“If you had to do it all over again, would you pick architecture?” asked Glenn Campbell, glancing up from a stack of drawings on his desk.

“You mean as a career?” My dad’s face scrunched up in thought as he gazed past me out the glass front of his office. “Hm…I don’t know. I would definitely do something in construction, but I don’t think I would choose to do architecture if I knew then what I know now.”

My registration date for fall classes was approaching, and I was fretting over my major. I had long ago decided to pursue a degree in Communication Studies, with a minor in both Journalism and Political Science. I figured that would cover all the bases. The problem was, I didn’t know exactly what those bases were.

Like I do in all times of crisis, I immediately searched out my dad for answers. Talking with him, however, had yet to bring forth the comforting words I had been hoping for.

Instead, dad sat me down and said, “You base your opinions of careers on how movies and the media portray them, but that is the romanticized version. You will never see the grunge work [in the media’s portrayal], but there is a lot of it. “

“In fact, most people spend the majority of their work day dealing with the boring stuff like meetings, paperwork, and emails. Occasionally, something will cross your desk that makes you remember ‘this is why I wanted this job,’ but for the most part, you will have to battle the slow periods to reach the good periods.”

It was then that Campbell had interceded with his question, the answer to which left me astonished. I had never really thought to ask my dad such a thing.

Leaving dad’s office, my mind sifted through the information I had recently acquired. I began wondering how many other people were unsatisfied with their jobs. What, if anything, were they doing about it?

I spent the next hour on my laptop, furiously shuffling through Google searches, blogs, and articles about career happiness. It was then that I uncovered an interesting phenomenon: career slashing.

Howdesign.com defines career slashers as “people who balance multiple careers, such as a designer/DJ or a mathematician/karate instructor.” Slashers, as they are called, use career slashing as a chance to pursue another interest they may have outside of their career.

This other occupation is just that: an occupation and not a hobby. Slashers treat their second job as a career and often make a steady income from it, which may be one reason why career slashing has increased in popularity recently. In fact, the Wall Street Journal published an article noting the increase in demand for more than one business card among career slashers.

Career slashing allows people who already hold a steady job to explore other areas of interest. Slashers may even hold several other positions over the years. A hairstylist/photographer may decide to switch after a few years to being a hairstylist/writer, etc.

Career Slashers are not looking to change careers, but simply to expand their repertoire. They have to be excellent multitaskers and be in a solid place in their present career to branch out and try new areas.

Slashers can take classes in the area of interest, such as computer or graphic design seminars, if they are transitioning to a new field entirely. This is actually a very simple way to acquire new skills; most colleges and universities will offer summer or night classes to those interested (and willing to pay).

There is even a whole book dedicated to learning about balancing careers, entitled One Person/Multiple Careers: A New Model for Work/Life Success by Marci Alboher.

“Not only does Marci share the stories of over 60 people who have found what she calls their ‘/’ career,” writes Cali Williams, an author and blogger for Work + Life Fit, “but she lays out how you can do it too. For example, an interesting common theme involves professionals—lawyers, accountants, etc.—who want to pursue endeavors in the arts. A ‘/’ allows them to continue to support themselves financially in one job that many of them enjoy without sacrificing the ability to also pursue a creative career as well.”

It was a such a relief for me to discover this information. I found I was not the only person who worried about being chained to a desk all day long. It was a comfort to know that no job was a permanent jail sentence. Career slashing allows people to follow interests outside of their chosen career, creating a balance between the stable income of a professional career and the creativity sparked by trying something altogether.