One person - two careers at once?

[BCHGRL]

Can one person manage 2 successful careers without completely burning out?

I have a fairly successful career for a 27-yr-old. I would never give up this full-time career as it is very secure and pays very well. However, I am just a small cog in a large machine, and sometimes I find it unfulfilling. To further myself in my primary career, I have to pursue my masters. I will be starting a master's program in August that I will be able to complete within one year.

My daydream often consists of being an entrepreneur in my "spare" time (after completion of my masters). Wedding planning or some sort of real estate used to be my idea of a part-time job, but I am concerned that it will require my attention during normal business hours (which is when I am busy with my primary job.) Lately, I've been researching a career as a professional organizer. It is a relatively new career field, but shows like "Clean Sweep" have paved the way for this new career field. I enjoy organizing, and don't mind stepping in to help others with their messes or coaching on how to live a more organized life. In fact, it sounds very gratifying. There are some certifications that I would need to pursue, but it appears that I could obtain those within 2 months or less. Perhaps the first year I would "practice" on my family and friends. This seems to be something that I could pursue in my spare time and do as much or as little as I want.

Can anyone tell me, from experience, what the pros and cons are of holding two careers at once? Can you truly be successful at both? How did it affect your family life?

( I have a husband but no kids. He is a firefighter so we don't keep the same schedule.)

[Broken Arrow]

Personally, I don't see why you can't hold down a career while starting up your own side business.

Where that balance lies, of course, is entirely up to you. What I can agree is that one should never burn themselves out....

Taking on more than that seems, to put it bluntly, fool-hardy. If I was in that kind of position, I would stick with my current career, and then chose either a masters degree or work on a side business, but not both.

I also think it would be critical to work on this together with your husband. Teamwork increases one's chances of success (and survival).

Just thinking out loud.

[Pollyanna]

I have a career as a psychiatric nurse, and I also farm. I have managed to successfully combine these two careers while raising my daughter, being a single mom, going to school, and caring for my elderly father. It's all in how you manage your time. Flexible schedules help

[jodi]

I have two part time careers. I work 20 hours/week as a service coordinator for people with developmental disabilities (this job gives us benefits as DH is a student) and I sell real estate, also part-time - maybe 5 transactions a year or so. I could make a lot more money selling real estate full-time, but I like the benefits and relative low-stress of my primary job. I could be a service coordinator full-time, but I like having a flexible work schedule so that I can be home with my kids more. The combination works better for me that either job would separately. The commissions from real estate are not counted as regular income, so anything extra goes directly toward debt reduction. It helps that I can take an occasional real estate call (on my cell) while I am on job #1, so that enables me to keep in touch with clients. It is really hard to be in real estate and be unavailable for large chunks of time.

[PrincessPerky]

You can do nearly anything you put your mind to, it is all about chosing what you want to do with your 24 hours....

that said you mentioned some burn out, well I have the greatest job in the world and this month I am burned out, I want a break, I even considered a carreer change. but the month will pass, the job will start to look up soon. I think.

[BCHGRL]

Thanks for sharing advice and your experiences.

I have to obtain my masters to advance in my current career, so I am enrolled in a one-year completion master's program. The professional organizing career is what I am thinking of starting only AFTER my masters is complete next August.