Portfolio Career

Thursdays topic will be education and career.

Charles Handy is frequently listed in the "Thinkers 50".  He coined the term "portfolio worker" in the early 1990's, stating that future careers will be made of up lots of small jobs rather than one big one.  He went on to say that Portfolio Careers offer greater flexibility, and especially saw more women taking advantage of this career type.  Here's a quote from Charles Handy book, The Age of Unreason: "individuals will maintain portfolios of their skills, abilities, and achievements with which they obtain temporary assignments in a variety of organisations, rather than securing permanent jobs.”

Many experts predict that the days of having one job and career for your whole life are waning.  In my family, most of my parents generation did just that, one job and career for life.  My dad was in education, working for the same school district for FIFTY YEARS. When you start moving down into my generation and younger, that seems to be changing.  For one thing, companies aren't as stable as they used to be, and jobs aren't as secure.  People are having to keep their portfolio of skills up to date, so that they can take advantage of those skills if and when they have to find a new job.

So exactly what is a Portfolio Career?  Here's a great seminar explaining:




This really resonated with me.  I've always worked, always learning and adding to my portfolio.  At the same time, I've raised kids and had a home to keep up.  I have a portfolio career, and I didn't even know it!  How great to be able to put a name to the years of assorted career choices I've made.  So many women can say the same thing, as they balance home and career.  Somehow putting a name to it adds validation.  I'm mixing "Portfolio Career" and "Career Portfolio" a little, there is a difference, but you do need a "Career Portfolio" to have a "Portfolio Career".  Hopefully that makes sense.

Clearly there are some skills needed if you're going to have a successful Portfolio Career, in addition to the career skills themselves.  You need to be organized enough to schedule your time well.  You need to plan your budget around fluctuating finances.  You need to fund your retirement plans without corporate help.  You need to be comfortable with the technology used by multiple businesses. Here's a nice concise "how to": http://www.quintcareers.com/portfolio_career_tips.html

This concept seems to be more popular in Europe than here in the US, mainly because of the health care system.  Without getting into the politics of THAT issue, I'm sure you can see how that can be true.  Here in the US, having a stable job means continued health benefits.  That may be changing here, maybe we'll be able to be more flexible with our careers if it does!

What does this mean to you and me?  It means we take a personal inventory of all the skills we've accumulated over the years, and organize them into a portfolio.  Even if you haven't had an official paycheck, you've accumulated these skills running PTA's and sports banquets.  Add in the Quicken class you took at the library to manage your household budget, the sign language class you took to communicate with the kid down the street, and you have ONE IMPRESSIVE PORTFOLIO!  In my mind, that is every much as impressive as the person with assorted accounting or secretarial jobs.  You DO have the skills and experience to manifest a lucrative career with that portfolio! 

Live as if time is infinite!

Some good articles on the topic:

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/402509_career06.html

http://www.quintcareers.com/portfolio_careers.html

http://www.careervision.org/About/Portfolio_Careers.htm