Few people have a job for life these days - many don't want one either. I believe that the modern world needs people who create a mobile career, based on their passions that they can take with them anywhere in the world. Is this possible? Or just a pipedream? I've had a career in my suitcase for 20 years, sometimes its been hugely lucrative, other times not, but it has made me happy and fulfilled.

What are the traits you need to have a career in your suitcase? A portable career?

Self-motivation
self-belief
a good support network
areal understanding of what you love to do

What else?

And what careers are truly portable?
website design
teaching
writing

What else?

Do any of you have a career in your suitcase? If so, please tell us about it

Jo Parfitt
author of Career in Your Suitcase (funnily enough)

its getting that way as this gloabised world is sucking me in: office in New York, family in Dubai, living in Bombay, Severs in Germany... have to do the facetime. It's quite crazy. I personally don't care for the running about as it dosen't really allow for introspection

Hey Expat inspirer! Great to see you posting here at the forums early doors...

Many of us can travel and travel never really knowing what we want but the flip side is to what?

Stay at home and stagnate and as we drool away in our 90's we wonder ' Coulda, Woulda Shoulda'?

Other portable career examples - comedian AND life coach.....we now coach a range of folk on overseas calls - doesn't matter where we are...

Oh and the circus, the travelling circus....

Hi Jo,

Em here, great question.

Teaching is one of those portable careers where all you need is people willing to learn, and if you are not a qualified teacher as such, there is always someone who wants to learn spoken English. Imagine getting paid wherever you are just for talking to people- heaven!

Hey Jy - do you have a photo? We would love to see you rather than the silhouette!

How do you organize that suitcase? Fax machine in the side pocket, printer in the case, laptop underneath?

I'm a freelance writer and really enjoy being able to stay home or work where ever I want. Not a lot of facetime for me either. The only problem is the constant marketing, lower pay, and self employment taxes. Wait those are three problems.

Can someone tell me how to post a photo?

Pleez

Actually, I think the best portable careers are those that weigh nothing. So it's no good having stock and cumbersome equipment - like fax machines. Have laptop will travel I reckon. Two things that weigh nothing are education and experience. So they help - and motivation and all that jazz.

Freelance writing is such a portable career. I agree. And Em, yes, teaching too, life coaching, definitely - comedian? Er, that's a new one, but why not?

If you walk your talk and are your brand then wherever you go, so too does your earning potential. Comedian is cool! Like professional speaker.

Yep, a fine line between Professional speaking and Comedy, now there's a thought!

** Jo the photo post is something RYK and the gang are working on -its covered in the TECH discussion RYK started and looks like its GO!ng to be sometime....

yea JO, if my photo dosen't show you can imagine how severe the problem is :)

Knowledge is power and earning power too. I suppose a consulting career is something that wouldn't require any equipment, except maybe a cell phone. Or a teacher. Or working as a guide for tourists in foreign countries. That's the way to work it.

Consultancy is always good - it helps if you are an expert at something and if there is a market for what you consult in. I always say that the best portable careers use both local and global networks. Local so you have some human contact where you are and global so that these clients move with you wherever you go.

Tourist guiding is cool - once you have the local knowledge of course.

I dont know I am still looking....
Self Confidence I think is the key to anything....
If you can sell your self you walk it in....
I have no idea where to start.. or where to look or how to find it...
dont want the suitcase not yet anyways...
hmmmm....

Hi Expat - Good point!

My 'Day Job' is working in an office on my laptop and another desktop. Web design and IT issues around the office where I work.

When I get home, out comes the laptop as I catch up on web amendments for Mandy's Fabulous Photo Gifts website and a bit of help with any packing etc if she's had a busy day at her workshop.

Occasionally, we'll take the night off and 'slob out' in front of telly with kids but not very often as we sit plotting new photo gift ideas and feasibility late into most nights.

I like to think m skills are portable but its nice to have a base to work from.

Sounds like a good schedule Purple13. I've been thinking about setting up some sort of online store. Does Mandy's Fabulous Photo Gifts do well?

If you read The Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris he suggests that the only way to really make money is to do so while you sleep. This is the route to the most lucrative portable career - like Mandy says - with some kind of internet business. I call these business ideas PIGS - passive income generators. This is why I write and sell books online. In the portable career world we all hope pigs fly, eh?

Hey, I've been thinking about putting together a few ebooks of my own. Do you have any tips for selling them or even sites I could sell them through?

there is a huge range of sites selling ebooks - and you can sell them through amazon of course. the best way to sell them is to bundle lots together to offer a real perceived 'deal' I think. it is all down to marketing I am afraid. It's a good idea to get lots of affiliates selling them for you - giving them 50% for all sold - you have nothing to lose.

Good point expat but do remember funkygirl - even hitting the top slot at amazon in reality only leads to another 50 of so sales. We've decided not to GO! down the ebook route and want to literally smell our work when it is published by the best global reaching publisher we can...

We do however have an idea for a Print on Demand book related to GO! Smell the flowers....

oh and one place I have just started selling my ebooks is through Garry Pierrepont <garry@ebook-library.net>.

also if you go to http://www.bookshaker.com you can sign up as an affiliate and get 50% selling any of their books (4 are mine) off your site.

But yeah Jim and Em, why do an ebook when POD is so affordable - I advise my clients to do a POD book and then you have an ebook anyway, coz they print from a PDF, and get two for the price of one.

Cheers Expat inspirer...

Just back from Dubai and Oman where I launched my Career in Your Suitcase book and a Dates cookbook too while running a few workshops. Writing and teaching about what I know is my career in my suitcase. Being a writer is so portable and my readers can be based anywhere in the world. Whether I am writing, researching, promoting, selling, learning or teaching this career is perfect for a girl on the move, like me. I thought you might like my tips to a career in your suitcase:

1 It should be easy to transport and weigh little
2 It needs to have global and local network - so that you know people where you are and where you are not - yet
3 It needs to retain your professional identity - whether you volunteer, study, run your own business or work for someone else

I have a full time job meaning I am stuck in the office for 8 hours a day if that is not enough I spend 4 hours a day just waiting for bus and boarding the bus itself to and fro from the office. I do writing jobs on weekends and I barely have enough time to rest and "smell the flowers" once in a while. Money has been very tight but food prices been rising lately and I wonder if I will end up dying of:

a. hunger
b. bus accident
c. boredom in the office
d. suicide, "I can't take it anymore"
e. stress & pressures & mental health

Lack of time is a really valid excuse for not quite 'getting there' with your career dreams. However, I take my hat off to you. You clearly have little free time and are pursuing your career too - I trust that the 'writing jobs' is the thing you most want to do? Your story of tenacity will inspire others.

We agree expat - this is a great story in its own right!