from people who have experience in both fields to help you navigate the balancing act.
Above all, be patient with yourself—success doesn’t have to be immediate, and you don’t have to choose just one dream. Keep evolving!
Thank you for the advice.
Mary
Updated
Hakeem Ola’s Answer
Balancing a career and building your dream can feel like a juggling act, but it’s achievable with the right strategies. Here’s how you can manage both effectively:
1. Clarify Your Vision
Define what success looks like in both your career and your dream.
Identify how they intersect or complement each other. For example, can your career provide skills, resources, or connections to support your dream?
2. Prioritize and Plan
Time Management: Create a structured schedule that allocates specific hours to both pursuits. Even small, consistent efforts toward your dream add up over time.
Set Milestones: Break your dream into smaller, actionable goals while maintaining performance at work.
3. Leverage Your Career
Use your current job as a platform to learn relevant skills or network with people who can support your dream.
Save resources from your career (money, tools, knowledge) to invest in your dream.
4. Stay Flexible
Life will throw curveballs, so remain adaptable. Sometimes, your career may demand more attention; other times, your dream may take the lead.
Reassess your priorities regularly to ensure you’re on track and still aligned with your goals.
5. Avoid Burnout
Don’t stretch yourself too thin. Schedule downtime for rest and reflection.
Focus on quality over quantity—better to make steady, meaningful progress than to rush and risk exhaustion.
6. Build a Support System
Surround yourself with mentors, friends, or colleagues who understand your ambitions and can offer guidance or encouragement.
7. Embrace the Journey
Remember, both your career and your dream are part of your personal growth. Celebrate small wins, and enjoy the process instead of just the destination.
1. Clarify Your Vision
Define what success looks like in both your career and your dream.
Identify how they intersect or complement each other. For example, can your career provide skills, resources, or connections to support your dream?
2. Prioritize and Plan
Time Management: Create a structured schedule that allocates specific hours to both pursuits. Even small, consistent efforts toward your dream add up over time.
Set Milestones: Break your dream into smaller, actionable goals while maintaining performance at work.
3. Leverage Your Career
Use your current job as a platform to learn relevant skills or network with people who can support your dream.
Save resources from your career (money, tools, knowledge) to invest in your dream.
4. Stay Flexible
Life will throw curveballs, so remain adaptable. Sometimes, your career may demand more attention; other times, your dream may take the lead.
Reassess your priorities regularly to ensure you’re on track and still aligned with your goals.
5. Avoid Burnout
Don’t stretch yourself too thin. Schedule downtime for rest and reflection.
Focus on quality over quantity—better to make steady, meaningful progress than to rush and risk exhaustion.
6. Build a Support System
Surround yourself with mentors, friends, or colleagues who understand your ambitions and can offer guidance or encouragement.
7. Embrace the Journey
Remember, both your career and your dream are part of your personal growth. Celebrate small wins, and enjoy the process instead of just the destination.
Updated
Howard’s Answer
I think you are being too hard on yourself. You are not giving up or losing anything. Who says you cannot do both?
But if fashion makes you happy, you need to do that. You can still help people with nutrition, provided you can make a living with your fashion. If you can make money and be happy, do that. Life is not a straight line from start to finish. There are curves along the way. As long as you are moving forward, keep going.
I wish you the best of luck and happiness.
But if fashion makes you happy, you need to do that. You can still help people with nutrition, provided you can make a living with your fashion. If you can make money and be happy, do that. Life is not a straight line from start to finish. There are curves along the way. As long as you are moving forward, keep going.
I wish you the best of luck and happiness.
Updated
Sara’s Answer
It’s definitely tough when you have two passions pulling you in different directions, but it’s not impossible to find a balance. Here are a few ideas to help you navigate this crossroads:
Start Small with Both: Since you already have a fashion brand, you don’t have to give it up entirely. Dedicate a specific amount of time each week to your brand, while also pursuing your career in dietetics. This way, you can keep growing your passion without putting all your focus on one.
Consider Long-Term Goals: Ask yourself where you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years. Can your dietetics career and your fashion brand complement each other? Maybe you can use your experience in dietetics to create fashion-related products or services that cater to health-conscious people.
Prioritize Based on Your Current Stage: Right now, your job as a medical assistant might be a steady income that supports your fashion brand. If building the fashion business into something bigger is your long-term goal, see if there’s a way to gradually transition to focusing more on it.
Leverage Your Network: Reach out to people in both fields—dietetics and fashion. Learn from their experiences, and see if there’s a way to blend the two passions. Perhaps you can find mentors or even work part-time in dietetics while scaling your brand.
Avoid Perfectionism: You don’t have to master everything right away. Be kind to yourself and understand that both dreams will take time to build. As long as you're making progress in both areas, you're on the right path.
Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot: Your career doesn’t have to be set in stone. If you find that one path no longer excites you as much, it’s okay to shift your focus. Many people have gone through career changes and started successful businesses later in life.
Ultimately, trust that you’re capable of balancing both, and remember that your journey is unique to you. It might take some time to figure out, but with planning, patience, and passion, you can build both a fulfilling career and a dream business!
Start Small with Both: Since you already have a fashion brand, you don’t have to give it up entirely. Dedicate a specific amount of time each week to your brand, while also pursuing your career in dietetics. This way, you can keep growing your passion without putting all your focus on one.
Consider Long-Term Goals: Ask yourself where you see yourself in the next 5 to 10 years. Can your dietetics career and your fashion brand complement each other? Maybe you can use your experience in dietetics to create fashion-related products or services that cater to health-conscious people.
Prioritize Based on Your Current Stage: Right now, your job as a medical assistant might be a steady income that supports your fashion brand. If building the fashion business into something bigger is your long-term goal, see if there’s a way to gradually transition to focusing more on it.
Leverage Your Network: Reach out to people in both fields—dietetics and fashion. Learn from their experiences, and see if there’s a way to blend the two passions. Perhaps you can find mentors or even work part-time in dietetics while scaling your brand.
Avoid Perfectionism: You don’t have to master everything right away. Be kind to yourself and understand that both dreams will take time to build. As long as you're making progress in both areas, you're on the right path.
Don’t Be Afraid to Pivot: Your career doesn’t have to be set in stone. If you find that one path no longer excites you as much, it’s okay to shift your focus. Many people have gone through career changes and started successful businesses later in life.
Ultimately, trust that you’re capable of balancing both, and remember that your journey is unique to you. It might take some time to figure out, but with planning, patience, and passion, you can build both a fulfilling career and a dream business!
I appreciate you taking the time to answer this.
Mary