I recently came across a very interesting post over at Get Rich Slowly and figured I’d talk a little bit about it. Given my recent transition from a traditional 9-5 to a more unusual part time work and freelance hybrid, I’ve gone through a variety of stages in defining my career and my own identity.
I always thought that people joked when they said that one of the first things people ask in a conversation when meeting new people is what you do for a living. Having been introduced to a number of new people in recent weeks, I’ve definitely found this to be true. I’ve also noticed that when people speak in passing conversation, much of it is work related. How their particular industry is fairing through the recession, what position they’d like to move on to, etc. Having a variety of professions, from online marketing, to being a writer, to being a Financial Planning Assistant (If I get that particular job), I almost feel like I’m at an advantage because my career eggs are in different basket. I like being able to wear different hats.
But that also inspires some fear. If I don’t focus my career, how will I build my resume. Will new potential employers like the fact that I run my own site portfolio, write about a wide variety of topics for online publications, and also work in Financial Services? I’m not sure, but I also wonder if I should even care. I don’t want or need to go back to a 9-5 job to climb the corporate ladder. If I continue to build up more income sources on my own, with additional stability from part time work, its not a likely scenario, but I’d like to believe I’m still building valuable career experience just in case I ever need to go back to the corporate life. We’ll see.