Step 5 to a Portable Career – Explore the elements that define a portable career

Last Sunday I attended TEDx Lusaka and was highly inspired by all the TED Talks. Zambia has celebrated 51 years of Independence recently, so TEDx Lusaka focused on The Next Chapter for Zambia, looking ahead at their next chapter of 50 years, taking into consideration all the challenges that it is facing after a year of drought, load shedding, and constantly increased cost of living.

Throughout all the diverse Talks, the global message was the importance of creating jobs that will challenge people to develop appropriate skills and talent sets, that will have them be passionate about what they do (and hence deliver better as an employee) and that will provide a salary that motivates and inspires people to do more than they are required to do by their job descriptions.

My favorite quotes of the event were:

“I want to do cool things and get paid for it”
– Elijah Zgambo

“Don’t wait for people to show you the way in doing what you love and get paid for it”
– Agnes Fouffe

These speakers were not the only ones tapping into the need for more people to exploit their passions and come up with creative money making careers or small enterprises allowing this passion to be expressed and having others enjoy the services offered through these initiatives.

Well, defining your personal Portable Career (your next chapter), also goes by these requirements (and some more). You’re at a stage in your life where you want to establish a career that will serve you for the years to come.

So when you define and create your portable career, please make sure that it meets the following elements*:

1. It is something that you LOVE doing (which you have explored in Step 3 to a Portable Career).
2. It reflects your personal values (which make you YOU, and these were explored in Step 2 to a Portable Career).
3. It benefits from your favorite skills and unique talents (explored in Step 4 to a Portable Career).
4. You can practice your career in different / multiple locations and it adapts itself to your new opportunities and markets.
5. It is founded on a global network which you are able to take with you as you trot around the globe with your career, as opposed to a local network only which you leave behind.
6. It fulfills your personal needs (financial, etc.)
7. It fits in with your busy life activities, obligations and responsibilities.
8. It allows you to achieve your life goals (whatever these may be financial independence, education budget for yourself or other family members, making a difference, travel etc.)
9. Regardless of your moves across the globe, your motivation to keep on doing what you do is a default setting in yourself.
10. You can pack your entire business into just one suitcase (literally), which also makes it very easy to set up again in your next destination.
11. It allows you to grow and develop at a steady pace and your business follows in the same development.

^{*Source: a Career in Your Suitcase by Jo Parfit & Colleen Reichrath-Smith}

Why not have a brainstorming session on your own for now to define all the potential portable careers for yourself, while keeping these elements in mind.

Next week I will elaborate on popular portable careers for global nomads such as yourself!