Are portfolio careers the future of work?

And why the traditional way of working is on borrowed time.

On Sunday evening I was enjoying a drop of my favourite Pinot Noir when I picked up my phone to check the calendar for the week and somehow, against my will, found myself on two confronting yet intriguing sides of Tiktok:

1. Laidoff-tok: watching horror story after story from Americans who’ve lost their jobs because of He Who Shall Not Be Named

2. AI-tok: videos of AI agents completing every task under the sun, from writing a simple customer service email to building full blown business strategies

I spent almost an hour scrolling and sipping, feeling moments of horror, sadness, amazement, bewilderment, excitement, doom, wonder, hope and confusion. My oh my…who doesn’t love a dose of existential dread and content-induced emotional whiplash while guzzling down some delicious red!

I’ve been thinking about the world of work for a while now, long before this Tiktok binge. It’s clear that things are changing: the political landscape is in turmoil, entire jobs and industries are being replaced by AI and automation, companies are changing the way they resource and many people have woken up to the idea that a) they don’t want to work 40+ stress-filled hours a week for someone else in exchange for financial security and b) said jobs may no longer be financially secure anyway.

In the olden days a full time job was considered the safe bet while entrepreneurship was for risk takers and rule breakers, but that’s no longer the case. In this new economy, committing to an employer and relying on one income stream is, in my humble opinion, risky.

This is scary, sure, but it’s also exciting, because there’s never been a better time in the history of the world to work for yourself. The freelance market is growing at a CAGR of 15% and the global creator economy is expected to exceed $500B by 2030, and you can tap into both with just an iPhone and an internet connection. These days anyone can turn their skills into a service and market themselves online for free.

The future no longer belongs to the ladder-climbers and company-workers, it belongs to those who can generate multiple income streams off their own back. To those building portfolio careers. Not just because portfolio careers are a pathway to freedom, fulfilment, meaning and money. Not only because they allow you to tap into the breadth of your strengths, passions and skills, and own your time, value and success.

But because portfolio careers are the best hedge against an uncertain future. Because we all need a risk mitigation strategy in this tumultuous political and economic climate. Not to get morbid or anything, but I think diversification of skills and many income streams will soon become a necessity.

In this new era of work, those who take ownership over their trajectory will do well. Those who grow their own platforms, create their own products, generate their own income and build their own assets. Those who learn how to tell stories, how to persuade, and how to sell. Those who see around corners. Those with portfolio careers.

It’s still early days and now’s your chance to upskill and outmanoeuvre. Now’s your opportunity to grab the moment with both hands. The clock is tik-toking, the countdown is on.

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It’s time.

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I’ve had some personal stuff happening behind the scenes this week so unfortunately I wasn’t able to record a chat, but I’ll be back on the airwaves next week 🤍

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I have a teeny tiny favour to ask…SXSW is coming to Australia later this year and I've applied to host a 30-45 minute talk on the future of work and portfolio careers. Public voting is open until March 31 and if you enjoy this little Substack of mine, I'd appreciate it if you could take 2 seconds (literally 2 seconds! No email sign up required!) to vote for me. Thank you ❤️‍🔥

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🫶🏼 When you’re ready, here are three ways I can help:

• Watch the Portfolio Career Operating System Info Session: if you’re curious about whether the Operating System can help you build your portfolio career, watch this free 60 minute deep dive into all areas of the OS, and see it in action before you decide.

• Portfolio Career Mentoring: 1-1 sessions to help you get started and build a career that sits at the intersection of freedom, creative fulfilment, meaning and money.

• Generalist World x Portfolio Careers Live Event: I’ve teamed up with the legends at GW to host a free talk about why generalists are built for portfolio careers. Register now!

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…to help you build a financially lucrative and creatively fulfilling portfolio career and life.