A portfolio life

Posted on March 11, 2007
Filed Under Ideas & Philosophy |

I found an interesting piece on the web that expresses where things seem to be heading at the moment:

“Having a career isn’t mandatory in order to be a success. Instead, you could opt for a “portfolio life” (see Charles Handy’s book, The Age of Unreason, 1989). That option recognizes the importance of adequate income, but deemphasizes things like social status, or personal identity tied to career choice. The idea is that income can flow from a variety of sources: part-time jobs, micro-businesses, seasonal careers, working on contract, investments, etc. Frequently, this lifestyle may require getting used to living on less than if you chose a conventional full-time career.”

This is quite a big change for me. I’ve always associated success for myself with building a career - although I have changed my mind on which career a couple of times. Now I find the idea of building a number of mini-careers alongside other activities very appealing.

This is a personal development though, and not something I would impose on other people. I have a number of friends who have been very clear about what they wanted to do straight out of university, and have pursued that career tenaciously and successfully. They are, in large part, the people that make the world go round. I haven’t managed to be successful in that way, so it makes sense to change things up.

All this reminds me of that silly but memorable Diesel tagline: For Successful Living. Ah, if only I had the right jeans, everything would be fine!

Stumble it!

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