There are benefits to exploring multiple career paths. I have tasted and seen. However, sticking to one career path and growing with it has its advantages. Personally, choosing a career path was one of the toughest moments I had in the past. Sometimes, I feel like I could rewind the time and discover myself better before choosing my career in the first place.
If you have noticed that sometimes people do not flourish in a particular choice of career they make in life due to circumstances, then you will understand what I mean. In this case, having multiple careers becomes vital, and one can switch from one to another in order to make ends meet.
My aunt is a fashion designer, and living with her back then, I discovered that sometimes she will have lots of jobs to do and most times she has nothing on the table. However, daily family expenses do not ask you if you have earned for the day or not. So whenever my aunt is less busy with her tailoring work, she switches to trading. Buying things from our hometown and reselling them in the city. She later learned to bake, and it became another source of income. You see, the thing about multiple career paths is that they create different sources of income, and when one isn't flourishing, you can easily make a decision to switch to the other for the moment instead of being stuck and completely out of cash to sustain your family.
I remember my elder brother asking me how many businesses I am into. He sees me as a realtor, a blogger, and a dental technologist, and sometimes he sees me selling baby wear in wholesale, and he was confused. I understand that in all our hustling, the end point is to earn a living, regardless of what your career path is. This is why, if I choose which one I prefer, I will surely go for multiple career paths. I can't exhaust giving instances of how multiple career paths have been a lifesaver to me and my family. Even my husband, a civil engineer, diversifies. Once he is out of contract, he switches to his second career path, more of a side hustle.
In other hands, one major advantage of sticking to one career path is that you will be known, especially when you have grown so well with the skill and are very good at it. People might be looking for your services from faraway places. If you are the type that works in a company, you will keep growing with the company and would be difficult to be laid out unless, in that case, the company folds or something negative happens.
Because life is full of ups and downs and is so unpredictable, it's not so advisable to stick with one career to avoid getting stranded in life. It becomes worse if you have a family and suddenly your only source of income is taken away. So having a major career path and other ones as side hustles looks like a great combo, and of course, that is my preference.
This post is in response to the #HiveLearners community contest on the topic of multiple careers or just one.
Thanks for reading through ❤️❤️❤️