In episode 176 astrologer Tony Howard joins the show to discuss the process of becoming a professional astrologer, and what it takes to make it in the field in the early 21st century.
Much of the discussion focuses on how astrologers are making a living and promoting their work in recent times, and some of the ways that things are different compared to a few decades ago, largely due to changes in technology.
During the course of the discussion we cover topics such as students making the transition to doing consultations, different ways that astrologers market their services, content creation, self-publishing astrology books, and many other subtopics.
Tony is hosting a 2-day virtual summit next week called Astrology, Life Purpose & Destiny, which will feature a series of free talks on the topic of astrology and destiny.
For more info on how to become a professional astrologer, see Chris’ new course on the subject called The Professional Astrologer Course.
This episode is available in both audio and video versions below.
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A full transcript of this episode is available: Episode 176 transcript
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I started to learn astrology 44 years ago. Seven years later, after self-study, conferences, workshops, I passed the AFA Professional examination and began to see clients. After concluding that the way to be a successful astrologer (did local newspaper column, articles, a book and radio/TV) that this 12th house astrologer was not comfortable with self-promotion and continued to see clients via word-of-mouth. And Tony is absolutely right about continuing to learn. This 76 YO is so thrilled to see this explosion in astrology and all the younger, smart and intelligent astrologers stepping into this professional.
Great podcast, really super. I’m 63, have been studying astrology since the 80s, and also love seeing (and learning from) the current crop of teachers. One quibble with the discussion: please watch the ageism! When Chris mentioned the need to hire a pro to do a website (excellent advice, btw), he said something about “especially older astrologers.” I want to point out that many of us who are now “older” were working on computers and in tech in the 80s, and have flowed with the changes as they’ve come along. I was coding before there was an internet, so learning basic HTML — enough to put up a decent website, for example — was no big deal. Many of us have also spent years doing computer graphics, etc. We *love* tech (Steve Jobs was, and Bill Gates is, our generation, just saying), and I know many age peers who have sat with younger, non-tech savvy people, helping them understand how to get a blog online, upload and download files, troubleshoot, and so on. It’s not about age, it’s about interest and general comfort with tech. I’m not one of the “age is just a number” crowd, but please check your assumptions. Many tech savvy folks are now beyond our second Saturn return, and a huge percentage of internet users are over 55 YO. Thanks!
I realize that that is true for some people, and clearly it does mainly have to do with one’s personal interest and general comfort with technology. However, I do think that there is a general trend where it is easier for younger people to adopt or adapt to newer technologies, and that conversely it is not as easy if you are not a tech person to stay fully up to date with what is going on the older you get. I mean, I’ve noticed that just in myself in the past few years with emerging trends in social media, like Snapchat and Instagram, which I don’t really have the time to keep up with. More importantly, its something I’ve observed with a number of the older astrologers that I work with and are my friends. Sure, there are some people who have always been techies like Rob Hand who do a pretty good job of keeping up. But by and large that isn’t the case for most of the older astrologers I know, largely just because keeping up to date with the latest technology isn’t where their interests lie, and it isn’t necessary a good use of their time. That’s not meant to be ageism, but it is just an observation about aggregate tendencies.
Hey Bette! Thanks for your comments. I totally agree with you that “It’s not about age, it’s about interest and general comfort with tech.” But I don’t think it’s ageism to point out that it is more common in the older generation to be less comfortable. There are practical variables and facts at play here. Older generations didn’t grow up with computers or social media, and that would naturally make it less likely to have that comfort level. Of course there are people in older generations that do – you are totally right that it’s a matter of interest and comfort with tech. Chris is also right in pointing out that creatives, thinkers, spiritual types, astrologers, etc. aren’t always interested in getting on board with tech life, whether young or old. If you knew me you’d know I’m not at all ageist. I apologize for being defensive about that! Glad you enjoyed the podcast and best wishes.