The following is a guest post by Melanie Fischer.
Image Credit: http://www.portablecareer.net/
Choosing a career based on its portability is a necessity for some people. But before discussing the value of a portable career, let’s determine exactly what a portable career is.
The term portable is defined as: “carried or moved with ease.”
The word career is defined as “an occupation or profession.”
When the words portable and career are combined, the definition becomes: an occupation or profession that can be carried or moved with ease.
Flexibility
A portable career is the type of career that is in demand anywhere you go. For example: teachers, nurses, doctors, accountants, and caretakers are needed in every city around the world. Anyone experienced in these fields has a portable career.
Portable careers are also jobs that do not require a person to be in a specific location to complete their work. For example, any job that can be completed via the Internet is considered to be a portable career.
Portable careers offer the ultimate flexibility to individuals who either don’t want to be tied to a specific city or residence for their entire professional lives, or to those who cannot (for any number of reasons) remain in a particular location for an extended period of time.
Jobs that can be carried to a new location are optimal to the following types of people:
- Those who like to travel frequently.
- Those who have a spouse who must move frequently for his/her job.
- Those who are married to military personnel who are frequently re-stationed.
- Those who do not want to be tied down to a particular city or residence.
Do Portable Careers Equal a Low Earning Potential?
Before the advancement of technology, the most common types of portable careers were those that paid relatively low salaries. But think about the gigantic list of careers that is available to workers in today’s professional realm. There are many opportunities to complete complex jobs from any location – as long as the correct systems are set up so that work can be completed effectively.
Unique Challenges for Professionals
When you are either required to move on a frequent basis or you want to move around from city to city, it can be difficult to maintain your professional career. It is hard to establish yourself at a job, resign from the job because you are moving, and then find a similar job after you have moved.
Rather than repeat this process every time you relocate, why not consider a portable career?
Are You Affiliated With the Military?
How many times has your spouse come home and announced, “We’re moving!” While the prospect of frequent moves is not unexpected in military families, it can be frustrating for a spouse who must resign from a job because of an imminent transfer to another city or country.
Military spouses are among the most common professionals to benefit from portable careers. Instead of never being able to work because of frequent relocations, military spouses are branching into portable careers such as virtual administrative assistants, transcriptionists, website design, independent sales consultants, and many other professions.
Items Necessary for a Portable Career
When choosing a career, evaluate whether or not you think your lifestyle would benefit from a portable profession. The ability to be successful with a portable career requires having access to some basic pieces of office equipment such as a computer (either desktop or a laptop), a smartphone, and access to the Internet. While a designated office space can be helpful, it is not always necessary. Depending on the city, there may be public areas where work can be completed in a quiet environment, such as a library. Or, a small space within your home may be all that you need in order to complete your job.
Do you have a portable career, or are you considering one? Share your experiences below!
About the Author:
Melanie Fischer is a writer for AllStarJobs.com, a website that contains more than 1,000 career descriptions and profiles, career-related articles and a job board that lists thousands of current positions open across the United States.
