Drawn to a dozen different careers? Maybe you’re a multipotentialite
There are heaps of reasons why more of us (me included) are swapping single day jobs for portfolio careers. Some of us need more variety. We need the flexibility to pursue more of the things that absorb and move us. Sometimes we simply need to reshape how we work in a longstanding career we still love.
If you’ve got loads of ideas and interests, maybe you’re a multipod. This cute short form stands for multipotentialite. Multipods or scanners are hardwired ultra curious people who are likely to be happiest and most fulfilled by serial or simultaneous careers.
Are you a multipod?
If you suspect you’re a multipod, this quiz may help you decide. Watch Emilie Wapnick’s TED Talk on why some of us don’t have one true calling and how multipods use their fresh thinking superpowers to do amazing things.
If you feel as if you might have fifty callings and can’t face the prospect of exploring just five of them, Barbara Sher’s ‘Refuse to Choose‘ has loads of insight and practical advice on how to manage a multifocal life.
Stuck on the ‘single passion’ myth?
Despite growing numbers of portfolio careers, ‘doing more than one thing at once’ is still less valued than specialising in ‘that one thing you’re good at.’ If you’re caught in the ‘single passion’ trap, invest eleven minutes in Terri Trespicio’s TED talk ‘Stop searching for your passion.’
Four multipod career paths
Being a multipod doesn’t mean constantly changing jobs. Wapnick’s research found that most multipods met their need for variety and change in one of the following ways:
A single job where they had multiple roles and responsibilities
A portfolio career combining multiple work styles (such as part-time and freelance) and different skills
A stable day job that paid the bills but left time and energy for creative projects
A sequence of absorbing careers lasting long enough to exhaust enthusiasm for a subject before moving into a new field before boredom set in
She details these options in the three things she didn’t have time to say in her TED talk.
According to my quiz results, I’m a sequential multipod. I prefer pursuing my multiple interests in a series of careers rather than juggling heaps of simultaneous roles. As career changers, sequential multipods can spend years between switches before we exhaust our interest in a chosen field. However, when it’s time to change, we can have the phoenix touch. We may look as though we’ve burned one life to the ground, then we re-emerge in an entirely new career. This description fits me well and explains the look on my baffled ex-colleagues' faces after I’ve done a 180-degree career change!
Keen to explore multipod careers? I can help.
Hi, I’m Jo Green, a Career Change Coach.
I help thoughtful professionals who feel stuck or unfulfilled in their work find a clearer direction and move into work that feels meaningful and aligned with who they are.
Since 2016 I’ve supported hundreds of people to reshape their careers – whether that means changing roles, starting something new, or finding work that contributes more positively to people or the planet.
If you're thinking about a career change and want structured support, you can learn more about my career change coaching here.
Or you’re welcome to book a free 20-minute consultation to talk about where you’re at and whether coaching could help.
