Turning a passion into a profession
Careful planning - and knowing there will be sacrifices - are key to taking the leap

Richard Brauman, founder of The Little Pearl, introduces pearl caviar to Lucy Haskins at a Whole Foods. The former Federal Reserve Bank employee left a career in financial markets to launch a food business that plays to his passion: aquaculture. (LEFT PHOTO: Wiqan Ang for the Boston Globe)

For years, job seekers have been advised to "do what you love and the money will follow." But while following your passion may feed the soul, can it really put food on the table?

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more stories like thisYes, so far, for Rich Brauman. A former staffer at the Federal Reserve Bank, Brauman ditched a career in financial markets to launch a food business that plays to his passion: aquaculture.

"On a personal level, it's something I felt like I had to do," said Brauman, 32. "I had followed aquaculture since high school. It was my hobby and my passion."

And it is one he planned out carefully. He got a degree in aquaculture while working at the Fed, and then left the central bank in 2001 to enroll in the entrepreneur program at Babson College. He also launched two websites devoted to fishing tackle.

Then, three years ago, Brauman launched The Little Pearl. Based in Somerville, the company sells fresh, preservative-free caviar to Whole Foods markets, local hotels, upscale restaurants such as No. 9 Park, and through mail order. He is also working on new methods of harvesting caviar. In the meantime, Brauman spends a lot of time traveling around the country to find the best sources of caviar. "I've been to Northwest Alaska. Southern Idaho, North Carolina," he said. "Personally, I'd like to do this my whole life."

Brauman's studied path to turning his passion into a profession is a model many could follow. According to Eric Winegardner, the director of product adoption for Monster.com, this kind of lifelong pursuit breaks into two camps: "Those who don't know what their passion is and those who do but can't figure how to tie it to employment," he said. "You've really got to dig in and do your research. Get on the Internet, tap into your support network, find someone who does a job that you think you may be interested in doing and ask about it."

For those who are still unsure of their calling, Winegardner suggests taking a self-assessment test online. "It's a great first step; it's free and can open up a whole new world for someone pondering a career change," he said.

Monster's self-assessment tool - called Jasper - was created by a team of behavioral scientists and is designed to identify someone's workplace strengths and styles, he said. In a matter of minutes, you can find out if you're more suited to working in a large, publicly traded company or are the entrepreneurial type.

Brauman knew he was clearly the latter type. And his approach to realizing his dream was well-conceived because he was not only doing something that created value for himself, but for others as well, said Steve Shapiro, a motivational career speaker from Quincy.