“Nice to meet you. What do you do?”
This simple question used to elicit a straightforward answer—one that fit neatly onto a business card. It was a title, a profession, a single, clear identity. But those days of the linear career are long gone. The traditional trajectory of studying a profession, climbing the corporate ladder, and retiring at the peak is increasingly obsolete.
Today, in a rapidly evolving world, knowledge becomes outdated faster than ever. According to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2023, two-fifths of the core skills workers possess today will be disrupted by technological change by 2027. This echoes a 2019 IBM report, The Enterprise Guide to Closing the Skills Gap, which revealed that the half-life of skills was already just five years—meaning that the value of skills learned five years ago is now about half of what it once was. In this environment, constantly updating our skills and exploring new areas is not just advisable; it’s essential. Thus, the notion of relying on a single, stable career is fading, replaced by the need for multiple career transitions.
The first signs of this shift appeared with the rise of “slashers”—individuals who balanced more than one professional role simultaneously, like a marketing manager/photographer or a lawyer/fitness instructor. These slashers recognized early on that sticking to one career wasn’t enough in a rapidly changing world. They paved the way for a new understanding of work, where diversifying one’s professional identity became not just possible, but necessary.
However, the evolution hasn’t stopped with the slashers. Now, this approach to career management is expanding beyond those who consciously juggle multiple roles. Even if you focus primarily on one career and don’t consider yourself a slasher, you must still manage four concurrent careers to thrive in today’s professional landscape. These careers exist within the context of your past, present, and future roles, and they all require your attention and strategic management.
The Four Concurrent Careers
In this dynamic environment, waiting for one career to decline before ramping up the next is a risky strategy. Instead, the linear career is giving way to a more fluid, multi-dimensional model where individuals manage multiple career tracks simultaneously, always balancing their past, present, and future professional lives.
1. Your Present Career – is your primary focus – the job or work that occupies most of your time and provides your main source of income. It’s the career you’re actively developing and investing in right now. This career offers stability, but it also demands continuous growth and adaptation.
2. Your Past Careers – are no longer in the past – In the old paradigm, past careers were merely stepping stones to your current position, just lines on your résumé. Today, however, elements of your past careers often continue to play significant roles in your professional life. These could be activities you’re no longer fully committed to but continue out of obligation, as a secondary income stream, or as a safety net while you develop your new primary career.
Maintaining a connection between past and present careers can be a powerful strategy for career transitions. It allows you to maximize your current position while simultaneously laying the groundwork for your next move, helping to mitigate the uncertainty inherent in career changes. You might even diversify your career portfolio, managing multiple occupations in parallel, with one of them being a past career that remains active, albeit in a reduced capacity.
3. Your Next Career is around the corner – whether it’s in two, five, or ten years. Understanding this future role is crucial—it’s about knowing who you will become once you’re no longer who you are today, professionally speaking. While focusing on your present career and maintaining aspects of past ones, you’re likely already exploring and preparing for your next career.
This could be as simple as identifying an area, tool, or interest that piques your curiosity, prompting you to learn more. Or you might already know what your next occupation will be, and you’re laying the groundwork, learning, organizing, and understanding how and when to transition.
The transition to your next career could be quick, but it could also take several years. It might involve volunteering, participating in professional associations, or turning hobbies into business opportunities. The key is to look beyond your day-to-day role and profession and understand what else is out there that interests you. Then, take small steps towards growing into your next professional identity.
4. Your Leisure Career is often overlooked – this career doesn’t pay in the traditional sense. These are your other identities outside of work—hobbies, volunteer activities, and personal passions. In a world where professional identity is based on skills and experiences, the lines between amateur pursuits and professional work are blurring. The difference lies not in whether you’re paid, but in your commitment. If you’re investing time and effort and are committed to continuous improvement, then it’s part of your career journey, even if it doesn’t generate income or define you professionally.
This could involve writing a blog, producing a podcast, volunteering for a cause, or pursuing creative endeavors like cooking, woodworking, or sports. While these activities might not fit traditional professional stereotypes, they can develop skills, experience, and potential that could become central to your future career.
Embracing the Multi-Dimensional Career
Understanding and embracing these four concurrent careers allows for a more holistic approach to professional development. It recognizes that our professional identities are complex and multifaceted, shaped not just by our primary occupation, but by our past experiences, future aspirations, and personal passions.
This perspective encourages continuous learning and adaptation. It allows us to see potential in unexpected places and to create synergies between different aspects of our lives. Most importantly, it gives us the flexibility to navigate the uncertain and rapidly changing landscape of modern work.
As we move forward in our professional lives, it’s crucial to recognize and nurture all four of these career dimensions. By doing so, we can create a rich, diverse, and resilient professional identity capable of thriving in the dynamic world of work.