{"id":157038,"date":"2022-03-06T16:03:39","date_gmt":"2022-03-06T13:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ceotudent.com\/why-you-should-have-at-least-two-careers"},"modified":"2026-10-05T05:31:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T02:31:00","slug":"why-you-should-have-at-least-two-careers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ceotudent.com\/en\/why-you-should-have-at-least-two-careers","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Have at Least Two Careers: 2026 Data, the Research and a Decision Test"},"content":{"rendered":"

TL;DR.<\/strong> The idea of a second career was popularised by a 2017 essay; in 2026 it can be argued with data. In September 2026, 8.99 million people in the United States held more than one job, 5.5 percent of the employed, and the record level of 9.29 million was set in November 2025. In the United Kingdom 1.28 million workers had a second job in May to July 2026, and across the EU-27 the rate was 4.06 percent in 2025. The research cuts both ways. People who start a business without quitting their job move into full-time entrepreneurship at 8.5 percent a year (against 0.7 percent of wage workers), empowerment from a side job can feed performance in the main job, and people whose second job differs from their main occupation are more likely to move to a new career. On the other side, multiple jobholders have a higher work injury rate (4.2 against 3.3 per 100 workers), shorter sleep and more work-family conflict. The distinction that matters: a second job taken because money is short is not the same thing as a second career built on purpose. The 6-question CEOtudent test at the end helps you see which one you are looking at. The CEO move is to treat a second career as a portfolio decision. The student move is to start it as a small, reversible experiment.<\/p>\n

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