How to have (and explain) a career with multiple paths
When I did the Career Cruising tests in tenth grade, I always got the impression I had to pick one career and stick with it. As it turns out, I could add a hyphen, or a slash, and Frankenstein the careers up. It’s the role of the multi-hyphenate.
How to describe a multi-hyphenate career
When someone asked “So, what do you do?” early in your career, you might have tried to explain it like this
- “I work a day job in communications at Xtreme Labs, I was also interviewing recording artists, and freelance copywriting for other tech companies, and writing for publications. I didn’t make any of these things my full-time job.”
- Eventually, you smartened up and just said “Most of my time, I’m working at a company that makes apps.”
How to plan a multi-hyphenate career
The gig economy is a bad thing-it takes away conventional stability, benefits, and such away from workers.
- Multi-Hyphenate careers, on the other hand, are more open-ended and allow for more freedom.
You need to learn very different skills
To thrive as a multi-hyphenate, you’ll need to find ways of bundling your skills together
- The more unconventional the combination, the more of a polymath you’ll be seen as
- You’ll also need to get good at learning new skills – e.g. a “entrepreneur” is a classic example
- No one is hailed as a “polymath” because they are good at both communication and management, they are just considered competent at their job
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