Do you dream about a job you’ve always wanted, but you are stuck in a rut with the boring one you have today? Do you realize that you are in the wrong career, but you are reluctant to switch because the costs of having a second career seem so high? You are not alone.

Many of us find ourselves on the wrong track. Track we slowly and reluctantly follow, even though we know it leads to the wrong destination or no destination at all. Why don’t we change? We are afraid of the unknown. We lack the necessary skill set. We are comfortable with the status quo. We worry about leaving our current position in life. We worry that our lifestyle will decline with lower pay. We worry that we are too old.

We have hundreds of reasons. All of them seem valid. And all of them hold us back from living our lives to the fullest.

But there is a way. It is simple, though not easy. Start a second career. Not as a replacement for your current one, but as an addiction. Simply put, consider getting a second job or a useful hobby. Yes, I see you rolling your eyes. You are already busy, and taking on more work is not going to make you feel better. And you are right.

Or maybe you are not. It may sound crazy to some, but many people have two jobs to survive, so taking a second job, essentially as a hobby rather than a stressful necessity, doesn’t sound as crazy.

To illustrate, let me talk about myself. I used to be a software engineer who made the leap into management. That one was easy, as I was promoted to lead other software engineers. The transition was gradual and within the same company. However, I made a second and third transition later on. I realized that management, though fulfilling, is not something I would do forever. I considered what I enjoy in my job, what I liked to do when I was younger, and what my life’s mission is, and decided to pursue two additional careers.

I trained as a coach so I could help others with career and life-related issues. And I started writing a blog and later on wrote a book.

Aside from being a manager, I’m also a coach and an author. Do the two new careers pay the bills? Not even close. I still spend most of my waking hours working as a manager. Did the two new careers give me options for the future? Possibly.

When I reach the point of being annoyed, bored, or simply finished with my managerial job, I can seamlessly transition to being a full-time author and coach. I will take a pay cut. And I will enjoy it immensely. In the meantime, I’m improving my skills in the new careers, and interestingly, they also help me improve my skills as a manager. Instead of having one career, I have three, and I keep improving in all of them. Not to mention, I feel that I live my life to the fullest.

What are the main benefits of starting a second career while maintaining your current one?

1. You Will Have Means To Live

You are right to be afraid to leave your current career and start fresh in a completely new field without any experience, contacts, or references. If you have a career, you likely also have numerous obligations in your life. You may have a family that depends on you. Being able to rely on regular checks that will support your life and new career is comforting. It is the safety net you can rely on if things don’t go as planned.

Some say that to succeed, you need to commit and go all in. You should quit your current job and dedicate one hundred percent of your attention to the new one. Yes. It makes sense. It would be the best. And if you have enough money and you never need to work, then go for it. For most people, this strategy is too risky. You can succeed even if you start slowly and take small steps. It will take longer, but you will get there.

2. You Will Build Additional Skills

No one is going to pay you for something you can’t do. But people might be willing to give you a chance to develop your skills if it helps them at least a little bit and won’t cost them anything. Volunteer as an apprentice or trainee. Offer to provide your services free of charge with the understanding that you are still a novice.

That is how I started my coaching career. In fact, I still do this to this day, as I don’t rely on income from coaching and therefore don’t charge my clients. The fee for my services is for them to donate the amount of money they decide to the charity of their choice. With this concept, I help them to the best of my coaching abilities. They get a bit better. I get a bit better. And we help the less fortunate. It is a win-win-win combination.

3. You Will Create A Network

The jump into a new career usually requires not only skills but also connections. You need to know some people to learn from, to partner with, to become your clients. Building the network takes time, and it may also benefit your current job. Starting your second career while still holding your main job allows you to make new connections that you wouldn’t have made otherwise.

Since I started my blog, I have regularly received people reaching out and asking for a job. They started reading my articles, liked the way I think about the world, saw that I’m also a manager in a software company, and reached out to check whether there is an opportunity to work with me. Most of the time, their skill set didn’t really fit the company’s needs, but there were a few who joined the team. They benefited from a new job. I benefited from a new team member. The company benefited from the low cost of hiring. Again, a win-win-win combination.

4. You Will Become More Creative

Creativity and innovation rarely come from brilliant new inventions. It is more likely that it comes from combining existing ideas, tools, and processes into something new. The more spread your interests are, the more likely you are to bring various ideas from different jobs and industries together and find new, innovative ways you use them.

In the previous century, management used to be a carrot-and-stick game. Managers would reward desired behavior and punish undesired behavior. Then, someone realized that research in psychology tells a different story about human motivation. The idea is that people already possess the resources to succeed within themselves, and all they need is support and empowerment. The coaching approach to management was created.

5. You Will Improve Your Identity And Reputation

Exposure to more domains, people, and ideas helps you expand your identity and build a reputation as someone who can tap into broad wisdom. It will help you become a go-to person in the emerging fields where your two careers intersect.

Imagine you are a lawyer who, as a second career, started learning about AI (Artificial Intelligence) because you are interested in technology and felt that becoming an AI expert might satisfy your desire for more technical work. Now you are in a unique position to speak on the topic of legal implications of the way AI is being trained and used. A couple of years ago, no one would have thought about such topics. Today, it is a field ready for taking.

6. You Will Become More Fulfilled

Pursuing a second career requires dedication and hard work. It will require time. It will force you to prioritize and focus. And it will inevitably lead to a more fulfilling and satisfying life. When you get to bed in the evening, tired from a long day, you will feel a sense of purpose and accomplishment. You are not wasting your life. You are making the most of it.

Could you have the same feeling if you just did the bare minimum in your day job and then spent the rest of your waking hours relaxing, watching TV, or chatting with friends on social media? Maybe. Most likely not. To experience a sense of fulfillment, we need to feel useful. We need to see that we have made the lives of others better. We need to feel we matter. No one will miss you if all you do is watch videos on the internet.

You Will Get Ready To Make The Switch

Having a second or third career may not provide you with a sustainable income to replace your main one. At least not initially. Doesn’t matter.

It will still enhance your overall income at least a little bit. That’s, unless you pick the road I took and volunteer to do the work for free. As you become more proficient in your new career, your marketability and worth increase. You could then start charging for the work you do. Less at the beginning, more later on.

Your secondary income stream may eventually get to a point where you will feel comfortable ditching your original career altogether and focusing on the new one. You will have the earning power to maintain your lifestyle or at least one you will be comfortable with, and most of your initial misgivings about changing careers and doing something you like will disappear.

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