How Many Different Careers
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My perspective was based on the unquestioned belief in a single pay cheque and a single career track until retirement, which was all that I knew of careers. My thinking was black/white, either/or.
Now I know that the average employee experiences 5 to 7 different careers during her working life.
I have also learned that career changes do not necessarily take place sequentially.
When I rose to the challenge of finding my authentic self outside my comfort zone, I discovered the potential in being one person with multiple career interests and career options.
Now, when asked "What do you do?", I am happy to rattle off my list of careers.
I describe myself as lawyer-turned-writer/career coach/small business owner/homemaker.
I have different business cards for each of my different careers.
And I no longer apologize for being a hyphenate, as if I am someone who can't make up her mind what she wants to do, which somehow implies that I am a Jill-of-all-trades-and-mistress-of-none.
Rather, I see my hyphenate status as...
- a great conversation starter,
- a self-marketing tool, and
- a unique way to help other career changers open up to the possibility of spicing up their resumes with different careers that revolve around a common interest or specific skill list.
Portfolio Careers: Different Careers, Different Employers
A portfolio career is made up of two or more careers that you hold concurrently instead of one full-time job. It suits you if you like flexibility and variety and do not mind taking some risks.
Work from home careers are a prime example of portfolio careers. Taking on part time work from home lets some moms satisfy their need for personal fulfillment while still being available for their children.
Other examples:
- the casual teacher who is a passionate stocks trader
- the freelance copywriter who is a consultant to corporate clients
- the tertiary lecturer/massage therapist who spends four days a week educating and two days a week practising one-on-one massages.
Not everyone is suited to juggling different careers though.
If you are not good at multitasking or are happy to dedicate yourself to one career or calling, a portfolio career may not be your best career choice.
Besides explaining to puzzled friends and relations what you are trying to achieve, you may also wrestle with your own loss of identity ("What do I call myself now that I am no longer a lawyer?"), the security and stability of one employer-one pay, and the shifting, dynamic world of career management, where you are solely responsible for managing and marketing You Inc.
This is not meant to discourage you from exploring a portfolio career, but rather to highlight what you need to be aware of so that you are in a position to make an informed and appropriate decision.
Slash Careers
In 2007, readers were introduced to a modern interpretation of multiple careers by columnist/blogger/author Marci Alboher.
In her book One Person/Multiple Careers, Alboer advocates using multiple or 'slash' careers to "integrate and fully express the multiple passions, talents, and interests that a single career often cannot accommodate--leading to a greater sense of fulfillment."
Slashing has the respectability that moonlighting lacks. It stems from a desire for personal fulfillment and balance rather than from economic necessity, passion rather than obligation.
Wouldn't a slash career dilute your focus or create multiple interest disorder?
Alboher doesn't think so. On the other hand, she says an additional career is a useful thing to have during times of economic recession, a reasoning that is certainly hard to fault.
She offers another interesting perspective.
When you're trying to turn a passion or hobby into a different career (say a passion for organic skin care into a business selling organic skin care products), there can be pressure to succeed.
However, if you take on the new career as a slash, it becomes less pressurizing because it now falls into the 'second careers' category. You already have one or more different careers that are established and that can act as a safety net.
Your Action Challenge
Is a slash career or a portfolio career something you need to include in your decision making about a new career?
Use our automated decision making software to help you refine and focus your thinking.
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