4 Portfolio careers

In the past, most people were employed in full time positions working for a single employer, often for their whole career. In contrast, a portfolio career is one that incorporates a range of different roles/employers rather than one full time position. It is becoming an increasingly common approach to employment, particularly in the arts sector.

Portfolio careers can develop in different ways – they may grow organically (i.e. largely unplanned) or be something that you deliberately set out to build. Many people start out by working freelance alongside a full time job, their goal being to change that balance as their freelance work becomes more successful.

Depending on the circumstances, a portfolio career can potentially give you more options if something unexpected happens. For example, you may be able to focus your time and attention on certain roles that are more resilient to whatever change has arisen, changing the balance again when the situation improves.

You’ll now look at examples of these two different approaches to building a portfolio career.