Six refreshing reads for career changers
My name is Jo, and I can't stop buying books! First up there’s my pile of dog-eared, post-it noted favourites and pristine future treats. Then there's the long list of enticing reads that my insatiably bookish self is nudging me to buy. As I write this, extreme self-control is the only thing holding me back from placing my next online order.
So now my guilty secret is out. To atone for my book-buying obsession, I'll review my current stack of career change books here and on social media.
Maybe you'll add some inspirational career change classics to your book pile.
My six picks span over three decades' of inspirational writing on managing career and other change with skill, self-awareness, and grit.
'Do More Great Work' by Michael Bungay Staier
Subtitled, 'Stop the Busywork. Start the Work That Matters'; this book questions how we define 'bad,' 'good' and 'great' work. As Staier points out, we spend our careers doing a combination of all three types.
Here's the reality check on the varied nature of work that we tend to forget when we eye off other's 'more fulfilling' jobs. As Staier points out, we hardly ever consciously plan to do 'great' work. He sets out to change that by helping us rethink the way we define and measure it.
"When I say, 'Great Work,' I'm not talking about a standard of delivery. I'm talking about a standard of impact and meaning."
Staier's exercises are designed to help you 'map' your great work projects. They guide you to what great work means by showing you when you perform at your satisfying best. They can also kick start you to put the 'do' into ‘Do More Great Work.'
Why I love this book
It's high on realism and long on practicality.
'The Escape Manifesto' by Escape the City
Escape the City is the brainchild of three Brits, Rob, Dom, and Mikey. In 2009 they quit their stifling corporate roles to start an online jobs board for like-minded people who 'realised they didn't want their bosses' jobs.'
Now Escape the City is a global career and business venture program with 250,000 members in 100 cities.
The Escape Manifesto taps into the energy and fearlessness of this global movement. This book is brim full of break out stories, and as one reviewer aptly notes, it's,
"a potent reminder of the power of initiative over procrastination."
Why I love this book
The Escape Manifesto won't give you step-by-step advice on how to take a bold leap in the unknown. However, it provides ample evidence that 'the net' is likely to appear if you do.
'Do the Work' by Steven Pressfield
This punchy, no-nonsense book is all about getting out of your way. Here is a blow-by-blow boot camp guide that nails the 'resistance points' that stop you taking your projects from ‘go to whoa.’
Pressfield invites you to stare down the persistent, fear-mongering enemy within. Once you've uncovered your inner enemies making up that "intelligent, active, malign force working against us," he'll drill you on ways to take them out.
Why I love this book
Steven is equal parts drill sergeant and cheerleader. He shouts at you to get on with the work and 'high fives' you when you do.
'Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway' by Susan Jeffers
This book has stood the test of time. Jeffers' simple, compelling message that all our choices bring opportunities still rings true for me.
Fear is often a barrier to changing careers. We're afraid of making a 'wrong' choice. More specifically, we fear not being able to handle the consequences of that choice.
Jeffers reminds us that we'll survive matter what happens. She doesn't discount the strength of our fear, but she wants us to reframe it. Her powerful, practical belief is that we can handle anything if we can see its potential to help us grow and learn.
Why I love this book
As a twenty-something, fledgling grown-up navigating London life, this book helped me to be less fearful and more resilient in making decisions and moving on.
'Taming Your Gremlin' by Rick Carson
Here is a practical, imaginative guide to disarming your inner gremlin. It aims to help you hush that shouty confidence-bashing voice that's trashing your dreams and schemes.
If you believe that you're 'not good enough', 'not smart enough', 'not ready yet' 'not brave enough' or in fact 'not ever going to amount to anything,' you're caught in your gremlin's destructive clutches.
This book shows you how to get your gremlin under control using mindfulness and imagination. It teaches you how to step back from their nasty rants and just take note of their voice.
See your gremlin for what they are, then sidestep the energy-sapping grief of hooking into the negative thoughts. Carson's also keen on disempowering your gremlin by drawing them and giving them a character.
Why I love this book
My gremlin is a moody, snarky, finger-pointing headmistress. Now I know how she looks and sounds; her 'scary cred' is shot to bits.
‘Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live’ by Martha N. Beck
This book is a guide to taking steady 'turtle steps' towards repairing and being what Beck calls 'your essential self'.
This is the wise, intuitive 'core' side of you that knows what it wants and needs to do. Beck's premise is that our essential self is often overwhelmed by our 'social self.' This is the part of you that does the things ‘everybody' expects of you. It's the mask-wearing side of you that plays nice and keeps the peace, often at the expense of who you really are.
As the title suggests, Beck sets out the steps for finding and following your inner compass. Her exercises and examples are designed to help you heal the rift and restore the balance of power between your social and essential selves.
She believes that “every person's essential self is pure, productive energy, and yours will return and send you into a fulfilling life almost automatically if your psyche is in good repair."
Why I love this book
It's a witty, captivating read packed with exercises to help you draw out the important things to you in the world.
If you have a standout career change book in your pile, I'd love to add it to mine. Drop me an email and let me know!
By Jo Green, Career Change Coach
I know what it feels like to be lost in your career. I also know that when you find what you love, heart and soul, your life changes. I work every day with people who are reshaping their current careers, starting new enterprises or searching for a new direction. Basically I help people who don’t like their job to figure out what to do instead!
As a Careershifters and Firework Advanced Certified Coach and experienced career changer myself, I can help you figure out what fulfilling work looks like for you.
Drop me a note to organise a free 20 minute consultation to chat about your career change and how coaching could help.
