Development

I want to be an accountant and a graphic designer. What is a slash career?

Original in Russian: blog.skillbox.by
Slash Career: What It Is and What Are Its Benefits

Contents

If Leonardo da Vinci had lived in the 21st century, he would likely have been called a slash careerist, rather than a polymath or a universal man, as was common during the Renaissance. After all, he successfully combined several activities at once. And he was not only a great artist, whose paintings are now kept in the Louvre and the Uffizi, but also a scientist, inventor, writer, and musician. We discuss with an expert what a slash career is and find out whether it is possible to avoid burnout working the way Leonardo da Vinci did.

Ekaterina Borovets

Expert in career guidance and development, member of the Association of Career Counseling and Support, author of the free career guidance course Skillbox "Who to Become?"

Higher psychological education, HR with over 12 years of experience. Has been consulting on career and career guidance since 2018, has conducted over 900 consultations on digital professions. Manages innovative projects at Lerna.ru and is responsible for career guidance at CRK.by.

Expert in career guidance and development, member of the Association of Career Counseling and Support, author of the free career guidance course Skillbox "Who to Become?"

Higher psychological education, HR with over 12 years of experience. Has been consulting on career and career guidance since 2018, has conducted over 900 consultations on digital professions. Manages innovation projects at Lerna.ru and is responsible for career guidance at CRK.by.

What is a slash career and when did it appear?

A slash career is when a person successfully combines two or more professions that generate income. And a hobby has nothing to do with this, since it does not bring in money.

— For example, you are an administrator in a beauty salon and write texts. Or you are both an actor and a director - today such examples are not uncommon in cinema. Or you are a doctor and write articles for a medical journal. All this relates to the concept of a slash career, — explains Ekaterina.

The term "slash career" itself was introduced in 2007 by American journalist Marcy Alboher, who published the book "One Person - Many Careers." In it, she described the story of a woman who simultaneously worked as a prosecutor and a priest.

— In the US, a slash career has been popular for a long time. We used to see it here too, but it was perceived differently; it looked more like "working three jobs," — the expert shares. — Today, a slash career is a conscious choice when you choose several professions at once, rather than grabbing several jobs due to a lack of money.

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Slash careerists. Let's look at some examples.

Ekaterina Borovets is a shining example of a slash career, and she enjoys changing careers. She works at Lerna, teaches webinars at Skillbox, works at the Career Development Center, and consults clients independently.

— Clients even come to me with such requests. The last time, it was a backend developer who got bored. And this is exactly the kind of story when a person enjoys their profession and doesn't want to lose it, but they wanted to develop another of their strengths and share their knowledge. Now they are looking for part-time work as a curator for online development courses, — says the expert. — A similar story happened to a developer friend of mine who wanted to make global changes. And at the same time, he became an auteur film director.

By the way, Ekaterina is far from the only representative of the slash career on the Lerna and Skillbox platforms.

Lilit Rdikyan

Practicing psychologist in the psychodramatic approach, producer of the direction «Psychology», head of the «Career Guidance» project in Skillbox.

Skillbox's Psychology program initially recruited producers with a background in psychology to create courses based on evidence-based approaches.

Lilith's knowledge and skills as a psychologist help her select topics, find experts, and approve programs. She creates products that help thousands of people gain a better understanding of themselves, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve relationships with others.

Producing helps Lilith develop her other strength - she organizes and coordinates the work of the team.

A practicing psychologist in the psychodramatic approach, a producer of the direction "Psychology", head of the "Career Guidance" project at Skillbox.

Initially, Skillbox hired only producers with a background in psychology for the "Psychology" program in order to create courses based on evidence-based approaches.

The knowledge and skills of a psychologist help Lilith select topics, find experts, and approve programs. She creates products that help thousands of people gain a better understanding of themselves, increase self-esteem, reduce anxiety, and improve their relationships with others.

Producing helps Lilith develop her other strength—she organizes and coordinates the team's work.

Silvestr Lubich

Practicing psychotherapist, psychiatrist-narcologist. Conducts private practice in the integrative approach, works as a psychotherapist at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health and as a client interaction specialist at Lerna.

At Lerna, Sylvester provides mediation services and conducts group trainings. Knowledge and skills in medicine and psychology help him resolve conflict situations, find ways out of limiting dysfunctional beliefs, improve "corporate health" and increase employee efficiency.

Practicing psychotherapist, psychiatrist-narcologist. He runs a private practice with an integrative approach, works as a psychotherapist at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health, and as a client engagement specialist at Lerna.

At Lerna, Sylvester provides mediation services and conducts group trainings. His knowledge and skills in medicine and psychology help him resolve conflict situations, find ways out of limiting dysfunctional beliefs, improve "corporate health" and increase employee efficiency.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Slash Career

A slash career is a path that is not suitable for everyone. Some will enjoy it, while others will be repulsed. Ekaterina helped us outline the main advantages and disadvantages of this type of career.

Among the advantages, we can note:

  • Financial security.You may lose one job, but you will still have another activity that brings in income. You can scale it up and feel secure while looking for a new job.
  • Using your potential to the maximum.People like to use different qualities, but this is not always possible to do in one job. A slash career is one way to develop all your strengths.
  • The possibility of a smooth transition when mastering a new profession.You're an accountant, but you want to become a graphic designer. Starting from scratch is difficult and scary. But you can remain an accountant and gradually take on design projects. And when you already have a portfolio, you can make the transition - leave accounting for design. But the time when you were both one and the other is a slash career.

Among the disadvantages, Ekaterina highlighted:

  • Burnout.If you can't juggle multiple activities, this can be a problem. You risk performing poorly. As a result, both clients and employers will be dissatisfied.
  • Misunderstanding on the part of employers.Not all employers today are prepared for you to do something else outside of work that brings in additional income. Moreover, recruiters may ask such questions during interviews, and your honest answer may be the reason for rejection when hiring.

How to start building a slash career

A person has two paths in the case of a slash career. The first option is to work in a company and provide consultations at the same time. The second is to build a career through part-time hiring.

— Initially, I worked as an HR specialist in hiring, and over time I began to provide consultations to other companies. Startups came to me, and I told them how to hire employees, what documents are needed for this. In my opinion, such a story will worry a person the least. When you isolate what you like from your profession. And you start a consulting business that builds on your strengths, says Ekaterina.

But this is where a challenge can arise, which some people aren't always willing to accept. You need to know how to find clients. And you'll still have to master several professions—SMM specialist, PR manager, and marketer. You'll have to become a sales manager for your own services, manage social media, and develop a personal brand. And if you want to open a sole proprietorship, you'll also have to figure out accounting.

— You can work as an accountant for hire and simultaneously take on two small freelance companies. Or be an accountant who trained as a graphic designer and have two graphic design clients. You can start finding clients through acquaintances; word of mouth works great in such cases. You might also get lucky with an employer and they might provide projects for a new profession within the company. There are plenty of options, but not everyone sees them, says Ekaterina. The expert notes that before building a slash career, or any other, you need to understand yourself. Learn about your values, interests, and strengths. At the same time, you need to study the labor market and take into account your life circumstances. And how to do it correctly, you can read here.Here.

What is better: two careers in different fields or in related ones?

There is no universal solution that would suit everyone. Everything depends on the goals and desires of the person, says Ekaterina:

“I gave the example of a doctor who treats and writes articles. Writing is another of his strengths, and he uses it. But writing and treating are two different things. Imagine a doctor who enjoys computer games in his spare time, and he's invited to write articles on the topic.It all depends on what you want. If you're more comfortable in one industry and feel like a strong expert there, then why not? For example, you might be a self-employed doctor and consult from home in the evenings. But another career path is also possible. You might be an engineer and make films in your spare time. There's no magic pill that works for everyone."

How to Avoid Burnout While Building a Slash Career

The same principles apply here as with standard burnout. A person needs to be able to set clear boundaries, master time management, know how to rest, and understand their own needs. After all, each of us is an individual, and each of us needs different amounts of time to recover. And for some, a second activity may actually be a rest.

The expert recommends adequately assessing the volume of work, the costs of each type of activity, factoring in the risks of revisions, and not taking on all projects indiscriminately.

— Many grab every project in sight, thinking that the situation will resolve itself over time. It won't. When building a slash career, some simply don't understand where to start, while others try and realize it's not for them. Especially young people. I recently gave a lecture at an event for university students and graduates, and one of the topics concerned slash careers. One of the graduates genuinely didn't understand how this was possible, although the topic itself piqued her interest, Ekaterina shares. Young people today pay a lot of attention to self-care. And the girl couldn't understand how anyone could work two jobs and still find time for, say, yoga. She thought employers didn't need her only on a part-time basis. But such projects do happen in employment. The main thing is to learn how to combine them skillfully. On the other hand, there are people who can't handle such a situation. And this is also normal, we are all different.

How companies react to slash careerists and how to behave with the employer

The expert notes that everything depends on the level of advancement of the employer - on loyalty to employees and corporate culture. There is no single reaction today.

— To be objective, an employer shouldn't care what you do in your free time. They also don't care what your hobby is. I have a friend who used to work as a digital marketer and also taught dance on the side. He told me that he had employers who didn't like it. Over time, he stopped talking about it and started saying he danced. And everyone admired this hobby. But you have to admit, it's so strange. When you dance after work, people admire you. But when you're a dance instructor, it's outrageous. So if you know that this makes the employer uncomfortable, I sincerely believe that you don't have to talk about it. You don't talk about your entire life. The main thing is that it doesn't affect the quality of your work and your effectiveness. If you hit all your KPIs and do your job well, your employer shouldn't care. If they think differently, it's up to you to decide what to do about it, says Ekaterina.

How a slash career affects the labor market

In today's world, people are constantly faced with new conditions: economic crises, layoffs, and reductions. And a slash career is exactly what can protect a person in such cases.

— If you were laid off from one job, you still have a second one. You can look for a new job or expand projects at the second one. This, to some extent, reduces the burden on the state - a person does not become unemployed, - the expert believes. - From the employer's point of view, yes, companies today have fears. But the market is already changing - many companies offer cooperation through contracts and self-employment. For example, an employer needs to hire a brand manager at the time of opening a cafe, but he does not need such a creative person on a permanent basis. The employer began to think about himself and find some solutions that would be beneficial for him. Why can't a person do the same?

In the expert's opinion, a slash career is a good solution for the labor market, but most employers still have to go through five stages - from denial to acceptance. However, over time, this type of career will take hold.

Does a slash career have a future?

Today, the very concept of a career is moving away from the traditional one. People are building non-linear, project-based, relocation, and slash careers. And the situation will transform over the years.

— Previously, only vertical growth was possible. From a junior specialist, you could grow to a manager. And everyone admired what a cool career you built. It was clear, accessible, and nothing needed to be explained. But the world is changing. We change professions, industries. We become managers, and then go back to being experts. We work for hire, freelance, and launch our own businesses. We have such a diverse range of career paths that I think it's difficult to predict any specific future for our careers as a whole. And the strength here is in diversity. If you want a traditional career, go ahead. If you want a more challenging one, go ahead. Over time, the market will become more accepting of this, and even today, it's a job seeker's market, not an employer's. Belarus has an aging population, and companies are experiencing a talent shortage. Therefore, conditions will change, and salaries will change. Employers will have to adapt in order to attract highly qualified specialists to their projects, Ekaterina summarizes.

 

The Skillbox.by editorial team recommends reading other useful materials featuring Ekaterina Borovets:

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