When one job isn't enough

Wang Xingjian is an app producer/rapper/data scientist. [Photo by Liang Luwen/China Daily]

Different voices

While spreading one's career across multiple areas may yield financial benefits as well as personal fulfillment, being a "slasher" is not that appealing to some young college graduates.

Wang Xingjian, a Nankai University environmental science graduate, is skeptical about the term "slash careers".

"'Slashers' are people who are very curious and are usually reluctant to making career commitments," the 23-year-old says.

Before graduation, Wang did street dancing, and rapped in English and Chinese. Later, he developed the social app Zouqi and worked as a producer.

Wang doesn't see himself as a slasher, although his friends do. He believes he's merely someone with varied interests.

"Out of curiosity, I tried many new things. I made friends and gained experiences, but I don't take them seriously."

Wang's career goal is to be a data scientist. He interned at IBM in Beijing. Now he is studying data science at George Washington University in the United States.

Gao Wei, a senior employment instructor of Shanghai University of International Business and Economics, says that being a "slasher" is like being a college student who has a major but still also juggles a second major or minor. It's alluring but can also be physically and mentally demanding.

He warns that millennials should not follow the "slash career" trend blindly as every career has its own threshold and evaluation system.

"Having interest or passion doesn't make you a successful practitioner," he says. "It's often the set of skills people possess that makes them employable."

It's appealing to go down multiple paths at once, but having a "slash career" is not for everyone.

The danger is that people become a jack of all trades－master of none.

Contact the writer at zhangzefeng@chinadaily.com.cn