I took a big step

I am obsessed

This might be a little over the top, however there is a bit of truth in this.
I have always really enjoyed what Cesar Millan did in his shows; turn 'nightmare' dogs into well behaved dogs. I never watched his shows for the amusement value, but more from an angle of fascination. How he handled the dogs and how he 'fixed' them seemed like magic to me.
After watching a lot of his episodes, I unconsciously started to 'diagnose' the dogs in his show before he did. Analyzing what he does, like you would watch a master chef prepare a dish.

For the last few years, really around the time I heard that a good friend of mine was getting a German Shepherd pup, I started reading up on raising puppies and dog behaviour in general. I wanted his upcoming pup to adore me.
What started as a simple quest to learn how to approach a pup to make it like you and have a decent relationship with it, quickly became a deep dive down the rabbit hole that is dog training and rehabilitation. This has not slowed down ever since. Recently I noticed that I spend way more time learning about dogs than I do with my aspiring profession, 'Infrastructure as Code' (IaC) in IT. And believe me when I say that I love IT. I even bought an IP camera so I can monitor Tera in her crate, or just in my home in general when I am away.

The future of making money

For the past few years, I have been in sort of an existential crisis when it comes to the way I want to make money. I will spare you the details, but let me just say that I am not a fan of the current way we are supposed to make a decent living (Looking at you, Rat-race!). A major 'sword of Damocles' that hangs above the head of the whole field of IT is Artificial Intelligence (AI). It is still unknown how AI will impact the field as a whole, so getting started in IT is both a risk and an opportunity.

I would like to think that I know a thing or two when it comes to IT, but I am by no means an expert (I see you, Dunning-Kruger effect!). Time will tell whether there is a long future for me in IT. This made me look for jobs that are AI-proof; jobs that AI can't replace in the foreseeable future.

I have been thinking

Recently it hit me: dog training is 100% AI proof, and I am fairly certain that even robotics combined with AI can't replace dog trainers. I really doubt a fully functional robot (Android) will be able to train or rehabilitate dogs; dogs will more likely be freaked out by them.
As a strong introvert, working with a lot of people is not my favourite thing to do, and since most behavioural issues in dogs are due to poor handling skills or a lack of knowledge of the owners, you also need a lot of people skills, something I feel I really lack.

Will to the rescue

Even though you can learn a lot on YouTube, the vast majority of dog content is 'for entertainment purposes only', as they would say themselves.
I knew that Will Atherton offered an advanced trainer course, that was aimed at aspiring dog trainers or behaviourists, but also at people who just wanted to become better leaders for their dogs.
I knew he would have a 50% off deal around Black Friday, so I was considering getting the course then.
A few weeks ago, I followed a webinar from Will, where he introduced a replacement course for the advanced course. This new course would make the knowledge level more equal to an academic one, so at the end of it you would know the science behind it and know how things work in practice. That course had in introductory 50% off as well.
After sleeping on it for a few days, to make sure it really was as good an idea as I thought it was, and not just FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), I decided to go for it.
It cost me an arm, a leg and then some, but I realised I could justify it even for a future in IT.
Not only does he teach you about dogs, but he also teaches you how to have a successful presence on Social Media, and a general overview on how to run a successful business as well. Another big thing he teaches is how to handle customers. These three things are also really important in a freelancing career in IT, and I need all the professional advice I can get.
For the dog training itself, I have some ideas.

A man can dream

After my emigration next year, once I am settled and have some actual training experience and results with Tera, I am thinking of slowly, as a volunteer, help out local shelters with rehabilitating the dogs there.
Both Spain and Portugal have many stray dogs that get caught, get medical treatment if needed and adopted out to people in countries like the Netherlands.
I have my opinions on this, but these don't matter. There is a high demand for these dogs, because people feel sorry for them. I have seen enough people with these dogs in my surroundings, and virtually all of them have issues, varying from crippling fear to aggression.
The owners of those dogs tend to use the "It's a Spanish stray with a traumatic past" excuse for that behaviour and to not address that behaviour. They genuinely believe this behaviour is impossible to change due to their past. Even though at the moment I am an amateur with no actual experience, I know this is false. Dogs live in the moment; they don't know trauma like we do. Very rarely does a dog experience something that permanently impacts their behaviour. In most cases, with proper leadership and guidance, they will change behaviours quickly.
I doubt I can convince these owners by talking to them (and rightly so, since I have nothing to show for my knowledge), and I can't stop them from adopting them out of pity, but I can try to rehabilitate the dogs so they are without that fear or aggression before they get adopted out. There are also some Social Media opportunities there that I will not disclose at this moment.
Whether this will make me money or not, it feels right. Too many new owners 'excuse' their dog's behaviour out of pity, but I see dogs that are suffering due to that.
I can start out with IT as planned, and see where the dog training thing takes me. If it becomes a career in some way, great.

If IT will be my main occupation and the dog training a 'side-gig' at best, or even won't work out at all, I'm fine with it. I feel like I have to try. If the worst outcome is that I will become an awesome leader for Tera and my future dogs that understands their wants and needs on a professional level, there is nothing to lose and it was an investment well spent.

How about you – have you ever taken a step away from a 'safe' career for something more meaningful, and how did it go?
Am I crazy to go this route, or is this something that you have been considering yourself?