Stop Chasing "Success". Design A Unique Career You Love
In Part 1 of this series, we explored jobcrafting—small, practical ways to improve your day job that pays the bills. That’s the micro view. Now, we zoom out.
This article is about career building: the macro view. A career is the sum of your work experiences, reputation, and contribution to the world.
And no, this isn’t about building the most “successful” career. Many high achievers look great on paper but are quietly on the verge of burnout.
This is about designing a unique career you truly love.
So, how do you do that?
Step 1: Build a Portfolio Career
Think of your favourite food.
Now imagine eating that meal three times a day, every day, forever.
You’d love it for a week. Then comes monotony. Before long, you'll feel miserable.
And yet, this is what we do for work.
School trained us for one role (doctor, nurse, or accountant), so we box ourselves into doing that same job. Every. Single. Day.
No wonder so many professionals burn out.
Solution? Build a portfolio career.
A portfolio career is a combination of paid and unpaid roles, rather than one full-time job.
When asked "What do you do for work?", many people have a simple answer. "I'm a high school teacher," one might say. In contrast, people with high job satisfaction tend to have a more complex answer because they don't just do one thing.
Starting a Portfolio Career
Keep your main job that pays the bills, and pursue a creative passion project seriously.
This allows you to be creative without constraint for money or societal expectations.
Take Dr. Janice Luk, for example. During the COVID lockdown, she found herself bored and restless. So she started creating social media posts to educate the public about the safe use of cosmetic products around the eyes.
There was no grand plan – just a genuine passion for patient education.
But then something interesting happened.
Industry reps started to notice her content. Soon, they began inviting her to speak at conferences.
Fast forward to today, Dr. Luk absolutely loves her work. She travels to give talks, creates educational content, and still sees patients as an optometrist.
She marvels at how her career has transformed—and it all started with a simple passion project.
Real Examples of Portfolio Career
- Dr. Luk blends optometry with cosmetics
- Dr. Khamis combines optometry with his love for sports
- Dr. Gao creates 3D printed tools for optometrists
Fred H Cho
Dr. Khamis' fascinating portfolio career
But what if your passion has nothing to do with your main job?
Say you have deep passions for crocheting and animals, which have nothing to do with your main job. I’m not saying you should spend your days crocheting dog sweaters just for fun.
But what if, instead, you crocheted cozy sweaters for animals at the local shelter and gave them a better chance at finding a loving home?
Now, you might be rolling your eyes. That doesn't exactly fit the traditional definition of "success."
But what’s the real goal – looking successful on paper while quietly burning out, or building a unique career you genuinely love?
You might also wonder, how's this different from just having hobbies?
- A hobby is something you do purely for your enjoyment.
- A passion project is something you love that helps others.
Examples:
Yes, you should have hobbies. But to build a fulfilling career, providing value to others is key.
Step 2: Build a Personal Brand
Now that you're doing work you care about, it's time to share it.
Make your work visible.
A personal website. A blog. A YouTube channel. Public speaking. Anything that builds a digital footprint of your interests and contributions.
Here’s why this matters:
- People are drawn to passion. It’s contagious. When you're lit up by something, others notice.
- People are drawn to value. They seek out people who can help them. This is why I insisted that your passion project must help others. Your work becomes a magnet.
When you consistently share work that not only excites you but also helps others, something amazing happens:
People start reaching out to you with unique opportunities.
By consistently sharing your work, you open the door to unique opportunities that align with your values and passions.
That’s exactly what happened with Dr. Janice Luk.
She simply began creating social media content. As her brand grew, unique opportunities started coming her way.
You don't need to reach a lot of people through your digital footprint – only the right few.
Over time, you attract more collaborations, network with the decision makers in the field, and your career starts to change.
This is how you build a truly unique career that you love.
You Don’t Need a Grand Plan
If this all feels intimidating, let me offer some relief:
You don’t have to figure out everything today.
I certainly didn’t have a master plan when I started my blog. I just loved sharing ideas about work-life happiness with like-minded professionals.
And that’s the point. The joy is in the doing. The key idea behind a portfolio career is that your main job pays the bills, so your passion project doesn’t have to.
Embrace creativity without constraint. Be authentic. Keep putting your work out there.
Ironically, when you stop chasing traditional success metrics… money, opportunities, and recognition start to find you anyway.
You don’t need to have it all figured out.
Just do it.
If you enjoyed this article, check out part 1 on jobcrafting: practical ways to improve your main job and make your day-to-day work more fulfilling.
Fred H Cho
⭐ I love sharing ideas about work-life happiness. Let's connect! ⭐
Member discussion