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Careers and lifestyles of young cultural entrepreneurs in St. Petersburg
Based on an analysis of 53 in-depth interviews, the article reconstructs the career paths of young cultural entrepreneurs working in the creative clusters of St. Petersburg. Four style groups are distinguished, which differ in career type, locus of subjective success, identity, attitude towards education and type of sociality: ‘Downshifters’, ‘Tourists’, ‘Independent professionals’ and ‘Early businessmen’. ‘Downshifters’ make downward career mobility and professionalize leisure and/or life-style practices. ‘Tourists’ are characterized by a dotted career and career “swings” between entrepreneurship and precarious low-status employment. “Independent professionals” achieve autonomy in the context of a specific professional field. “Early businessmen” initially build their career as entrepreneurial.