As you might guess from my handle, I make beer for a living. I started as a homebrewer and was in the right place at the right time when an assistant brewer job opened up, so I was able to start part-time while I was in college. Now I work at a much bigger brewery as one of five brewers. I love it. Of course there are days when things don't go right, but that's life. Sometimes I miss the creativity of writing all my own recipes as a homebrewer, but I still get to brew small batches of my own beer at work occasionally--and those days absolutely rock! I love making beer, and I love my job.

You mentioned that you love scuba diving. I've made my living at that, too. I've been diving since I was 12 and I became an instructor at 21. I spent a year working on a live-aboard dive boat in the Bahamas. That was a really cool job, but it was tough for me to be "on" for passengers 24 hours a day. I guess I'm just more of an introvert.

There's always a way to make a living doing what you love, but it will never be the same doing it for someone else as it is for yourself.

David