We all know that the recession is making Americans think differently about where they are heading in their professional lives. Whether it be by choice or by the force of circumstances, many people are taking this approach. I know it has certainly pushed people I know to change (or postpone, or move up) their plans given the state of flux.
Are you ready to prepare for your career change?
Given the lack of resources for people going through this (especially updated resources since the job market has changed so drastically in the last few years), I was pleased when I heard that Alexandra Levit was tackling the subject in her new book New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career. I’ve gotten to know Alexandra through the power of social media (though we did meet in person in November) and I’ve been big fans of her previous books (I wrote a review for Success For Hire and I even wrote a tweet sized recommendation for #Millennialtweet).
I thought the book was not only packed full of great information but also extremely readable. Alexandra does this through interspersing interesting stories throughout the seven life altering situations and considerations that drive every career changes:
- Family
- Independence
- Learning
- Money
- Passion
- Setback
- Talent
While I am always a fan of a great story, this book is also full of considerations from Alexandra herself along with some really great resources (even though I didn’t catch my blog in there). She lays the groundwork for a person at almost any level to use what experience they do have and apply it to their new career choice. The inspiring, true life stories consistently push the idea that it is possible to successfully change careers no matter what circumstances have nudged you into that space.
What in this book could have been improved? I honestly couldn’t find much. I think the message of the book is solid because the real heavy lifting is in self-exploration and being honest about your motivations and circumstances. I don’t know if there is a way to prod people into doing more exercises to get them to understand what they want to do with their career.
New Job, New You is a quality guide for doing a career transition the right way. It is the most up-to-date and complete resources available. I’d encourage you to check it out (it is about $10 on Amazon right now).
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Thanks, Lance, much appreciated! I’m looking forward to hearing what your readers think!
Great article! I am always looking for similiar posts being in the middle of a transition myself!!
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