Persue a Portfolio Career
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What Is a Portfolio Strategy?
A portfolio career is the pursuit of more than one income source simultaneously, usually by applying the various skills you've developed throughout your career to different types of work. For example, you could combine consulting with part-time work, teaching at a local college and freelance writing. You could use your speaking and facilitation skills to lead workshops at companies or educational institutions. You could even develop your own product or service.
But such a career will not be handed to you on a silver platter. You will need to search less-obvious and hidden markets -- small companies that need expertise on a part-time basis, for example, or vocational schools looking for part-time instructors.
Another portfolio career characteristic is that you'll work at different rates. Some jobs will pay well and others won't, but the lower-paying positions might be fun or offer intangible benefits, such as an opportunity to give back to your community.
You will also likely deal with a fluctuating income stream, which you can smooth by securing ongoing part-time contracts. Alone, these contracts might not be enough, but when added to other contracts and jobs, they should give you enough to live on.
