- Having the ability to speak another language can make many careers very portable. By being able to do a job, provide service or market a product in another language, a person has immediate access to new opportunities and markets closed to others that don't have those language skills. If a person's language skills are strong enough, they could also be in a position to provide translation or interpretation services. A combination of strong language skills and a subject matter expertise or product in high demand can set you up for portable career success.
That said, not speaking more than one language does not have to be a problem. As long as you have the ability to reach and communicate with a viable target market that can generate enough opportunities or business to meet your income or revenue needs, you can still have a successful portable career.
- And lastly, portable careers generally do not involve owning and managing brick and mortar businesses. Running a bed and breakfast, for example, is a popular career or business choice for people wanting to live overseas. But the process of setting up that kind of business and the difficulties of selling or moving it make it less than ideal for the person interested in a mobile lifestyle.
As you can see, with the diversity of job options and technology and tools available today, providing a very specific description of what a portable career looks like is not an easy task. Ultimately, it is the combination of a person's skills, strengths, experience, ability to communicate and network effectively, comfort with technology and willingness to try new things that will dictate whether or not they can build a successful portable career. But as markets become more global and technology evolves, we are sure to see more people pursuing portable careers to make their dream of an international, mobile lifestyle a reality.
