If the idea of joining the rat-race and being flung into the structured corporate cut-throat chaos isn’t appealing, you might be the right kind of person to pursue an unconventional career path.
The unconventional worker isn’t just anyone, however. Some people really do prefer being in a normal office job from 9-5 every Monday to Friday, with their two weeks of vacation every year until retirement. If this describes you, don’t worry! You aren’t alone, and it doesn’t mean you’re a boring person. Some people just can’t handle changes or inconsistency, while others thrive off it. If, on the other hand, being able to dictate your own hours, vacation time and pay, at the risk of having some stressful months where you aren’t sure if you’ll get paid sounds intriguing, you might just thrive with an unconventional career path.
There are all sorts of unconventional career paths opening up. For the majority of people, gone are the days of picking one company and sticking with it for the rest of your career. It’s common to switch jobs, even careers, up to seven times during your working life. Alternative ways of working and self-employment are also growing in popularity for both young people and older workers who discover that there is another way to job satisfaction.
One popular type of unconventional career sometimes involves self-employment — working at home. Some people work at home for themselves, while others work for a company but telecommute every day. You can choose whether freelancing or telecommuting is right for you, based on your individual preferences.
Another popular, yet unconventional career path is working abroad. You can choose to do this for your entire working career, or just a few years. Either way, it will enrich you and provide you with the opportunity to get a detailed, up close and personal look at how business works in another country.
If you still crave less structure, some younger people have chosen an interesting career path that involves plenty of time off. You can work for a year or two, save up money, and then quit your job and explore the world for a few months, even a year or more. Some people like to alternate years working and traveling, relaxing, and spending time with loved ones. Others work while abroad, doing a working holiday by teaching English, bartending, or working in hotels in foreign countries until their contract expires, then moving on to a different region or country and finding another contract job.
Another option is to participate in volunteer holidays, where you spend a certain amount of time abroad doing charitable deeds, helping out the less fortunate. This can be incredibly rewarding — not financially, but personally.
If all these possibilities are exciting and make you want to quit your job and pursue an unconventional career path right now, listen to your instincts — but don’t quit right away. Take the time to research your options and plan what you want to do… and then take the plunge!
Being an unconventional worker can be thrilling. While it comes with its own set of challenges, it’s also a great opportunity to take advantage of!