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She’s an intern at her local newspaper. She’s majoring in business and journalism at her college. She has a part-time job at a law firm. And in her free time, she freelances, writing for any publication that will publish her work. She’s stocking up that resume and weaving a web of connections that will help her when she looks for her first “real” job out of college. It’s a scramble now, but the work will be worth it later.
But will the shuffle ever end, or has juggling jobs become its own career?
Our hypothetical career woman is not just a figment of the imagination. For many young professionals who want flexible work schedules and a sense of autonomy in their career, balancing multiple pursuits is a way to brand oneself (and add lines to the all-important resume) for potential employers or clients.
“Honestly, I’d say that a side hustle is a must these days,” said ENTITY writer Emma DiMaggio. “One job just seems sub-standard, especially if you’re too young to have a salary. I sell clothes online, sell pins to bands and I’m planning on making submissions to Rookie Mag in the future. It’s partially about staying afloat and partially about resume building.”
Freelancing is less the exception and more the rule among women. Out of the 34 percent of the American workforce that said they had another source of income alongside their main job, 71 percent were women, according to a 2014 Freelancers Union study. And one Deloitte study in 2013 found that 70 percent of workers with college degrees have considered working independently.
So why are so many young professionals turning to freelance work?
One reason may be that multiple ventures can provide the security that a single job in a shaky job market seems to be missing. Some freelancers and entrepreneurs also consider scaling back when they have families to care for; even the indomitable entrepreneur and blogger Penelope Trunk decided to move from New York City, where she was writing and working on a startup, to a Wisconsin farm, where she now lives with her husband and homeschools her children while running the online company Quistic.
However, young, energetic professionals aren’t the only ones who have followed a few twists in their career path. According to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics study, the average 18- to 25-year-old has already held around six jobs in his or her lifetime – which is more than his or her parents had, but not by much. Today’s young professionals will likely have four jobs in their first 10 years in the workplace, according to a LinkedIn study.
At the same time, the job shifts occurred in older generations’ early years, reports CNBC. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that “the average boomer changed jobs nearly a dozen times between ages 18 and 48.” However, by the time these Boomers reached their 40s, they tended to settle down into a career and “switched a little more than twice in a decade.”
The difference between the generations may be based on perception; Baby Boomers still had their eyes on a lasting career, while millennials may accept job-hopping as the status quo. And the new pluralistic approach to freelancing careers means that young workers may have to restructure their thinking on investment and retirement plans, as well.
For now, though, freelancing can be as entertaining as it is advantageous. “I think a lot of people have a job they don’t entirely love, so making money out of an enjoyable hobby on the side provides something different and fun,” said ENTITY writer Isabella Austin.
