I was just wondering if anyone out there has taken the big leap and left or changed their original career path to bake. I am a successful sales person for a large media company and although the money is great I do not get the same pleasure as I do from even washing the bowls I use while baking. People have encouraged me to try and balance both...but late nights baking and decorating are taking it's toll. Also, years of low self esteem consistantly make me question my abilities and make taking that leap extremely difficult. Does anyone have any light they can shed?
I am a 27 year old mother of two and wife for almost 8 years. I have never really been good at anything and everyone else in the family had some kind of talent. Well i didn't give up i kept looking for that one thing that would make me happy and how great it would be to be able to make money off the one thing that makes you happy. i started out just making cakes for family and friends for free. but as friends and family of my friends and family started seeing the cakes i made they wanted my number so i started charging. i have not made enough money yet to say i am making a living off of what am doing but it doesn't matter to me because i love what i am doing. and i am making people happy with what i am doing. and if i make a little money on the side, it must not be too bad. i think if your heart is in what you are doing then you should go all the way. keep your old job till you have takin all the classes and have gotten good enough to make good money then as long as you are happy, then you know you have made the right move. good luck in what ever way you go.
I defintely think that your cake creating ability is great enough that you could definitely become a pro! The determining factors that I would consider before leaving my "real job" would be the money that it would take to become legal and also if your client base is big enough and you can make enough money to support yourself (and family as the case may be).
Ok... this is a little off topic... but this is crazy! Alracntna, i am 27... mother of two... married almost eight years... and have been doing cake decorating for a little over a year! Wow we have a lot in common.
lou, your cakes are great. If i were you I'd find out what the regulations are to make you a legal cake baker. It varies... some places make it next to impossible, and some are a snap. That will be a big consiteration (SP) for you. Keep doing what you're doing and find out everything you need to get and do, when you see that you are getting more orders than you can handle with your work schedule... it might be time to make the switch!
lou,
it's important to love what you do, but often there are other considerations. are you the sole or primary income-earner in your family? if not, and you have the support of your family, then i would investigate what you would need to set yourself up in business, either from home or to open your own shop. you might want to find a bakery in your area that does specialty cake work and apply to work there to get a feel for how larger cake production operates.
your sales background can only help you if you decide to start your own business. could you continue with your sales position on a part-time basis? baking work, unless you're doing really artistic pieces (which it looks like you have the talent to do) tends not to pay well, especially if you, like a lot of home bakers (who do tend to be women, so perhaps that's part of it), underrate the value of their time and talent and undercharge for their work.
i loved working in bakery production. i felt creative, productive, and there's something really satisfying about making something (even if it is ephemeral like cake -- so be sure to photograph all your work!). i miss it, but problems with my hands and a recurring duodenal ulcer (which is not helped by standing pitched over a decorating table for 8 to 16 hours a day) and a future of lousy hours and lousy pay, forced me to quit. i was a good decorator and a good baker, but i simply didn't have the artistic talent or entreprenurial drive to make for a really profitable career in cake work.
you, on the other hand, seem to know that this is what you want to do...so you just have to figure out how to make it happen. be patient, but be proactive!
good luck 
Your cakes are awesome.. you have a wonderful sense of creativity .... like others have stated, look at all the aspects of opening a business... overhead costs, board of health issues, licensing, these things should be checked into in depth to assure you would be able to shut the door on one part of your life and open the door to your dreams... as far as talent, do not doubt yourself.. you will go as far as you want to .. the desire is there.. just make sure everything else falls into place so you'll have no really bad "bumps" in the road to your new career 
kind of funny. i felt the same way that i was never good at anything. so before i grad. hs i took a class and fell in love with cooking. then went to culinary arts school. so ive always done something like this.. this is what im good at and this is what i love. i really dont think i could do anything else.
I'm newly married and 24 years old. Every since I graduated from high school I've been going to college. I have majored in everything from history to Social work. I always did well, but I was never happy with it. Then I took on the task of baking my own wedding cake, I started taking Wilton classes and reading everything I could get my hands on about cakes and other desserts. My husband and I noticed an instant change in my mood and my outlook on life. So, I decided to take my own leap and enroll in culinary arts school. I am sooo excited about my classes coming up this fall, and can't wait to get in to the business.
You deffinitly have the skills, if it makes you happy go for it. Life is too short to be miserable with your job.
Thank you all for your replys. It is amazing how total strangers with a common passion will run to your aide before even family or friends.
Aunt Judy...I hope you have found another outlet for your passion. Please continue to share your knowledge and encouragement.
I will keep you posted on how I am coming with my leap.
I think that if it's in your blood then you should do it! I have always wanted to own a bakery or restaurant. Either way I can do what I love.
I was watching foodnetwork and there's a show coming on Sunday @ 10pm, it's about a woman wanting to make it as a cake decorator and still have time for the family. Here's the link check it out.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ra/episode/0,1976,FOOD_16697_38852,00.html
I plan on watching.
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