Meet Bladimir Aguilera. He’s a multi-careerist based in Venezuela.
Last year, I started randomly video chatting with people who I didn’t know on Instagram.
Yeah, it was a little frightening. But I met some remarkable folks.
I was pleased to connect with Bladimir.
Bladimir’s Careers
- IT solutions entrepreneur
- Playwright & executive producer
- Public speaker
On his motivations for many careers
Since I was a child, I’ve perceived the world as a playground and have enjoyed learning from science and the humanities.
I graduated in computer engineering, developed a sustainable career in IT Business and had full-time jobs in big corporations like IBM and Hewlett-Packard.
However, I found it very restrictive dedicating all my time to one field.
So, I spent my free time acquiring knowledge in the humanities and when I got to my 40s, my organic need to express myself and my passion for the performing arts drove me to integrate my science and humanities halves.
I founded my own company to continue my career in IT, formalized a career in public speaking and started developing different disciplines in theater.
Advice to aspiring multi-careerists
It is important to trust your instincts, to spend time knowing yourself and to discover all your passions.
Prioritizing your careers is also necessary to make sure you always have a permanent source of income, while others are still growing.
We must see our careers as a portfolio to grow and diversify.
On overcoming obstacles
At some point in my life, I had an internal conflict between my science and humanities inclinations.
I felt fragmented because some colleagues from the IT field did not understand my interests in the arts and close friends thought I should replace my IT career for something in the communications field.
One night at home, I turned off people’s voices in my head, turned up the volume to my inner voice and said to myself: “I don’t want to choose between fields or careers. I want them all!”
From that moment I felt my life changed forever and for the better.
On how careers are mutually beneficial
My career in the IT Business has given me useful tools that I apply to my work in the theater: process-oriented thinking, structured information management, and financial knowledge to make my productions profitable.
I recently introduced an online collaboration app to an art director, so she can easily create storyboards and design the structure of our next show.
On the other hand, my public speaking career has improved my sales skills in IT. My playwright role has made me more observant to identify my customers’ needs and be more creative to find solutions for their problems.
On finding balance
Instead of trying to separate my careers and my family/personal time, I put everything together integrally. I balance my schedule and set priorities everyday to make sure I give time to every aspect of my life.
I can have an onsite customer meeting, a play rehearsal, a conference, and a family dinner the same day.
Of course, there are times when you let go of an opportunity for a lifetime moment with your family or you sacrifice an aunt’s birthday gathering for a play rehearsal.
On what he wished he knew earlier
I wish I had known the power of combining careers from different fields:
You can create new innovative projects, have your own signature, and differentiate yourself as a professional.
Overcoming the stigma of multi-careerism
Absolutely! When you have more than one career from different fields, people think you are confused, or you are “trying” different things or even worse, they think you could not be good enough in one of them.
Society in general, makes you believe you need to “focus” and specialize in one career, so people can easily label you.
I overcame that stigma by creating my personal brand “Bladimir Aguilera” that integrates all the things I do and by encouraging everybody to pursue more than one career as well.
On what to share with others
At the beginning, I hid my playwright and producer role from my IT customers because I was afraid they might think I didn’t have enough time for them.
This fear went away when I realized my customers really trusted me because I am always available for them and I make sure to give them the best quality of service they deserve.
Honesty and trust are values that encouraged me to share information with them about my other works.
I also understood that my customers are ‘people’ who can go to the theater or attend one of my motivational conferences. Now, some of them are supporting me.
On how to sublimate ego
My service vocation helps me sublimate my ego when ‘banal work’ thoughts come to my mind. I have understood all my skills and talents are gifts to serve others.
Every work is a blessing if they provide an income. I just make sure everything I do gives me growth and eventually takes me to the next level.
A Day in the Life
6 am – Run/work out
7:30 am – Shower and breakfast
8 am – IT sales planning
9 am – 1:00 pm – IT customers visits and projects following
1:00 pm – Lunch
2:00 pm – Financial & admin tasks: Bank transfer, billing, collecting
4:30 pm – Radio Show / conference
5:00 pm – Executive producing meetings
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Play writing
Where to find Bladimir
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Kabir Sehgal is a Multi Grammy & Latin Grammy Award winner, as well as New York Times bestselling author.
Follow Kabir on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify, YouTube.
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