Why top professionals deliberately choose to pursue two careers at once
The traditional career model is increasingly giving way to new ways of working. A manager who also teaches, an engineer who works as a consultant, or a lawyer who is also an artist: a growing number of highly educated professionals consciously pursue two career paths in parallel. Although this phenomenon, often referred to as slash careers, has been recognised for some time, large-scale empirical research into its motivations and consequences has so far been lacking.
No primary financial motives
For her dissertation, Baumer de Azevedo examined these so-called parallel careers over a period of fifteen years. She analysed three years of survey data from 489 highly educated Brazilian professionals, 124 of whom were following a parallel career path. In addition, she conducted thirty in-depth interviews with HR professionals and individuals pursuing parallel careers.
The study offers four important insights. First, parallel careers are generally not driven primarily by financial motives. Professionals mainly choose them for the additional learning opportunities, new professional networks, and personal challenges they provide. Only a minority cited financial gain as their principal motivation.
Not less happy
Second, individuals pursuing two careers are no less happy, healthy, or productive than their colleagues with a single career. The assumption that combining two professional roles inevitably leads to overload or burnout is therefore not supported by the evidence.
The research also demonstrates that professionals with parallel careers do not constitute a homogeneous group. Several distinct profiles emerge, ranging from highly satisfied and engaged professionals to more vulnerable groups facing greater challenges. Finally, organisations differ considerably in their attitudes towards parallel careers: some actively encourage this form of career development, while others remain resistant to it.
According to Baumer de Azevedo, the time has come for HR policies and career guidance practices to recognise parallel careers as a legitimate and sustainable career model. Organisations that continue to adhere to traditional assumptions about physical presence and linear career progression risk losing touch with the realities of today's professional workforce.
Doctoral Defence
Maria Candida Baumer de Azevedo will defend her doctoral dissertation, 'Parallel Careers: A New Career Track; Its Individual Motivations and Consequences for Management', on Thursday, 25 June 2026, at 1.30 p.m. at the Open University in Heerlen. Her supervisor is Professor J.H. Semeijn. The doctoral defense can be followed online via ou.nl/live.