From a Hobby to a Profession - My Story

I started doing genealogy in 1980. Unfortunately, with not much knowledge of "how to" under by belt. I was what they called a "Tree Climber". Get as many names as fast as you can. I was really proud on myself as the numbers grew. Then one day I started wondering who these names in my database really belonged to. That was the beginning of a wonderful adventure. History became my passion. (This is from someone who absolutely hated history in high school). I also began to find out, that because I hadn't kept research logs, or good source citations, I was reseaching through records I had already researched before. It was time to do something about it.
In the mid 1990's I began to organize my files, cite by sources, and clean up my PAF files. I was overwhelmed and wished I had started about 5,000 names back. It was a slow go, and I am still not finished, but things are looking up.
By the year 2000, some friends were beginning to ask for genealogy research assistance and it was at this point that I decided to start my own business. In the beginning I charged very little and because I was still slow at my research techniques, I really wasn't making anything at what I was doing.
My focus towards doing genealogy professionally came after I injured my back at work. I was an RN for 28 years, but knew I could no longer stand on my feet 12 hours a day. So I had to decided what I wanted to do the rest of my life. Genealogy!
I got accepted to BYU in 2004. My husband and I moved to Pleasant Grove. I graduated in 2007, started my business "Your Tree By Dee", and now I am on my way. I will soon be taking the test for Accreditation and just about have my project done for Certification. I love to attend genealogy conferences. I continue to take classes at BYU to help me be better in my field of work.
I am excited about all the technological changes that have come about in the past 27 years since I have been doing genealogy. I hope to hear from others of you out there. I hope that I can network with you and know that I will learn much from this blogging experience.