Why You Should Have At Least Two Careers?

It’s not uncommon to meet a doctor who wants to help the needy or a full-time employee who dreams of writing her novel, or an architect who is looking for a way out to pursue design. Then why shouldn’t they try to have two careers at once? Especially when those two careers end up mutually benefitting each other…

Gone are the days when sticking to a single career satiates your financial, professional, and personal goals. In the gig economy that we live in, pursuing diversified passions, and diversifying your income along the way, has become the new norm for millennials and post-millennials. Especially if you’re driven and ambitious, having two careers at the same time allows you to assess yourself on various skillsets and gain that competitive edge. Maybe it was wise for the baby boomers or Gen X. But today, the most brilliant and fulfilled people in the world are generalists, jack of multiple trades, who actively explore, becoming wide achievers in several fields. Plus the current state of economic and social uncertainties is only testament to why you should have at least two careers.

If you dream about pursuing a second career either for added income source, to hone your skills, or just out of sheer passion, then do it, do not second guess. Many people never make the leap or begin to procrastinate on time management, but the answer also is not to continue to burn out in your current job. This way you at least have an escape without completely plugging out and can end up being productive in both the careers at once. 

With several options available – freelance on platforms, grab a solid internship for yourself, or maybe a part-timer consulting, or impart knowledge as a mentor/tutor/coach or join a non-profit whose cause you whole-heartedly believe in – having at least two careers seem absolutely doable. Plus given that the post-pandemic world will push a hybrid model at most the workplaces, adds further to it.

Two careers are better than one. With no opportunity cost to spare, the advantages of having two careers at once are infinite.

1. Grow Your Experience and Network 

You will never know whether you are good at something or not unless you try it. So follow the paths of your curiosities and you will uncover the infinite possibilities.

Having two (or more) careers at once allow you to be in multiple network circles, multiple thought processes, and ideas, enabling your growth. If you always are surrounded by the same set of people, it’s unlikely you will expand your sphere of knowledge. You should find ways to meet multiple people owning different perspectives.

With multiple careers, you can connect the dots, spark innovation and give light to many facets of your personality. You can always leverage learnings from one of your careers to another.

Steve Jobs, an embodiment of interdisciplinary thinking once said something that will add to this, “It’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing.”

2. Increased Probability For You To Beat The Rat Race

Any job description you pick these days, you will find either of the following keywords, ‘generalist’, ‘swiss-army knife’, ‘multidisciplinary or don multiple hats’, or ‘full-stack’. There is a growing interest in talent that cross the traditional boundaries of fields they graduated from, and stick their hands into several fields. Such talent will continue to remain in demand in the future and paid handsomely by every employer.

When you pursue two careers at the same time, you get hands-on with multiple skillsets at once and ultimately become desirable as a more versatile talent to others.

3. Financial Security in Times Like Pandemic 

One saying is most prevalent and given as a piece of advice mostly, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”.

From an investments standpoint growing your wealth to financial stability incubating you from risk, you should have at least two careers. It’s wise to develop assets and create sources of wealth that build for you and will pay in your future.

If you freelance, you’ll be your own boss and can pick the battles worthy enough to fight – projects that are easy to manage, are of your interest, and pay better.

4. You Get To Know Yourself By Investing in Self

“People aren’t one-dimensional; we are naturally inclined to have multiple skills and interests.”

You should have at least two careers and no it doesn’t become a cause of burnout but a reason for self-exploration, causing you to come out with flying colors.

Testing with multiple careers at once will allow you to refine your personal preferences, and expand your colors of experience. You will be able to discover your strengths, your weaknesses, enabling you to make smarter career choices further down the road.

You could be working as a developer at an MNC during the day, freelancing as a techie in the evening, and teaching coding to freshers on the weekends. The possibilities are infinite.

After reading this, why don’t you take a moment to think about the passions and dreams you have buried, maybe a long-lost hobby that you have always wanted to take on the side, you never know-some might actually end up paying you for it. What skills are you dying to hone and then own professionally? What have you foregone to focus on in your current career?

Yes, managing both and keeping up will be challenging at first but once settled in your system, you will realize that there is nothing more liberating than breaking free from the mentality of a single career path and reigniting your potential to do more. All you need is to be organized and efficient to prioritize the tasks, manage your time and not forget self-care while doing it all.

Life is bigger than you can possibly imagine. Or as Da Vinci would say, “Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.”