Is a Slash Career Right for You?

I grew up in Pittsburgh.  That means that I’m a Steelers fan.  Several years ago they had a player named Kordell Stewart, nicknamed “Slash.”  They called him Slash because he was a quarterback/receiver/running back.  Kordell Stewart played quarterback at the University of Colorado.  He was a great athlete, but didn’t have the skills of a typical professional quarterback.  The Steelers’ coaches figured out that he could really help the team because he had a variety of skills that were useful in particular situations.  So Kordell Stewart became Kordell Slash Stewart.

This article suggests that slash careers just may be the wave of the future.

http://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/why-you-should-be-proud-to-be-a-slash.html

I’ve been a slash careerist ever since I started my business back in 1988.  Right now, I’m a coach/professor/speaker/author/blogger.  That’s four slashes, and it works for me.

Solopreneurs like me may be best suited to slash careers.  We have the flexibility to pursue our interests, and more important, take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.  I began my entrepreneurial journey as an organization development consultant.  Pretty soon my consulting clients began asking me to do talks at their meetings so I became a consultant/speaker.  Then clients began asking me if I could coach some of their high potentials, so I became a consultant/speaker/coach.  Then clients began telling me that they liked my ideas and that I should write a book, so I became a consultant/speaker/coach/author.  Once the internet took off, I added blogging to my repertoire and became a consultant/speaker/coach/author/blogger.  Recently, I began teaching in the MBA program at the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.  Now I’m a consultant/speaker/coach/author/blogger/professor.  How’s that for a slash career?

The nature of jobs is changing.  That’s why I believe you’ll see a lot more slash careers in the future.

I like the way the article ends.  It sums up my feelings on slash careers perfectly…

“As we continue to roll steadily into the twenty-first century, multi-faceted people will become more and more valuable–and more able to maneuver in an increasingly fluid economy. Embrace being a hybrid; you’re not alone, and you have every reason to be proud!”

Your career mentor,

Bud

PS: You can download a free copy of my bestseller Straight Talk for Success at www.BudBilanich.com/straight-talk/ When you do, I will begin sending you daily motivational quotes and give you a free basic membership in my career mentoring site.

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