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Welcome to Your Glorious Portfolio Career!

Posted on 22. Aug, 2008 posted by Bill in Employment News

My college Sociology teacher predicted that the average person to my right and left would engage in four or five careers in his lifetime.

A radical thought, but it seems Dr. Quinn was prophetic.

What he didn’t predict, however, is that some of us would enjoy as many as four or five occupations, SIMULTANEOUSLY. But that is precisely what “Portfolio Careerists” are doing.

Risking the smear that “Jacks of all trades are masters of none,” PCs are finding ways to practice law, do some real estate transactions, consult, publish, and accept speaking engagements, not only in the same lifetime, but in the compass of a few weeks or months.

Why would they spread themselves so thinly? Short answer: Like peanut butter, it tastes better and goes down easily.

Doing the same-old, same-old, gets old, which is a fate that some 21st century folks aren’t willing to accept. So that dentist is also a sculptor and he day-trades stocks before his first patients arrive in the morning.

And he does everything quite well, thank you very much; which shocks many, who are sold on specialization and compartmentalization.

“If you’re an A, you simply cannot be a B at the same time,” or so conventional thinking goes.

Happily, you don’t have to be Leonardo Da Vinci or a genius to enjoy a portfolio career.

Consider Steve Allen. He was a late night talk show host. But wait, he was also a stand-up comedian. Moreover, he was a gifted songwriter, a fine dramatic actor, and a very prolific book author, and I haven’t mentioned the fact that he played multiple musical instruments.

A grad school professor of mine risked heresy when he published an article touting the benefits of “Amateurity.” His thesis stated that becoming a knowledgeable amateur in many fields is thrilling and very rewarding, and dabbling in this and that, while derided as dilettantism, makes a positive contribution to one’s quality of life and to society.

He toyed with that term he coined, contending that Amateurity requires “maturity,” a certain self-confidence and experimental nature to be other than perfect in every pursuit.

Additionally, according to Dr. Bryant, all of us, no matter how professional we consider ourselves to be today, started out as amateurs before we reached greater levels of mastery.

Portfolio careerists don’t allow themselves to become daunted by labels or by detractors, and neither should you.

With a life expectancy of 75, 85, or even 95 years or more, you might agree that sticking to one vocation, however capably you perform in it, simply won’t be enough.

Take heart.

Today, working isn’t like running the bases. You don’t have to take your foot completely off first, to steal second.

You can straddle, and even play multiple positions; along the way rewriting the career rules to suit yourself.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is an attorney, real estate broker, college professor, best-selling author, TV commentator, and professional speaker, among other things. He can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com and his profile can be read at: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/a91/833

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