Episode 7: The Career Portfolio vs The Career Path

For many of us who've been on the chase of a purpose-driven job or jobs that create a positive impact on our communities and society, we are often met with the dilemmas of finding an interesting job and balancing other needs in our life such as our own financial security, self-growth, and other opportunities to better ourselves while creating impact. It is no news that we once lived in a generation where we were forced to pick sides such as working in for-profit vs non-profit sectors, but we now live in a time when we believe we can create all at the same time. Still, the problems to balance between these are no less big deliberations for many of us. In this episode of Modern Idealist, we dive into the concept of the career portfolio (and the squiggly career) and what it means to reject the concept of a linear career path in order to achieve our own definitions of purpose and success. Valerie discusses her career journey, growing up with high expectations from immigrant parents, and how this influenced her vocation and career trajectory. We then circle back to talk about jobs of the future and why we need to shake things up to create a more inspiring future workforce, now!

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Link to sources:

Career Portfolio: Rinne, April. “Why You Should Build a ‘Career Portfolio’ (Not a ‘Career Path’).” Harvard Business Review, 13 Oct. 2021, https://hbr.org/2021/10/why-you-should-build-a-career-portfolio-not-a-career-path.

The Squiggly Career: “The Best Career Path Isn't Always a Straight Line.” Performance by Sarah Ellis, and Helen Tupper, Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper: The Best Career Path Isn't Always a Straight Line | TED Talk, Feb. 2021, https://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_ellis_and_helen_tupper_the_best_career_path_isn_t_always_a_straight_line?language=en. Accessed June 2021.

“New Data Track Graduates of Six Popular Majors through Their First Three Jobs.” Philosophy Degrees and Sales Jobs: New Data Track Graduates of Six Popular Majors through Their First Three Jobs, Inside Higher Ed, 2 Aug. 2019, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/08/02/new-data-track-graduates-six-popular-majors-through-their-first-three-jobs.