A way of life

Guest blog by ​ Cinthya Quijano Ramos

This blog is well overdue, with all that’s happening in the UK, I feel that it is important to raise awareness and champion portfolio careers now more than ever. But more on that thought later... 

First let me tell you a bit about me. I've always had a portfolio career but didn't know that was the label. Since 2016 I have been managing an acting career in parallel to working in organisational change. I became aware of the term 'portfolio career' when I started my online network marketing business and started going out and networking. To be honest I can't remember who initially told me that's what I had but initially I was always reluctant to say I had more than one "job" out of fear for what people would say.

You see, we all grew up being told that we can't possibly have everything we want, that we must choose between our passions. The truth is this is just bull. In my thirties I discovered that it is possible to have your cake and eat it too! For me it has been more of a mindset journey than a skill journey to understand this.

When thinking about my three careers I realised that even though different from the outside they all have synergies that are far more important than their differences. This is particularly useful for describing my portfolio career to other people. Digging deeper I found that the best thing about being an actress, organisation development/employee engagement consultant and a network marketing professional was that at the core all three fulfil different parts of the meaning of my life and align well with my values. It took me a while to discover this, so don't worry if you are still feeling uneasy about either making the transition into a portfolio career or are early on one and not too confident about telling people. My purpose is "to make people's lives better" whether that is by creating more engaging, successful and purpose driven workplaces, helping an individual create time or financial freedom, or through the joy of acting, which can even be just for entertainment value, I have a powerful impact on people's lives.

So now to the meaty stuff...why do I think that now more than ever we need to showcase, talk, create awareness and champion portfolio careers?

• Well for one, I believe quite a few people like me have more than one passion that aligns with their core purpose or values. We should not have to choose and always feel slightly incomplete.
• The economy, my generation, the 'millennials', have lived through two recessions, and for those of us in or that come from a developing country we could probably add a few more to the count. This has contributed to the creation of flatter, slimmer companies which present all kinds of challenges.
• Many have cut costs, and although some salaries may have gone up in some places, usually when you take into account the percentage of inflation, most of us have been losing money every year. 
• The economy also means the end of jobs for life, which means no guarantees, so like investments it is less risky to have a diversified portfolio.
• Additional income... yes please! 
• Options, choices, and ownership. From Gen X to Z this is a topic that is taking on greater importance. 
• I know I've said economy but the other side of it is the saturated job market we compete in, with no clear retirement age and soon to be four generations sharing one workplace. Having a portfolio career makes you more adaptable and resilient to external changes such as politics, recessions, governmental decisions, geography, etc. 

My top tips for anyone considering a Portfolio Career:

1. Remember that it's more of a lifestyle than a "job". 
2. Find your personal "why"/ mission/ purpose and go from there. 
3. Keep open minded at networking events; you may go primarily with one hat in mind, but you'll be surprised how sometimes someone may be more interested in one of your other hats.
4. Find a great response to "what do you do?" that either encompasses your purpose or combines all your current careers. For example I generally say "I am an actress and own my own businesses", or "I have two businesses and I am also an actress". Of course sometimes I may need to specify one or target one, but I always mention I that have two other forms of income. Generally people are curious and will ask more.
5. Always remember the saying, if you do what you love you'll never work another day in your life. 

Thanks for reading and I would invite you all to share this blog if you found it interesting and continue the discussion below.

Where can you find me?

www.changedifferently.com (Consultancy – creating sustainable success through people by inspiring change in organisations where we engage employees in the change process)

@SustainableOD (Twitter for all things related to Organisational Change, Development and Employee Engagement)
@cinthyavquijano (Twitter for acting) or look for Cinthya Verenice Quijano on Facebook!
Instagram: @cinthyaq (Network Marketing)

​ Many thanks to our guest blogger Cinthya Quijano Ramos
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