As I have documented in many previous posts, baking for a living has been a long standing dream of mine (ask any of my friends...I've gone on and on about it for years!).
My career has taken many iterations on the journey here, through care worker, to childminder, to teacher, to early years advisor, to social worker and then to lecturer before finally ending up in the kitchen.
Now I don't want to sound like I am moaning, dancing round my kitchen in my pinny and constantly smelling of biscuits is great! But there are some things I really miss from my previous life, which I didn't really consider when I set up on my own.
Being a home baker is insular. I spend a lot of time on my own with only my spatula for company, and it has be said, his conversation is rubbish! Of course I have contact with my lovely customers, but as you can see my previous jobs have been super social, and I do miss the chat. I miss having colleagues, I miss being part of a team and if I am honest I miss being nosey about other people's lives.
I definitely have a better work/life balance now, so enjoy more time with friends, but I also miss the feeling of helping others and 'doing good'. Sure, peoples lives are helped enormously by the addition of cakes...but I am not generally there when they tuck in, so its not a part of the process that I see.
So I am taking steps to address the gaps.
Next month I am looking forward to starting a counselling course at my local college, having just completed an on-line level 2 certificate. I am also excited to start training as a volunteer for a well known national charity. In my previous job, there is no way I would have had time capacity to pursue these new ventures, so I feel very privileged that I am now 'time rich' enough to embark on these new opportunities.
A friendly ear to bend, and a piece of cake sounds like the perfect therapy combination to me!