On Having Multiple Careers

Juggling multiple careers is not news to me. In college, I did part-time work in fast food joints, worked as a customer rep in a paging company while attending school. You won’t see me hanging around in the university doing nothing or wasting time away chatting with friends. I wasn’t anti-social or anything like that. It’s just that my schedule didn’t permit me to have that free time to start with. So I was either studying or working.

The extra money was good. It afforded me some perks like going out with friends and not having to ask money from my folks and additional shopping money. Life was good. But I had to work hard to earn it.

Now, I find myself in the same situation: working hard and juggling careers. I still find my work stimulating but I have this longing to do something creative and hopefully, make money out of it.

In the past, I tried squeezing in a part-time work alongside my 9-5 job. I’ve gone past the interviews but ended up quitting before I even started. The reason: time and the lack of flexibility. If I take a part-time job with a fixed schedule, which means the part-time job would start several hours after I get off from my full-time work, I’d be stretching myself too thin. I don’t think a decent sleep is possible. Plus the fact that the supposed part-time work is outside the home! Anyway, I scrapped that idea.

I continued to check out other possibilities of creating multiple streams of income. I thought of freelancing. It’s more flexible in respect to time and I can choose the project I like. Suffice to say, I freelance. That’s on top of my full-time job.

Comparing a full-time job to freelancing, it’s a tough balancing act and we’re not even talking about family life. It has its pros and cons like any job. I believe it’s a matter of scheduling your workload and not killing yourself by doing too much of everything.

Working full-time
A full-time job provides a steady flow of income, health benefits, paid vacation and sick days and access to a network of professionals in your field. Advancement in your career is also well-defined. You enjoy the benefits of free trainings and workshops to brush up your skills. Some companies also reimburse education expenses but that usually comes with a bond.

Freelance
You get to choose the projects and adjust the working hours with your schedule. Freelancing allows you more flexibility. You can work anytime you see fit. The drawbacks however are the lack of benefits and continuity of projects.

Entrepreneurship
In time, I see myself going full-time as an entrepreneur. I can take my freelancing into a full-blown business or embark on a different but more profitable niche. Setting up a business entails a lot planning and work. It’s a thought but I’ll be overworking myself if I do this soon. So I’m giving it time.

It’s possible to create multiple streams of income. You just have to find the best combination possible to fit your schedule and needs.

P.S. I read a write up and a book relating to multiple careers called One Person/Multiple Careers. I think it’s worth checking out.