Question from a friend: I need a more "professional" email address, but I don't want to give up my Gmail address

Question of the day from a friend: I'm applying for jobs, and I need a more "professional" email address, but I don't want to give up my Gmail address, and I don't want to have to log into two different accounts all the time to check my mail.

Example current address: binge.drinker@gmail.com
New email address: john.a.doe@gmail.com

No problem!

1. First step create the new Gmail account.
2. Then you need to pick which mailbox you want to use as the primary one that you are going to login to (you probably want to keep using the existing one, because it has all your old mail).
3. Go into the new email box and click on the "Settings" link at the top right.
4. Select the "Forwarding and POP/IMAP" tab.
5. Select "Forward a copy of incoming mail to" and enter the email address of the old account.
6. I would recommend setting "archive Gmail's copy".
   

You are now done with step one. All email sent to the new address should start showing up in you old inbox. Now you want to be able choose which address to use when you send/reply to email in your old inbox.

1. Go into the old email box and click on the "Settings" link at the top right.
2. Select the "Accounts and Import" tab.
3. Go to the "Send mail as:" section and click the "Send mail from another address" button enter the other (new) email address.
4. Check the "Reply from the same address the message was sent to" option.
5. Gmail is now going to send you an email to confirm that you own the other address, you will need to click a link in the email to confirm.
   

You should be all set.

Now when you are composing an email you will notice there is "change" link after the "From:" address. You can use this to pick which address you would like your email to be from.