What do you do?

It sounds like a simple question. But what happens when the answer does not fit neatly into one job title?

I describe myself as a tech education expert, but that does not always tell the full story. On any given week, I might be delivering AI training, preparing a keynote, consulting on education, writing resources, working on my charity or recording a podcast. The activities may look different, but they are connected by a common thread, which is, helping people understand technology and bridging the gap between education and industry.

I have built what I describe as a portfolio career, sometimes also called a flexible career- and increasingly, I think flexible careers like this deserve more attention.

From a linear career to a flexible career

For a long time, we have tended to think about careers as a ladder. You start in one role, gain experience, secure a promotion and continue moving upwards.

There is nothing wrong with that model, and it will continue to work well for many professionals. But it is no longer the only option.

My own career has moved from corporate IT into further education, secondary teaching and education leadership, followed by national education roles and, eventually, the portfolio career I have today.

Looking back, those moves were not disconnected. Skills travelled with me.

Technical knowledge developed in industry became valuable in the classroom. Teaching strengthened my communication. Leadership developed my ability to work with different stakeholders. Speaking, writing and consultancy created new ways to share that expertise.

For some professionals, the future of work may be less about climbing a single career ladder and more about building a career that can flex and evolve.

A portfolio career is more than a collection of side hustles

I explored the rise of the “quiet builder” earlier in this Future Skills series, looking at professionals developing skills, projects and opportunities alongside their main role.

A portfolio career can grow from that mindset, but I do not see the two as quite the same thing.

A portfolio career is not simply about collecting several unrelated jobs or income streams. For me, it is about understanding the value you bring and finding different ways to apply it.

I may be an AI trainer one day, a keynote speaker the next and an education consultant on another. The role changes, but the thread running through my work remains the same.

That distinction matters. Rather than asking only, “What is my job title?”, perhaps we should also ask, “What is the value I bring?”

For me – I say – The value I bring is making technology understandable, connecting education and industry, building confidence around change, turning ideas into action and bringing different perspectives together. That is what I do as a tech education expert.

Skills become the currency of a flexible career

This is where portfolio careers connect strongly with the wider conversation about future skills.

Communication, adaptability, relationship building, digital and AI literacy, curiosity and continuous learning are valuable in almost any working environment. More importantly, they can travel with us as roles, organisations and industries change.

When we begin to think in terms of skills rather than titles, another question also becomes possible – Where else could my skills create value?

That can open the door to opportunities we may not have considered. A teacher may discover that their ability to explain complex ideas translates into training or content development. A technologist may find that their industry experience is valuable in education. A specialist may become a speaker, adviser, writer or consultant alongside their existing work.

A flexible career creates space to explore, experiment and evolve.

But I do not want to romanticise it. Portfolio careers require organisation, self-direction and relationship building. There can also be very uncertain. You need to be comfortable moving between different environments and continually thinking about where your skills are relevant.

For me, that flexibility has been one of its greatest strengths.

Are we preparing young people for flexible careers?

This raises an important question for education.

If careers are becoming more flexible, are we preparing young people to think flexibly about what a career can look like?

We often ask children and young people, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

It is an understandable question, but perhaps it places too much emphasis on finding one answer.

What if we also asked some (or all) of the following questions?

1. What problems are you interested in solving?
2. What skills would you like to develop?
3. What are you curious about?
4. Where could those skills take you?

Career readiness should include an understanding that working lives can change.

One job title does not have to define you

My own career has included IT support, network management, teaching, education leadership, national community work, consultancy, writing, speaking and AI training.

No single one of those titles tells the complete story.

What connects them is the knowledge, skills, experiences and relationships built along the way.

Perhaps the future of careers is not about finding the one job title that defines us.

Perhaps it is about building a collection of skills, experiences and opportunities that allows our career to evolve as we do.

That feels particularly important at a time when technology, including AI, is changing how work is organised and where opportunities may emerge.

A flexible career does not mean abandoning direction. It can mean becoming clearer about the value you bring while remaining open to the different places that value might take you.

So, if you removed your job title, how would you describe the value you bring?

I would love to hear your thoughts.