Sometimes it does pay off to follow your dreams -- no matter what they are. An Austin man quit his job in the computer industry to master the art of fire eating.

Brian Brushwood is now entertaining audiences around the world.

In 1999, he traded in his job at Dell to learn the magic of fire.

"This was at the height of the dot-com bubble, when everybody though we were going to be Internet millionaires. I said I was going to take a year off and do magic. I might as well as told them I was going to set my hair on fire for a living," he said.

It wasn't long before his talent was being showcased on everything from the Food Network to Fox Business News. Brushwood says he made the right choice.

"Two years later, Dell had those massive layoffs, and I was on the Tonight Show. So I win!" he said.

Brushwood admits the job does come with its dangers. He has written a couple of books on his magic tricks, including one on learning to eat fire.

He says he doesn't want people to have to go through what he did.

"I did it the wrong way. I learned by trial and error, which is why I wrote the book because nobody should learn by trial and error," Brushwood said.

Austin firefighters, on hand for a demonstration for KVUE News, say they were impressed.

"I thought it was amazing," said Travis Head, firefighter. "I think it's something the rest of us might want to try -- after we read the book of course."

Brushwood is now hosting an Internet program called Scam School. It's a lively show aimed teaching ordinary people tricks with fire that will keep their friends amazed and entertained.