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How to Build a Portfolio Career
Your career is a collection of experiences, not a ladder to climb.
You’ve spent years building skills. Earning experience and respect. Working your way up the corporate ladder. And suddenly… it doesn’t feel like your career is going anywhere.
Whether your industry is shifting or you’ve just hit a ceiling at your current job, you feel like it’s time for a change. That’s the point I reached in 2021, when I quit a 15-year career at a tech company to pursue content marketing and journalism.
The traditional way of looking at a career is a list on a resume. It’s the idea that your career should read as a single, straight story that moves in one direction (up).
A portfolio career takes a different perspective. Instead of looking at a career like a ladder going up, a portfolio career moves wide. You gather experiences, and it gives you more control over where you’re headed.
What is a portfolio career?
A portfolio career is a professional approach where you intentionally draw from multiple skills, experiences, and sometimes income streams — rather than following a single linear career path.
Portfolio career strategist Maggie Blackburn describes it this way:
