I found an article on Harvard Business Review from Kabir Sehgal who works in corporate strategy for a Fortune 500 company, was a US Navy Seal and is an award-winning music producer!
Just reading about this guy made me tired. I have no idea how he has the time to do everything he has done in his life and continue to keep learning and growing. I work a full-time job and volunteer in my community, and I feel like a lazy person compared to this guy! As I began to read his article, I started to discover the benefits of why he was so busy.
The title of the article is Why You Should Have (at Least) Two Careers, and I was inspired by what he has to say. You can access the article here.
So, Why Should You Have (at Least) Two Careers?
When asked why Kabir had multiple careers he stated “Quite simply, working many jobs makes me happier and leaves me more fulfilled. It also helps me perform better at each job. Here’s how.” He then goes on to talk about how his corporate job was able to help subsidize his record career. A critical part of this paragraph that I think can be life changing is when he talks about how he got started in his career as a record producer and the reason behind wanting to become a producer. He states that “I volunteered so that I could gain experience in this new industry” and the reason he wanted to become a producer was that he had a “passion for jazz and classical music.”
The Power of Volunteering
He was passionate about something, and he wanted to learn how to become better at it. What is the best way to learn how to become a professional at something? By learning what professional people do in the field by volunteering for them! This idea makes so much sense! You aren’t getting paid in money, but experience, which is even more valuable if you have little to no expertise in the industry you are passionate about. If you are looking to start a new career or go into a field you are interested in; volunteering is the best way to accomplish that goal. People normally are willing to accept free help and getting hands on experience is incredibly valuable.
Benefits of Social Circles
Kabir then talks about how he met people in different social work circles and how he was able to use these circles to his advantage in his corporate job. But not only to his advantage but his clients and friends as well! The more you learn about different jobs in different fields, the more people you meet, which increases the number of life changing opportunities that could arise. Which is why your primary motive shouldn’t be money.
Discover Innovative Opportunities
The last point that Kabir makes in this article is how working in multiple different careers helped him Discover Real Innovations. He states that “When you work different jobs, you can identify where ideas interact – and more significantly, where they should interact.” Just food for thought ?
I don’t want to break down the whole article for you because I believe that you would get a lot of benefit from reading it for yourself. I think it is essential to have more than one professional skill. You never know what is going to happen in the future with the development of new technologies and how quickly our world is changing. But if you know how to work at a professional level in different industries, you should always have a secure future.
How to Select a Different Industry
A lot of people reading this are probably thinking that they don’t have time to learn another trade-craft or they have no idea where to start looking. Well, I have some tips to help with that. When you are looking for a new career in a different industry, I would look at what you are passionate about. What drives you to get out of bed every day? What job would be your dream job? Then create a goal to learn more about it and become a professional in that field. Do what Kabir did and volunteer! Learn more about the industry and discover how to become successful!
If you choose something you love to do, then the extra work won’t seem like extra work…it will seem more like you are doing a hobby or exploring a new interest. A big hint that Kabir gave was that he was PASSIONATE about music. If you find your passion and work towards it, then you too will be a working professional in different industries, and you will have a lot of doors open for you. Who knows, maybe your passion will become your new full-time job!
Additional resources if you can’t find a way to volunteer are to sign up for classes! Classes are a cheaper alternative to college and are more specialized. You can also sign up to watch webinars, find Facebook groups, and try to be a more active member of the community that you’re passionate about. You can also read books from professionals in that industry to learn what they did to become successful in your passion.
So what are you passionate about?
Let us know in the comments!