Managing a multi-career lifestyle

THE EDITOR: The late Bobby Thomas was a classic example of a multi-career lifestyle. He was a Trinidad and Tobago Television newscaster and a commercial pilot with the British West Indian Airways when BeeWee was state-owned. He was also a vocalist within a church choir. This is somewhat unusual in Trinidad and Tobago but this is not the case in the United States of America a country that gave the world Benjamin Franklyn. Franklyn was first involved in the print media and was the editor of the Plain Truth newspaper. He then ventured into science and was responsible for the bifocal lens (reading glasses). Before he became President, he was a diplomat who was posted in Paris where he was described by a French queen as “L’ambassadeur electrifique.”

Another personality who made a mark in three different careers was the husband of the zany singer Cher, namely Sonny Bono who shared his voice and life with that vocalist. He went in to the restaurant business where he spent a considerable amount of time before contesting successfully in a mayoral election. There are cases where in the case of Mr Bobby Thomas, those careers are pursued concurrently. The former mayor of Arima Mr Elvin Edwards found himself in a situation where he had to divide his time between the burgesses of the Royal Chartered borough and the managerial staff of a commercial bank. What was not mentioned is that marriage is also a career and the demands of time and energy at the workplace pose many a challenge to those who are involved in two or more vocations.

JEFFREY M JOSEPH
Fyzabad