3 Common Types of Unconventional Careers

27 Aug 3 Common Types of Unconventional Careers

When you were a kid, did you dream of growing up and working in a cubicle?

I’m bettin’ your answer is “NOPE!”

If it is, you’re not alone. Over the years, I’ve asked hundreds of people this question and their answers are always some variation of “no.”

And yet nearly every single person ends up in one at some point during their career.

Why is that? Well, I think it’s because we’re not really told there are other options—but there are.

We’re fortunate to live in a time when you can create a career that looks any way you want it to. But I’ve noticed, however, that most unconventional careers tend to fall into one of these three main categories.

1. Self-Employment

Self-employment is working for yourself, meaning you’re da boss. Although being fully self-employed (meaning all of your income comes from your own business) is often the goal, for many people self-employment first begins in a part-time capacity—also known as the side hustle.

If you’re looking to move away from working for someone else, having a side hustle is a great place to start, as you can pursue it at whatever pace you’d like. There’s no pressure to plunge right into running a business full-time. You can wait until your side hustle grows to a certain size or earns you a certain amount of money before you let go of your day job. A side hustle is also a great way to create some added “job security” for yourself, as you’ll have multiple income streams you can rely on.

2. Gig Work

A gig-based career in one in which you have multiple part-time jobs that make up full-time hours and income. These part-time jobs can involve working for employers, working for yourself (such as through your side hustle or as a contractor), or a combination of both.

This great thing about this type of career path is that if you love variety (where are my multipotentialites at?) it will suit you perfectly, because each of your gigs can be related to a different passion of yours. For instance, you might work part-time at a local bookstore, and operate two side hustles in graphic design and illustration. So within a given day or week, you’ll have the ability to work on many different pursuits that satisfy different passions and talents you have.

3. Remote Work

Remote work is when you work for an employer, but outside of a traditional office environment. The most common type of remote work is doing conventional desk job like work, but having the freedom to choose where you’d like to work from—such as a home office, a café, or while traveling the world.

But remote work can also look like doing unconventional (non-desk job like) work in a unique environment. For instance working outdoors, such as for a conservation area or animal sanctuary. Or working on a movie set in the film or TV industry.

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Now, these may be the three most common categories that unconventional careers fall into, but they’re by no means the only options that are out there. And there’s also no one saying that you can only pursue one at a time. Go on, Rebel, create a career that works best for you!