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It'south non uncommon to see a lawyer who'd like to piece of work in renewable energy, or an app developer who'd like to write a novel, or an editor who fantasizes about condign a landscape designer. Maybe yous as well dream almost switching to a career that'due south drastically unlike from your current job. Only in my experience, it'southward rare for such people to actually brand the bound. The costs of switching seem too high, and the possibility of success seems likewise remote.

Only the reply isn't to plug away in your electric current job, unfulfilled and slowly burning out. I remember the answer is to practice both. Two careers are meliorate than one. And by committing to 2 careers, yous will produce benefits for both.

In my case, I take iv vocations: I'm a corporate strategist at a Fortune 500 company, US Navy Reserve officeholder, author of several books, and record producer. The ii questions that people ask me most oftentimes are "How much do you lot slumber?" and "How exercise y'all find time to do information technology all?" (my answers: "enough" and "I brand the time"). Yet these "process" questions don't get to the heart of my reasons and motivations. Instead, a more revealing query would exist, "Why do you accept multiple careers?" Quite simply, working many jobs makes me happier and leaves me more fulfilled. It also helps me perform better at each task. Hither's how.

Subsidize Your Skill Development

My corporate job paycheck subsidizes my record producing career. With no track record as a producer, nobody was going to pay me to produce his or her music, and it wasn't coin that motivated me to become a producer in the starting time place — it was my passion for jazz and classical music. Therefore, I volunteered and then that I could proceeds experience in this new industry. My day chore not only afforded me the capital letter to make albums, only it taught me the skills to succeed as a producer. A skillful producer should be someone who knows how to create a vision, recruit personnel, establish a timeline, heighten coin, and deliver products. Afterwards producing over a dozen albums and winning a few Grammys, record labels and musicians take started to reach out to run into if they can hire me every bit a producer. I yet refuse payment considering making music, something that is everlasting, is reward enough for me.

At the aforementioned time, I typically invite my corporate clients to recording sessions. For someone who works at an office all day, it'due south heady to go "behind-the-scenes" and interact with singers, musicians, and other creative professionals. While I was in Republic of cuba making an album, ane of my clients observed about the dancing musicians, "I've never been around people who take and so much fun at work." That my clients have a phenomenal experience only helps me drive revenue at work, so my corporate and recording careers are mutually beneficial.

You lot and Your Squad Serial

Career Transitions

  • Why You Should Have (at Least) Ii Careers

Brand Friends in Different Circles

When I worked on Wall Street, my professional circumvolve was initially limited to other folks in the financial services sector: bankers, traders, analysts, economists. Taken together, all of us constitute a "consensus" view on the markets. And nigh of my nugget manager clients were looking for something different: "Give me a contrarian perspective." In other words, they didn't want to hear the groupthink. I took this every bit marching orders to tap my rolodex for people who could provide my clients a differentiated perspective.

For example, i of my clients wanted to understand what Chinese citizens were saying to each other. Because I am an author, I have gotten to know other writers, and then I reached out to my friend who was a announcer at a periodical that monitors chatter in Cathay. Non restricted by the compliance department of a banking company, he was able to requite an unbridled perspective to my client, who was most appreciative. My client got a new idea. I got a trade. My friend got a new subscriber. Past being in different circles, you tin can selectively introduce people who would typically never meet and unlock value for everyone.

Find Real Innovations

When y'all work dissimilar jobs, you can place where ideas collaborate — and more significantly, where they should interact. "Information technology's technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields united states the upshot that makes our heart sing," said Steve Jobs, who was the embodiment of interdisciplinary thinking.

Because of Hurricane Katrina, many musicians left New Orleans. In society to generate funds to help musicians in the city, I could have created a typical nonprofit organization that solicits people for money. Instead, I helped create a more than sustainable solution: a brokerage for musicians that I described as Wall Street meets Bourbon Street. People wanting to book a musician for a party in New York could find a band on my organization's website, which would then ask the booker to add a "tip" which would be allocated to a New Orleans-based charity. The booker (who in some cases were my corporate clients) easily found a band for the party, the New York City-based musician got a gig, and the clemency in New Orleans got a small donation. Because of my fourth dimension working at a banking concern, I was able to create a dissimilar type of organization, one which has since merged with an even larger charitable organization.

When you follow your curiosities, you will bring passion to your new careers, which will leave you more fulfilled. And past doing more than i task, you lot may terminate up doing all of them better.