Are you tired of asking "What should I do with my life?" Are you sick of your job? Don't worry, I know how you feel! I used to start every working week saying "I hate my job" and spend every Friday night drinking too much to drown my misery. I was a cubicle worker in large corporates, going to pointless meetings, writing endless documents no one would read, testing computer systems that would soon be obsolete. Every day, my soul and my creativity died a little. Maybe you feel the same? Well, life is too short to just exist on the edge of breakdown, and there is a better way of living. You need to discover what you love to do and then make that your job, your life's work. This book will take you through understanding the way you feel now as well as how to improve your current situation immediately so you can create enough space to work on breaking out and doing what you truly love. It also contains the career change process I used to go from management consultant to full-time author-entrepreneur. It's time to change your career and your life.

How Successful Career Changers Turn Fantasy into RealityWhether as a daydream or a spoken desire, nearly all of us have entertained the notion of reinventing ourselves. Feeling unfulfilled, burned out, or just plain unhappy with what we’re doing, we long to make that leap into the unknown. But we also hold on, white-knuckled, to the years of time and effort we’ve invested in our current profession.In this powerful book, Herminia Ibarra presents a new model for career reinvention that flies in the face of everything we’ve learned from "career experts." While common wisdom holds that we must first know what we want to do before we can act, Ibarra argues that this advice is backward. Knowing, she says, is the result of doing and experimenting. Career transition is not a straight path toward some predetermined identity, but a crooked journey along which we try on a host of "possible selves" we might become.Based on her in-depth research on professionals and managers in transition, Ibarra outlines an active process of career reinvention that leverages three ways of "working identity": experimenting with new professional activities, interacting in new networks of people, and making sense of what is happening to us in light of emerging possibilities.Through engrossing stories—from a literature professor turned stockbroker to an investment banker turned novelist—Ibarra reveals a set of guidelines that all successful reinventions share. She explores specific ways that hopeful career changers of any background can: Explore possible selves Craft and execute "identity experiments" Create "small wins" that keep momentum going Survive the rocky period between career identities Connect with role models and mentors who can ease the transition Make time for reflection—without missing out on windows of opportunity Decide when to abandon the old path in order to follow the new Arrange new events into a coherent story of who we are becoming A call to the dreamer in each of us, Working Identity explores the process for crafting a more fulfilling future. Where we end up may surprise us.

Are you looking for a new job? If so, view this moment as an opportunity, an adventure. This book will help develop an in-depth understanding of your values, what you do well, the role you want, and who or what do you want to benefit from your work. Then It will guide in planning your search, preparing your resume, networking, interviewing, getting an offer, and starting at the new organization. The chapters contain ideas for accomplishing each step, stories of people who have taken the step, and recommended actions to accomplish the step. Following the guidelines provided will enable you to find and join an organization where you share the values of the people with whom you work and feel good about what you are doing and who or what your work benefits.

Are you ready for a change? Whether you’re seeking a more fulfilling job or rethinking your career goals after a layoff, the questions you face are crucial. In Strategies for Successful Career Change, seasoned business and career journalist Martha E. Mangelsdorf distills lessons from a diverse group of people who have made the leap and landed on their feet. To help you navigate the challenges, pitfalls, and rewards of career transition, this book will show you how to: • Align your professional life with your personal goals • Identify your transferable skills, strengths, and constraints • Explore possible new careers in low-risk ways • Change careers while still paying the bills You’ll assess your current work life and aspirations, while taking into account logistical realities such as finances, health insurance, and family obligations. Through exercises, resources, and inspiring stories from successful career-changers, this supportive and empowering guide will help you find your very best next work life. “If you’re considering a career change, this book should be your go-to resource for insight, strategy, and practical advice. But even better, it serves up the inspiration we all need to do something great, thanks to real stories from people who’ve discovered their best life.” --Keith Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your Back “The genius of this book is its integration of solid, tried-and-true principles of career change with practical, engaging real-life stories of people who used them. An essential resource for career-changers and those who love them.” --Margaret Benefiel, PhD, author of Soul at Work and The Soul of a Leader “If you’re thinking about changing careers, Martha Mangelsdorf’s book is a must-read. Even if you’re not thinking about changing careers, it’s a should-read. Her fascinating stories about successful career-changers will make you ask yourself vital questions that are all too easy to ignore.” --Bo Burlingham, editor at large of Inc. magazine and author of Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big