From banker/chef to surgeon/playwright to mother/CEO, this is the new job description. This may well be the answer to job insecurity and work-life conflict plus burnout and boredom. The job for life has lost its place as a symbol of economic security and now workers realise that it?s up to them to cultivate other income, marketable talents and ways to feel fulfilled. The result is 'The Slash Effect', an evolving workforce in which people are defined through multiple identities rather than just one job title. Consider the following: nearly one-third of the US workforce does work that need not be done in a specific location; with the advent of computer networks, the Internet and video conferencing, people can handle multiple assignments from different employers; about one-quarter of American workers are self-employed. That means about 30 million people are free to pursue a 2nd vocation without seeking permission from an employer. 'Work life' has become the buzzword of the modern workplace and employers are embracing flexibility in new ways.
Marci is a leading authority on the changing face of work and a Vice President at Encore.org, a nonprofit making it easier for millions of people to pursue second acts for the greater good.
Her latest book, The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life, will be published by Workman Publishing in January 2013.
She is the author of One Person/Multiple Careers: The Original Guide to the Slash "/" Career (originally published in 2007 and re-released in 2012), which popularized the term "slasher" to refer to those individuals who can't answer "What do you do?" with a single word or phrase. She also created the "Shifting Careers" column and blog for The New York Times and the "Working the New Economy" blog for Yahoo. Her articles have appeared in scores of national publications, including Time Out New York, Travel and Leisure, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The International Herald Tribune and More magazine.
Marci makes frequent appearances in the media, offering advice and commentary about slashing, encore careers and other workplace trends. She has been featured in such outlets as the Today show, NBC Nightly News and National Public Radio, as well as countless print and web publications.
Marci is on the advisory boards of The Op-Ed Project, which focuses on increasing the number of women and minority voices in public conversations, and She Writes, an online community for women writers. She holds an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a law degree from the Washington College of Law at American University.
A bit of the personal: Marci grew up on the Jersey Shore, living above her family's motel, and has lived in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Hong Kong. She always finds her way back to New York City, where she has spent more than 15 years. In her free time, she reads, travels, walks (excessively) and plays low-stakes poker. She lives in Greenwich Village with her husband, an entrepreneur/designer, and their French bulldog, Sinatra.
