Amy Lindgren
Have you been thinking about taking a second job to supplement your income? Maybe you already juggle jobs and gigs in what some people call “portfolio work.” If so, you might be a good candidate for a different approach to multiple streams of income.
Instead of pursuing a random selection of work opportunities, what about building two career paths simultaneously?
The reasons for doubling up could include the classic moonlighting justifications: Extra cash and something to fall back on.
But the real difference when you’re switching from a gig mindset to career mode is the commitment you’re making to both areas of work. It could be that you love both fields, or you want to build experience in both before choosing one. Or, it could just be that you don’t know any better.
That last one belongs to me and probably isn’t true of other people. More on that in a minute.
Whatever your reasons, dual-careerists face some decisions. For example, how would you divide your time between the two pursuits? Among the variations to consider are situations where one career takes the most time, or one is intermittent, or both are part-time or perhaps seasonal.
In any case, most people wouldn’t last long holding down two full-time jobs, at least not in two different professions. (Remember that the remote workers you hear about with multiple full-time jobs generally perform the same task in each one.)
Another question is how to build two career paths simultaneously. To keep this from becoming too theoretical, I’m going to use my own example. In my case, the two paths both involve self-employment, which brings us back to “not knowing any better.”
When I was young and goofy (goofier, anyway), I believed the statistics about business startup. In the mid 1980s, the number touted was something like, “Three out of five businesses will fail in the first year.”
If I’m going to fail at least three times, I thought, why not speed things up and launch businesses two at a time? I had already started and closed two businesses sequentially (house cleaning followed by house painting), which had taken three years altogether. Now I would start the third and fourth businesses simultaneously, on the assumption that one would probably fail but the other might make it.
What I didn’t count on was that both businesses would survive. Having gained enormously more insight, I now know their survival was rooted in choosing work I’m suited for. Where the first two businesses were one-person manual labor services, the third and fourth businesses were a résumé typing service that quickly morphed into a career-strategies company and a writing service that I have kept as a one-person operation.
No guarantees, but if I’d operated from my strengths at the beginning, I might not have business failure stories to tell. But then I might have missed the fun of following two paths at once, not to mention the rewards.
If this idea appeals to you, or you’re already doing something similar, these tips might save you time or mis-steps.
• 1. Choose two careers that are compatible. A career that requires your presence doesn’t pair well with one that demands travel, for example.
• 2. Keep the paths distinct. Rather than two quite similar careers, look for two that suit different sides of your personality. This helps you avoid burnout while also providing that “something to fall back on” if things go south.
• 3. Consider a self-employment / staff combo. Following two careers is already challenging; doing them both as an employee could add messy logistics. If at least one of your paths is under your own control, you’ll be able to flex better. On the other hand, I maybe wouldn’t advise two self-employment tracks. Steady income and benefits are also nice.
• 4. Take stock frequently. If one path feels like a slog, give yourself permission to demote it to a side interest.
• 5. Let one career dominate. One might take more time or require more financial resources. Or, one might be your “public” profession while you pursue the other in a quiet manner. This imbalance will let you breathe and reflect more on each path, rather than pushing both forward at the same pace. It also helps financially if one doesn’t demand expensive space or marketing.
• 6. Grow your skills in both careers. Building skills and expertise requires some combination of ongoing training, networking, reading, professional memberships and more. That’s what defines these paths as careers and not just side hustles or gigs. It’s also what makes them rewarding, both personally and professionally.
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Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.
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