Multiple careers are better than one! Imagine you were a milkman, elevator operator, switchboard operator and typist; you would be out of work! I remember attending my children’s college orientation when the university chancellor said “we are not training you for a specific job, but for multiple careers”. The purpose of higher education is to teach you how to think. Welcome to the 21st century!
It used to be typical that you worked for one company for 30+ years. This is no longer true! People would start out in one job and work their way up to management or executive positions. Going from a staff position to a management position is a career change. More opportunities mean the same individuals may start their own companies. There are thousands of companies that grew out of technology or innovation that were not even thought of thirty (30) years ago.
How do you prepare for these changes in society? The answer is simple! You need post secondary school training and it doesn’t stop there. It may be college, trade school or apprenticeship training. Training does not end when you receive your certificate, diploma or degree. Before I started investing in income property, I spent a lot of time learning about it. I was motivated to learn because I saw the opportunities and benefits of investing in income property.
This is not new or unique. Our interests lead us to learn new things. If you are the typical college or high school graduate, you probably do not know what you want to do. It takes time, investigation and experience. It also takes maturity to find what you like to do. On the other end of the spectrum is an accountant or engineer who knows what they want to do, but they too will have multiple careers because they can enter management or have their own companies.
There are still more people who change careers. For example, a cook may become a chef or a teacher assistant becomes a teacher. They may return to school or apprentice, but they make a career change. There is a whole industry that has developed to support people who want to change careers. They call them lifestyle coaches. There are chefs or trades people who want to have their own business and decide to either open a restaurant or become a contractor.
Entrepreneurship is alive and well in America! Even if you do not decide to start a business, you still can have multiple careers. Do you have the skills? Remember you can always get them. Bad economies or layoffs motivate a lot of people to take their future into their own hands. You are facing unemployment and have an idea, passion and some money to start a business. Maybe you form a partnership of other people who have the skills you need to start your company.
Multiple careers may be by choice or not! Many people go back to school to change careers. You can take specific classes or earn an associate or bachelor degree. There are career military who decide to retire after twenty (20) or thirty (30) years and work in a civilian career too. There are career government people who work in multiple government careers in city, state or federal agencies. Multiple careers may mean multiple retirement benefits or pensions.
Final Thoughts
There is a long list of successful people who had multiple careers and you will too. For example, two lawyers who started California Pizza Kitchen and pursued their new passion. Many people find their passion in life; however they try various careers until they find the one that works for them. It takes time, skills and experience to find the one that is right for you. Multiple careers are better than one, especially if it leads to the one you want.
Photo by: Mediocre2010
I haven’t changed careers abruptly but mine has evolved over the 15+ years since I entered the workforce.
I think that is the ideal career change where it evolves within the company.
The key is making it to that awesome careers that you’ve always wanted but never knew what it was. I have a feeling once you get there you stay there for a while!
Most people never really investigate what they want to do as a career. It takes a lot of effort to investigate all those choices. I had a very bright student who said she wanted to be a detective (LAPD). I asked her if she considered the FBI or CSI. She started to look into it in college and she is going to be a CSI. Sometimes investigating various careers just reinforces your choice too. After all, you will probably spend a very long time doing it.
I am not sure I have changed career but I do many different things; in fact, being a researcher means that I rarely do the same thing twice. What I have believed for sometime now is that to be flexible we ought to develop core copetencies rather than narrow skills. Example? Becoming a writer means that one can write variety of texts and have many occupations.
The age of specialization is definitely over! I agree you need a multiple of various skills to be successful.
Changing careers can be really exciting. Even moving into a new department within the same company can be a good way to get motivated again and launch into a new direction if you find yourself stuck or wanting change.
Absolutely, although you want to plan your changes so you are rewarded versus burning out.
I have changed careers lots of times and I have really seen benefits come from this. I have a very wide range of knowledge which is becoming more and more valued. I also know who to talk to for what because I have built up a great network.
Knowledge and skills are very important, but who you know is probably more important.
If you don’t count my “pre-professional” careers from high school and college (when I was a lifeguard, taught dance lessons, and was a tutor), I’ve had three careers: TV journalist, professional writer, and data consultant. It makes me versatile!
Multiple careers can provide additional knowledge and skills. It also makes you more valuable to an employer and to yourself.
Working in IT I dabbled in different industries. Not exactly different careers, but I got a pretty good view of what it would be like in that particular field. We all should explore more to find the one we are most passionate about. Great pep talk as usual KC!
Multiple careers allow us to accumulate more knowledge and skills. This makes us a more valuable emplyees.
I’ve only got two careers, with one being a pro blogger now. I can see myself as a tennis instructor to lonely ladies in Bora bora though!
As long as it is not the other way around! I can see you entertaining those rich cougars playing tennis. In that world 35 years old is young!
I think you need to change something every 10 years of so to prevent burnout. You don’t always have to do a 180, but keep yourself motivated with change. I am selling my practice and going into contract work. My husband has been teaching for almost 12 years and is getting another master’s to go into administration. When our real careers are done, we want to own a laundromat. Seriously. Our neighbor has one and it RAKES in the money!
I agree change helps, but should be part of a plan. I used to work for a laundry equipment company (distributor) who set up laundry stores. They are very lucrative after you pay off the financing. Unfortunately the financing is expensive with high interest rates because it is equipment financing. The problem is usually finding a good location.
The great thing about having worked in several fields is when there is a crisis you can bounce easily. Many skills are marketable, even though we don’t see them as such right now. You have a personal blog? you can be a social media manager for a big firm!
My multiple careers helped me hone my problem solving skills. I think that is why I was very effective in consulting.
I know exactly what you mean about staying in the same job for 30 years. My parent’s thought was that if you did that you had job security and if you didn’t you wouldn’t be successful. I have personally changed careers a number of times and truly believe that it is a great way to learn and experience new things.
I read last year about a lawyer in NY that quit and opened a cupcake shop that she loves. Many people make significant changes like that.
When I was consulting, my varied experience helped my problem solving skills. There are many opportunities to transfer your skills.