A slasher is not just a type of horror movie, but also a new category of entrepreneur. It describes someone with a portfolio career – a photographer/journalist perhaps, or a programmer/property developer. I believe it is the way ahead for this generation.

“slasher”不只是指杀人狂题材的恐怖电影，还指一种新型事业家。它指的是那些同时从事多种职业的人，或许是摄影师兼记者，或者程序员兼房地产开发商。我认为，这是这一代人未来的方向。

After all, most of us will need to work and earn for 50 years or so because of rising life expectancy and lack of pension provision. To pursue a single-track career for half a century risks boredom – which I think of as almost the greatest enemy. Moreover, technological change means many roles will become redundant – necessitating retraining in a new vocation anyway.

毕竟，由于预期寿命变长以及养老金发放不足，我们多数人将需要用50年左右的时间来工作和赚钱。花费半个世纪的时间来从事一种职业可能会让人感到厌倦，我认为厌倦几乎是最大的敌人。另外，技术变革意味着，很多职位将变得多余，这让新职业的再培训成为必要。

And a 30-year retirement is a recipe for stagnation, idleness and misery. The only solution is to embrace the concept of life-long learning and a slasher existence of combined careers almost from the beginning.

长达30年的退休生活会让人止步不前、懒散、苦闷。唯一的解决方案是秉持终身学习的理念，并且几乎从一开始就尝试从事多种职业。

Of course, many specialist fields need complete focus on a single profession: it’s difficult to be a part-time heart surgeon. And I’m not suggesting that a founder running a growing business with 500 staff should have lots of other jobs as well.

当然，很多专业领域需要在一门职业上全心投入：兼职做心外科医生是很难的。我也不建议一位管理着一家拥有500名员工且正在扩张的企业的创始人同时担负很多其他工作。

Meanwhile, certain professions naturally involve a range of activities: academics, for example, with teaching, researching, writing and so on all part of the package.

同时，一些职业自然而然会涉及一系列活动：例如，一位学者，可以同时教书、做研究、写作等等。

But obsessing about one thing for 25 years or more can be wearing. In the meantime, it’s sensible to prepare for a second act, which will probably involve several part-time activities. That is the nature of the modern world. The record numbers of self-employed and part-timers in the workforce reflect these shifts.

但用25年或更长的时间仅仅从事一种工作可能会令人厌倦。同时，为你的职场第二春做好准备是明智的，届时你可能从事多个兼职工作。这是现代世界的特点。职场上创业者以及兼职人士的创纪录数量就反映了这些变化。

Freelance and part-time work can make sense for both employers and employees. Companies increasingly seek to contract out tasks, and avoid taking on permanent staff. Traditional job security and final salary pensions have all but disappeared, at least in the private sector. We should abandon the concept of a job being permanent, and instead see each position almost as an assignment.

自由职业和兼职工作对于雇主和员工都可能是有意义的。越来越多的企业希望把工作外包，并尽量少聘用正式员工。传统的就业安全和按最终薪水给付的养老金计划几乎完全消失，至少在私营部门如此。我们应放弃那种一干就是一辈子的思想，而是应该几乎把每份工作都视为一项任务。

Individuals who contract can enjoy flexibility and variety, while being less dependent on one organisation for their entire livelihood. I never liked being defined exclusively by the company where I worked.

订立工作合同的个人能够享受到灵活性和多样性，同时不让全部的生计高度依赖于一家企业。我从来都不喜欢完全根据我所在的公司来界定我自己。

Managing a portfolio career takes some juggling, as it is by no means for everyone. You may even get accused of being a “jack of all trades and master of none”. But online, mobile communications mean you can stay connected and multitask in a way that was previously impossible.

身兼多职要求你灵活应变，这并非所有人都能应付得来的。你甚至可能会被人批评为“样样通，样样稀松”。但网络、移动通信意味着你能够以一种过去无法想象的方式与人保持联络并承担多份工作。

As I’ve written recently, it is no longer necessary to attend an office in many organisations since working remotely is becoming increasingly common. A majority of new businesses are started at home as a side activity to a day job. Some will become a full-time and growing pursuit, but others will remain modest enterprises that operate as an income supplement.

正如我最近写到的那样，许多企业不再需要员工坐班，因为远程工作正变得越来越普遍。多数新企业最初都是作为副业在家开始的。其中一些会变成全职且意义越来越重要的事业，但其他仍会属于小规模业务，可以赚一些外快。

Many entrepreneurs go plural after selling their business and realising capital. They take up several appointments as a part-time or non-executive director, mostly in companies in which they are an investor, or sometimes serve as a trustee at charities that interest them. The hope is that they can cross-fertilise their knowledge between the various companies where they have ownership. I’ve had parallel involvements with a number of different businesses for some years. Depending upon the circumstances, one might contribute as an adviser, mentor, steward, custodian, referee or consultant.

很多企业家在卖掉自己的企业、赚到钱后变成了多面手。他们会担任多个职位，做兼职或担任非执行董事，多数在他们持有股份的企业，有时他们会加入让他们感兴趣的慈善组织。这样做的好处是，他们可以把自己的知识在不同企业之间交叉应用。我这些年来一向在许多不同的企业中身兼多职。人们可以根据情况，担任顾问、导师、负责人、托管人、教练或咨询师。

Albert Camus wrote about the “wager of our generation”. I think our great wager is a bet that career structures in the 21st century must be more flexible and project-based. The old model of work is dying. Countries such as Spain and Italy that have rigid employment systems suffer massive levels of worklessness and poor productivity as a consequence.

阿尔贝•加缪(Albert Camus)曾经写过“我们这代人的赌注”。我认为，我们的重要赌注要押在21世纪的职业结构肯定会变得更为灵活并且更加以项目为基础。旧有的工作模式正在消亡。西班牙和意大利等就业体系僵化的国家，因此出现了大规模失业和疲弱生产率。

To wait passively for the perfect job is to court unemployment and disappointment. Instead, we must each construct a series of overlapping initiatives, using our skills and networks, which can deliver diverse experiences and probably a higher standard of living. Such a way of life can be more stressful and appear riskier; but it helps make us more resourceful and usually excludes irritations such as routine, commuting and office politics.

被动等待完美工作的出现会落得失业和失望。我们每个人都应利用我们的技能和人脉，承担一系列相互关联的工作，这可能会给我们带来多样化的体验，或许还有助于提高生活水平。这种生活方式可能会压力更大，似乎风险也更大，但也会让我们变得更加足智多谋，同时通常会让我们省去那些例行公事、通勤以及办公室政治等麻烦事。