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Slash Youth:
People leading a diverse life with multiple professions and identities, originating from the English term "Slash." This concept comes from the book "Dual Careers" written by New York Times columnist Marci Alboher. These individuals use a slash in their self-introduction to denote their various roles, for example: journalist/actor/photographer. "Slash" has become synonymous with them.
Characteristics:
A profession refers to possessing specialized knowledge and skills, participating in social division of labor, creating value for society, and receiving reasonable rewards to meet material and spiritual needs. In simple terms, it's the process where efforts put in yield valuable returns. Therefore, a Slash Youth is not someone who simply lists their professions but someone who genuinely possesses the ability to switch between multiple industries and derive value from them. (This is different from hobbies; hobbies are activities one enjoys, regardless of achievements or income.)
Excel in one field first.
It's important to excel in one area initially. As the saying goes, "Be a businessman before becoming an official, sing well before acting." The premise for exploring the next field is excelling in the first. This ensures enough time, money, and energy to broaden one's horizons, acquire knowledge, and practice skills.
Entry into each field should be interest-oriented, not money-oriented.
Especially when the new field or skill is not proficient or familiar, entry should be driven by interest rather than financial gain. Skills need practice, and experience needs accumulation. In the initial stages of venturing into a new field, one might not make money or even incur losses. Only genuine interest in the field can sustain until the day of rewards.
According to the "2020 Ele.me Blue Knight Research Report," over half of the delivery riders have "multiple identities": 26% are also small business owners, 21% are skilled workers, and 4% are self-media bloggers. Stripping off their rider uniform, they might be office workers, small shop owners, or even gym instructors. The development of new industries, technologies, and business models has led to the emergence of new professions like delivery riders, internet celebrities, ride-sharing drivers, and micro-business owners. The progress and application of internet technology have liberated work scenarios and reduced the threshold for being a "Slash Youth." It's worth noting that not all "Slash Youths" are driven by interest; some are forced by life pressures to take up multiple jobs to cope with the high cost of living and consumption in cities.
Why are there more "Slash Youths" nowadays? This phenomenon is an inevitable result of social progress. The open and tolerant social environment gives young people the possibility of multiple choices. "Slash" is not just a lifestyle for the younger generation; it's also a positive attitude and values. They hope work, life, and hobbies can better integrate.
"Slash Youths" at the Winter Olympics have diverse professions on the sports field.
On February 8, in the bronze medal match of the Winter Olympics mixed doubles curling, Sweden defeated Britain with a score of 9-3, winning the bronze medal. A guy in Shanghai spotted his Swedish colleague Almida deval on TV. Deval's "official identity" is a curling athlete on the Swedish national team, but she also has a "hidden" identity – an employee of the Swedish branch of a Dutch company. It's reported that she took a leave of absence in early January to prepare for the Winter Olympics and returned to work on February 14, with less than a month and a half of preparation time.
John Morris is a leading figure in Canadian curling. He won the men's curling championship at the 2010 Winter Olympics and the mixed doubles curling championship at the 2018 Winter Olympics. But in normal times, he is a firefighter working for the Rocky View County Fire Department in Canada. According to the official Olympic website, his father, Earl Morris, is the inventor of the curling "stabilizer" and is widely used by many players.
According to a report by Canada's Narcity, of the Canadian athletes participating in the Winter Olympics, 9 have other professions. Daniel Sunderland, 32, participates in the men's four-man bobsleigh event. In normal times, he is a professional pipeline stress engineer with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Alberta. He proves that talent is sometimes crucial—he started practicing bobsleigh at the age of 26...
Jane Channell, who participates in the skeleton and bobsleigh events, is a white-collar worker. She usually works in health and safety for an environmental consulting company and is also a volunteer coach for the Calgary Winter Olympics softball project. In addition, she plans to become a television meteorologist...
Darcy Sharpe, who participates in the men's slopestyle and big air events, works in real estate and a car rental company when he's not snowboarding.
In fact, the concept of Slash Youth is too narrow. Aren't older people also engaged in multiple professions simultaneously? Therefore, it should be defined as a Slash Life. The reverse slash should also be proposed, meaning a person simultaneously having multiple bad habits or mistakes, which can be considered as a reverse Slash Life. For example, a person who drinks heavily, engages in prostitution, embezzles, accepts bribes, neglects duties, and evades taxes; this can be considered another kind of life, and there are quite a few of them. Also, when a person has both positive and negative aspects, how do you define it? This has not been discussed in more detail. |
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