July 26, 2026: Portfolio Careers

         Portfolio Career. I recently read the term for the first time on a blog.  The term refers to doing a variety of things that enable you to grow your skills in different areas and potentially have multiple income streams.  In addition to the added income, focusing on having a Portfolio Career enables a person to have the flexibility to diversify their skillset and feed their passions.

         Apparently, I have been working on my Portfolio Career for years and never knew it.  I have been an elementary classroom teacher for 32+ years now, and while that is my main job and source of income, it is not the only thing I do in my career life.

         I have been an adjunct professor at our local University for 23 years where I teach evening classes to future educators. I am also a traditionally published author of middle grades historical fiction novels and I conduct school author visits to get kids excited about reading, writing, and history. I am currently creating lessons plans as part of an historical grant, do some free-lance writing for educational publications, and present workshops at writing and educational conferences.

         This is not surprising though, because teachers are masters at Portfolio Careers. Rarely will you meet a teacher who has only one teaching job. 

         Just at my school alone, there are teachers who:

-       Own a stake in a travel agency where they work every evening and weekend

-       Tutor students after school, on weekends, and in the summer

-       Teach night classes at a community center

-       Spend summers and vacations working on a cruise ship

-       Is a counselor for a Summer Camp

-       Gives piano and other musical instrument lessons

-       Writes curriculum for an educational publisher

-       Is a consultant to a textbook publisher

         While most teachers initially explore these other opportunities due to financial needs, most also enjoy being able to nurture and capitalize on some of their other skills and talents.

        It is nice to know that what we do actually has a name.