I like to think that I am a man of many talents. Born with an unstoppable curiosity for the new and unknown I developed a range of very different skills over the years. When I come to think off it, not all those would seem so aligned. For example, I am a Pilates instructor but also a marketing professional; I am pretty good at writing copy but I am also an enthusiastic tour guide. Did I mention my home baking and organising skills?
Opportunities
For a long time I thought I had to make a choice and focus on one particular skill. You surely can't be utilising all those skills at the same time and confuse people with who I am or what I do. However, the longer I am here - and that is only six weeks - I come to realise that I don't need to make such hard choices. It may be the relaxed Kiwi nature of 'whatever happens happens' or the fact that moving countries does make you reinvent yourself (a little). Because, whilst setting up my Pilates business other opportunities are coming my way. I can't reveal what that is yet but I do have the right skills set for it.
Multiple jobs
What does that say about my career? Am I a skills acrobat or a job juggler? Probably both but better sounding is 'developing a Portfolio Career'. It means that you work in multiple jobs and divide your time between several paid activities. They are often - though not always - complementary. For example, and I quote: 'someone who enjoys painting, writing, and graphic design may make a living through each of these interests combined.' There is also no defined structure, you can be fully independent or have a combination of self-employment and part-time jobs.
And that suits me well. Although I won't chose because I like to have a portfolio career and be a skills acrobat at the same time.
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Marco Dingemans is a qualified Classical Pilates mat instructor