Build a “Career Portfolio” (Not a “Career Path”)

While we are being mindful and intentional about the skills we are acquiring, we also need to pay attention to the experiences we are gathering through the work we are doing. According to April Rinne, we need to shift from pursuing a “career path” to creating a “career portfolio.” Gone are the days when one trained for a specific job and stayed on the same?career path in a linear fashion until retirement. Now, one needs to think of their career as a collection of diverse experiences each contributing to the overall value that the individual brings to the table – much like an investment portfolio.

A career portfolio reflects ones personal and professional identity and potential. It includes a unique combination of skills, experiences, and talents that can be mixed, matched, and blended in different ways. My portfolio, as an example, includes learning strategist, speaker, talent activist, culinary geek, amateur photographer and fitness enthusiast – all of which power ME.?A career portfolio grows through mindful curation of different projects, varied skills, and expanded relationships .?

Why bother including non-professional interests?

Work is traditionally understood as a “job,” and workers as “jobholders.” In "Work without Jobs," authors Ravin Jesuthasan and John Boudreau challenge the traditional concept of work as a 'job' with defined titles and hierarchies, proposing a new "work operating system." This system deconstructs jobs into their fundamental components, then reassembles them based on individual skills and abilities, offering greater flexibility and efficiency. As automation and the need for organizational agility rise, this skills-focused approach provides a modern roadmap for adapting to the rapidly evolving work landscape. While it's easier to articulate your professional domain expertise through your work experience, how do you demonstrate durable skills? Enter, interests / talents etc

Here's how my interests map to skill demonstration

• Culinary Geek - Creativity, precision, curiosity, learning agility, cultural intelligence
• Amateur Photographer - Aesthetic sensibility, technical proficiency, attention to detail
• Fitness Enthusiast - Discipline, consistency, resilience, wellness understanding, self-awareness
• Speaker and Author - Effective communication, persuasion, confidence

Over time, the value of your portfolio will increase by your ability to combine and weave together skills from your different experiences in order to gain new insights, tackle new problems, diversify income sources, and serve in new ways. But, like an investment portfolio, your career portfolio may need to be re-balanced based on current market trends and so being mindful of your skills needs to be an ongoing practice. No individual or organization can succeed today unless learning keeps up with the pace of technological, social and economic change. We all need to revolutionize thinking about learning and take personal responsibility to thrive amid continued disruption.