Why Multi-Hyphenate Personalities Are The New ‘It’ Factor
I attended a zoom meeting the other day with a beloved mentor of mine whom quickly acknowledged my schooling and professional experiences over the last couple of years. She felt that I needed to “narrow things down a bit” to fit into the world of journalism, an industry she admitted that she knew little about. My biggest insecurity these days arrives when someone tells me I’ve got “too much going on”. But in the same breath I’ve adjusted to being misunderstood in life and as the cliche goes “marching to the beat of my own drum”.
The folks who know me, know that passion is my driving force. I don’t believe in quitting nor am I ever satisfied having only one goal in mind. I’m a firm believer in activating potential. So, I’m always pushing to the next and configuring a plan to get there.
My life experiences have taught me early on, the value of the hustle. As a kid I moved around often and found myself having to adapt to new environments and friend circles. During undergrad as an adult I juggled 4–5 courses, internships paid and unpaid, free lance gigs, I waited tables, skipped work to attend networking events, started a blog, you name it. I was throwing on one hat while I was still trying to pull off the other 🥴.
I’ve always been an explorer, searching for my own route. But my reason for having to juggle so many things had a lot to do with survival and understanding that I’d have to make sacrifices to achieve my educational goals while feeding the urge to tap into my passions. My persistent experience with struggle helped me to acknowledge early on, that I’d have to find a way to do it all and somehow I just do.
I realize that I’ve become hard wired to multi-task, dabbling in various passions and activities. It’s exhilarating and I find that I flourish navigating through spaces like a chameleon. I like knowing that I’m picking up all the experiences I encounter from various sectors of life and the professional world.
So, despite my fondness for my mentor whose awesome in so many ways, I have to disagree with this notion of “narrow it down”.
Here are a few other reasons why:
- I’m a writer first and foremost, & writers need experience to write
I’m the girl who is ecstatic at the mere thought of a new adventure. What will I learn from this? Who will I meet? What’s their story? How can I use the knowledge I attain to feed my vision and personal goals? How will this experience change my perspective for me to better understand the world I live in? These are all the questions I ask myself. And if I’m not asking questions,how could I possibly be a writer?
2. As a story-teller my goal is to catapult that into a full time career path
In case you didn’t know, outside of having the experience needed to write, story telling comes in many forms. You could be a writer, producer, content creator, blogger or podcast creator. The landscape of media is endless and social media is the proof!
3. The days of having one skill in the job market are gone… GONE you hear me!!!!
Of course it’s no secret that Covid has transformed our world over the last three years, especially the job market. Not to mention AI and our technological habits have been redefined as well. The way we socialize and function has evolved. Zoom meetings, remote work, our commitment to the job market has completely shifted giving us more autonomy on the way we spend our time.
I recently discovered work spaces for rent at $29 per day rate.Yes, I’m for real. Check out wework if you don’t believe me! Where were my clever google searching abilities during lock down? Oh how disappointing!
4. Your ability to adapt to different roles allows each one of your skills to transfer into the other, ultimately cultivating each of your skill sets into something stronger
My personal belief is that everything you do in life prepares you with the skills you need for that next experience. The same can be said for your professional experience. You will more than likely utilize the skillset earned from your last job and apply it to your new role. Of course that doesn’t mean go from medical physician to head chef at a restaurant but there are ways to transfer seemingly disconnected roles in your field to one that you truly desire.
Take me for example I teach a character education program after school in my community, I work an office job in the day and I’m also a freelance production assistant on the side. Oh and I also write and create my own content when I am able to. I can tell you that each one of my roles acts as a stepping stone for the other. While my teaching gig might seem irrelevant to my communications and journalistic background, it gives me a chance to write and have the creative flexibility to design my own lesson plans. So, I get to use a lot of the skills I already possess to implement them. Last week I taught my kids the art of interviewing a subject and the importance of asking thought provoking questions, to build a stronger classroom experience.
My ability to present in front of a class throughout the week helps me to become even more comfortable as a communications professional and I’m gaining public speaking skills at the same time. That’s everything I could ask for and more! My production gig? Well existing in a creative environment with all sorts of personalities, while learning technology will always be a plus if you ask me!
I also get to interview people from time to time or watch our senior producer completely nail an interview! I find that this is a unique opportunity for my professional career because I’m picking up great journalistic skills and gaining fore knowledge on industries I wouldn’t otherwise have access to.
It’s all essential. The multi-hyphenate personality is one that is necessary because we are ADAPTABLE to any working environment, and can shift when needed. We understand that you’ve got to move when the world says so and that to me is well… valuable.
Oh and remember to extract what you need from a conversation and discard what doesn’t feel right. Tune into your own voice and learn to understand that your path to a successful version of yourself is unique. Good luck!
XOXO
