上午9点到下午6点，刘阳是北京一家上市公司的商业顾问。不过6点后，她的工作时间还没有结束。她晚上会做一些手工领结拿到自己的品牌专卖店卖。她还运营了一个微信公众号。
Extra jobs, like the ones Liu juggles, used to be called sideline occupations. But now people like Liu have their own special title: slashers, a term coined by US columnist Marci Alboher in 2007. Slashers balance multiple careers or vocations simultaneously.
像刘阳做的这种额外工作以前被称为副业。不过现在像刘阳这样的人有了自己的专属称谓——斜杠人。斜杠人一词由美国专栏作家马尔奇•埃尔博尔于2007年首创，指那些同时身兼不同工作的人。
Now the idea of having a “slash” career has also gained momentum in China. A 2015 survey conducted by 51job.com shows that four out of 10 office workers have two jobs simultaneously.
现在有份“斜杠”工作在中国也成为一种趋势。2015年求职网站前程无忧曾做过一个调查，发现每10个上班族中就有4个人同时干着2份工作。
This wave of “slashers” happened for a number of reasons, according to Hu Xiaowu, deputy director of the Institute of Urban Science at Nanjing University. “In modern China, economic security no longer exists, unless you create it,” he said. “To some extent, having multiple income streams is one of the best ways to create stability.”
南京大学城市科学研究院副院长胡小武认为，多种原因促成了“斜杠”潮的兴起。他说：“如今，‘铁饭碗’在中国已不复存在，稳定的收入需要自己去创造。从某种角度看，收入多元化是营造收入稳定性的最佳方式。”
He also pointed out that it’s becoming more common for people to combine work that offers economic security with work that feeds a passion. “Since there is so much work that can be done flexibly now, it’s easy to do many kinds of work in the same workweek or even the same workday,” he said.
他还指出，人们将提供经济保障的工作和满足爱好的工作相结合，这种趋势已经越来越普遍。他说：“因为许多工作都可以在弹性时间内完成，在同一个工作周甚至工作日，人们就能轻松完成不同的工作。”
Experiences as advantages
经验成为一种优势
“Slash” careers reflect growing areas of expertise, according to Pang Jinhua (pen name Situ Zhengjin), a senior financial commentator and deputy chief editor of Teller magazine. Professional knowledge and specialized services have become the crux of China’s post-industrial society. Pang argues that “slash” careers are the best proof of that shift.
高级财经评论员、《曰客》 杂志副主编逄锦华（笔名：司徒正襟）认为“斜杠”职业反应出专业领域正在不断增加。专业知识和专业化服务正在成为中国后工业化社会的核心。逄锦华觉得“斜杠”职业就是这种转型的最佳证明。
In today’s mobile society, having a range of career experiences can be an advantage. They allow you to cultivate diverse fallback options, or compete for jobs that require a wide range of skills.
在今天的移动社会中，拥有丰富的工作经验是十分有益的。它们能让你培养多元的后备选项，或者帮助你竞争那些需要多种技能的工作。
Having a broad knowledge base can help slashers perform better at any single job, Pang explained. “Many people who have ‘slash’ careers tell me that each career informs and illuminates the other. Being able to choose which thing they want to pour energy into keeps them from getting bored and restless. There is always something to work on, and inevitably some new challenge arises,” he said.
广泛的知识基础能帮助“斜杠人”更好地完成任何一项工作，逄锦华解释说。“许多有‘斜杠’工作的人告诉我，每一种职业之间都能互联和相互启迪。能选择自己愿意倾注精力去做的事儿不会让他们觉得无趣和焦躁。总会有事儿要忙，当然也一定会碰到新的挑战，”他说。
However, he warns that, while some people may thrive in ‘slash’ career, juggling jobs is not for everyone. It can be a challenge to learn new skills, establish yourself in an unfamiliar field and find a balance between work and down time. “Only when a slash career fulfills your passions or makes you less anxious
不过他提醒说，有些人能在“斜杠”职业中混得风生水起，但这并不适用于所有人。学习新的技能，在自己并不熟悉的领域站稳脚跟，寻求工作和闲暇时间之间的平衡是个大挑战。他说：“只有斜杠工作满足了你的兴趣或者让你不再为经济状况担忧，它才能引领你走向有益的生活。”
