Going Professional

 

When I was a student at BYU back in 2000, I decided I wanted to major in genealogy. My plan was to graduate with a bachelor's in family history and genealogy, then set up shop as a professional researcher. A conversation I had with one of my professors changed my mind, however. He said genealogy was a great career so long as the economy was doing well. If things went south, people's interest in researching their ancestors dried up quickly, he said. So with two semesters left until graduation, I changed my major, and used my genealogy skills and knowledge solely for my own personal research.

The desire to work as a genealogy professional never left me, though. It was always in the back of my mind, and every once in a while I'd toy around with the question "what if I actually did it?" But the demands of providing for a family seemed to be too much to risk changing careers, even to something that I loved as much as I love genealogy.

Then a couple years ago, I heard about the ProGren program. I was very interested, and soon signed up for ProGen9. It was a year and a half commitment, and really stretched me as a genealogist and in my knowledge (or lack thereof) of running my own business. But I realized that I really, really wanted to be a professional genealogist. I talked things over with my wife, and with her full support, we met with our accountant and set about creating my very own genealogy business.

I am happy to announce that I am, as of now, in business as a professional genealogist! My business name is The Generations Welder, because to me, no generation is an island. We are all linked to the generations that came before us, whether we know it or not. My goal as a genealogy professional is to help people discover those links to their family's past, and hopefully strengthen that sense of connection to their forebears.

You can visit me at my website, www.theGenerationsWelder.com, or on social media. I'm on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google+. I am really excited to use my skills and education to help people come to know and appreciate their ancestors.  If you're interested in starting a research project, contact me and I'll be happy to see what I can do for you.