[03/15]Why Settle for Just One Line of Work?

Topic1 Why Settle for Just One Line of Work? Marci Alboher gave up practicing law to write, teach, and speak about people who have made career transitions. To use a term she coined, she became a "slash" (as in writer/teacher/public speaker). The author of One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success, Alboher spoke with Associate Editor Susan Berfield about how to juggle professions. What's the difference between a slash and a career-changer? Slashes are seeking a balance so they don't burn out or lose interest in their first job. I've met an art dealer/Pilates instructor and a theater director/computer programmer. A career-changer wants a divorce from the first career: The love is gone. What's the main reason people don't pursue the slash interests full-time? Financial security. It's hard to trash that when you are trying to learn something new and you're not sure if it will be more than a glorified hobby. Some people like what they do but want to do less of it. If they can find some way to add another dimension to their lives, it can rekindle interest in their main work. How do you build a slash career? In the corporate world, some people coast by at 80% and see if there's room to do something else with their time. Then there are people who test the flextime policy. The concept of going part-time to make room for something else is still new, but it is growing in acceptance. The third way is to take what you do in a corporate job and change it: Become a consultant or sign up at one of the white-collar temp agencies. Can people sustain life as a slash? People who have these kinds of careers are never static. Six months later, they've shaken up the mix, evolved, gone deeper, dropped something. There is something inherently restless, endlessly curious about these people. Being a slash is a way to evolve without giving up the security of a job or losing the confidence in your expertise. Do you see trends in what people are trying? A lot of the people I talk to whose first vocation came after considerable education add a slash like massage therapy, or Pilates, or a certificate program of some kind. Adult and online education have exploded. It's easier than it has ever been to change careers. Leaving and reentering the corporate world is so much more accepted. Before it was like burning a bridge. Now you could have an entrepreneurial stint, then a corporate stint, and back again without any stigma. What if you don't like being a Pilates instructor after all? It's import!ant to give yourself permission to not like something you are trying. It's like dating. You have to get out there, be unapologetic about sampling, and enjoy it. How does this play out in different age groups? Younger people don't find the slash concept at all unusual. They expect three-dimensional lives and careers, and a lot of blurring. Older people need permission to live like this. What do slashes give up? You may not get to the highest rung on the corporate ladder if you want to follow other pursuits. To have more, you might have to have less. And a lot of idle time is lost. The most successful slashing occurs when activities serve more than one purpose. It's not multitasking--it's double time. It's the jogging stroller approach to life.   Questions 1. As medical technology advances, life-span of people is expected to be lengthened up to 100 years. Will you retire as soon as you get enough money for rest of the life from investment or whatsoever or keep doing your job?   2-1. Which do you think is recommendable? i) to become a slash ii) to become an expert in the field where you're engaged.   2-2. Would you rather expand your carrer as being a slash than change your job with better payment/higher position to achieve your life-long goal and/or financial success? 3. How many years do you think you are able to be successful and satisfied from the current(or prospective) job? (How long do you think you will be in the current(or prospective) company? 4. If you have any plan to become a "slash"? If yes, what titles are expected on the right side of the slashes? 5. Please explain your own strategy or plan to prepare for becoming slash, changing the job with better conditions, or surviving(?) in the current company.     Topic2 Things Never to Say on a First Date   We all know that first dates are the ultimate relationship chess match. Men and women take their turns making verbal moves -- with the hopes that nobody's going to get rooked. But the truth is that first dates, very often, can be pretty far from the truth, with men and women acting as spinmeisters who do what they can to put their best faces (and personalities) forward. The stats certainly tell us that many people lie on first dates (35 percent of men say they lie about their income, and 35 percent of men also say they lie about their willingness to commit). But if the goal is to determine whether the two of you may be a good match, then part of the process is not just detecting the lies, but also knowing the best things to say-and avoiding the worst. Do that and you'll be well on your way to being the kind of person who will engage, interest, and intrigue your across-the-table mate   Questions 1. Let's talk about first dates. How do you approach a first date? Do you get more nervous or excited? The article mentions that most people are not very truthful on their first dates. Do you agree? Why or why not?   2. What are your first date rules? Is it okay for women to ask men out? Why or why not? Should the man pay for dinner on the first date? Or should the woman pay her share?   3. How do you know that a date is a good date? How can you tell if you and your partner are a good match? What do you do if you find yourself on a bad date?