Alonzo Bodden went to Aviation High School to learn how to be an airplane mechanic and worked for Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas before taking his passion for comedy airborne.

“I was teaching airplane mechanics when I realized it was more fun to make them laugh. I was laid off one more time and I never looked back.” Since then, Alonzo has performed all over the world as an entertainer, is a late night talk show staple, won Season 3 of Last Comic Standing, and is a regular on NPR’s “Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!” “I wanted to try comedy. I took a comedy writing class and wrote and performed my first 5-minute set at a theater in Santa Monica, and I was absolutely hooked. I loved it.”

It IS possible to find meaningful work, even later in life. It’s just a matter of how bad you want it, how much work you’re willing to put in, and how persistent you’re going to be to reach your goal. What’s preventing you from taking your own passion airborne?