`Casserole Careers' Provide More than Food for Thought
May 20, 2011
The concept of casserole or parallel careers struck a chord with many readers. The concept, you may recall, involves maintaining two or more careers simultaneously, either as a buffer against the uncertainty of employment these days, or to fill some void your original career can't supply. Some e-mails expressed disbelief that people could do justice to multiple careers. Usually, these were people who are already putting in 65 to 70 hours a week in a demanding corporate job. But many wrote to describe their own casserole and why it is so fulfilling. A particularly insightful missive comes from fellow journalist Willie French, who decided to launch an alternate career as a small book publisher 18 years ago, while working as managing editor of the American Banker, a trade publication. At the time he was recuperating from a stress-related illness brought on by his pressure-cooker job. So why did he plunge into a second career? ``After dealing with the turmoil of a then-shaky newspaper and learning that stability and continuity could no longer be guaranteed, I decided to try to achieve something for myself which I alone could control,'' he writes. So he kept his day job and took publishing courses at night. Today, Mr. Buchanan is a special projects editor for Newsday and the owner of Guarionex Press, which publishes inspirational tracts, many written by him, and other works. And Mr. Buchanan contends that his alternate career has made him more valuable to Newsday. ``It taught me a lot about promoting a product, marketing, and about another world, book publishing,'' he writes. ``The skills I learned from one business I was able to apply to the other, in the process becoming an even more useful and valued employee. '' He concludes: ``In today's economy, when everything in business is changing so quickly, and where all the old things we used to count on appear to have gone by the board, the only thing we can truly count on is our faith in ourselves and our own abilities. Each of us owes it to ourselves and to our families to carve out alternative careers to enhance our self worth, to enhance our skills and to replace jobs that may be lost in the future.'' Reaction: It's hard to argue with that. Career counselors are constantly telling people that they need to keep their resumes updated and their noses sniffing out possible new job opportunities to counterbalance today's corporate instability. But how much easier it is to face the prospect of losing your job when you have another in the garage, revved up and ready to go. For those with the energy and the time management skills to pull it off, it makes perfect sense. The Slings and Arrows of `Extraneous' Fortune In a recent column about dealing with the blahs at work, I mentioned that I try to screen out extraneous matters when I'm having trouble getting going on an assignment. I jokingly included children and household chores in that category. That brought these responses, apparently from members of some militant faction of the work-family balance league: ``If you really find children `extraneous,' you shouldn't have had them,'' wrote Jimmy Lindsy of Colorado Springs, Colo. ``A child's need for parental love, affection and attention cannot be placed on hold for even a day. That awesome obligation supersedes all else, even the occasional work `funk.' '' Tess Pardue, of Charlottesville, Va., was ``completely shocked'' by the reference. ``Shame on you for that attitude and shame on you for encouraging others to take such a stand.'' Reaction: First, let me assure you that I don't consider my children extraneous. They are the most important and precious elements in my life. Having said that, if you've never had to tell your kids that you have important work to do and you'll have to play with them later, you're either one of the idle rich, retired, or you're not working hard enough. When you're facing an important deadline on a work project -- or career column -- you need to focus all of your energy and attention on completing that project. If you don't, you'll soon have lots more time to spend with you children. So, for that period of time, everything else is extraneous. And when I'm with my kids, I put work out of my head and focus all my energy on them. Talk Back It's about time for my annual roundup of corporate buzzwords that can affect your career. So what are this year's hot buzzwords and how have they been used to help or hinder your work and career? Send your stories to hlancast@VastPress.com. And for all you procrastinators out there, do it now, before you forget. Your e-mails are as important to me as blood is to a vampire. Visit the Managing Your Career Center.
