I’ve been asked a few times and I see posts all the time in the Genealogy Jobs Facebook group (1) about pursuing genealogy professionally as a career. It’s definitely a challenge to shift into a different field, even if it’s something you’re already passionate about! Unfortunately, passion alone isn’t enough to guarantee that you’ll make a living doing genealogy.

If you’re planning on turning your hobby into a profession, education of some kind is definitely warranted. In that vein, my blog posts about genealogy education (2), genetic genealogy education (3), and forensic investigative genetic genealogy education (4) might be helpful. While formal education isn’t necessary, since anyone can hang up a shingle and call themselves a professional genealogist, having a certificate from a recognized institution can give your clients or companies looking to hire you assurance that you know what you’re doing.

Formal education can also give you a better idea of where the “holes” are in your education and skills so you can figure out what you need to do next to be ready to take on clients. I will specifically mention ProGen (5) here since it’s based on the book Professional Genealogy edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills (6) and one of its goals is to prepare genealogists for client work. I will say that it’s not a course you can just sign up for; you do have to have recognized educational experience in order to be able to register. But even just reading the book on your own can give you valuable information about being a professional genealogist.

Another important consideration is your niche. What kind of genealogy do you do? Do you work in a particular geographical area, or with particular types of records? What archives or repositories are available near you that people need to access? Knowing your specialty can help you figure out how best to market your business or help you get hired.

If you feel like you have enough educational experience and are wondering how to go about getting clients, one recommendation is to join the Association of Professional Genealogists (7). Not only does this give you networking events and continuing education opportunities, you get to be in a directory where people can find you by searching for your specialties. Networking is really important! Being active in genealogical societies and Facebook groups can help you gain visibility. The Utah Genealogical Society in particular offers webinars called Genealogy ProTalk (8) which is “a webinar series for the aspiring professional genealogist.” Volunteering at these societies or with archives, libraries and other organizations can also be a good way to get exposure and experience.

A Google Business Profile (9) is another way to get noticed. Having a website and/or blog can also be an important way to promote yourself. A blog can help you gain writing experience, and show your writing capabilities to potential clients. You can plug your website/blog on social media such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. If you don’t feel you have time to create and post, you can always hire a social media manager to do it for you. Social media managers don’t just create content, they will also help you figure out your business goals. I will plug my favourite social media manager (10) here. Follow her on Instagram (11)! Her posts are great for beginners; they gave me the information I needed so I could feel confident creating and posting content. She also gave me some good questions to get started on figuring out my business: Why does my business exist? How would I describe my company? How do I want me and my business to be perceived? What are my goals for my business? Who buys from my business? What pain points do I solve? There’s even a social media manager who specializes in genealogy (12)! Following social media managers on their platforms can help you learn about creating content and get you thinking about how to best promote what you do.

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating: it’s often said that “hard work puts you where good luck can find you.” Having serious genealogical credentials and experience will only benefit you as you seek to get your foot in the door. Good luck!

Got any other tips for people just getting started? Comment below!

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1. “Genealogy Jobs,” Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1497651017151639 : accessed 27 March 2023).
2. Jennifer Wiebe, “Genealogy Education and Certification,” Jennealogie (https://maltsoda.wordpress.com/2019/10/10/genealogy-education-and-certification/ : accessed 27 March 2023).
3. Jennifer Wiebe, “Genetic Genealogy Education and Certification,” Jennealogie (https://maltsoda.wordpress.com/2023/02/02/genetic-genealogy-education-and-certification/ : accessed 27 March 2023).
4. Jennifer Wiebe, “Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy (FIGG) Education and Certification” (https://maltsoda.wordpress.com/2023/02/13/forensic-investigative-genetic-genealogy-figg-education-and-certification/ : accessed 27 March 2023).
5. ProGen Study Groups (https://progenstudygroups.com/ : accessed 27 March 2023).
6. Elizabeth Shown Mills, ed., Professional Genealogy: Preparation, Practice and Standards (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2018).
7. Association of Professional Genealogists (https://www.apgen.org/ : accessed 27 March 2023).
8. “Genealogy Pro Talk,” Utah Genealogical Association (https://ugagenealogy.org/cpage.php?pt=568 : accessed 27 March 2023).
9. “Business Profile,” Google (https://www.google.com/intl/en_ca/business/ : accessed 27 March 2023).
10. Melissa Wiebe, Media By Melissa (https://www.mediabymelissa.com/ : accessed 27 March 2023).
11. “Media By Melissa,” Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/mediabymelissam/ : accessed 27 March 2023).
12. “Jon Marie (simplelivingene) Pearson,” LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-marie-pearson-6b9217199/ : accessed 27 March 2023).
13. Umberto Salvagnin, “Luck is… (explored),” Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luck_is…_%28explored%29.jpg : accessed 27 March 2023).