Capitalizing on Career Chaos: Bringing Creativity and Purpose to Your Work and Life [Paperback]

Helen Harkness (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0891062092 | ISBN-13: 978-0891062097 | Publication Date: April 8, 2005 | Edition: First Edition

Delivers tools and strategies to become authentic, trail-blazing pioneers who will thrive in this age of unprecedented uncertainty.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A valuable resource for preparing oneself to seize opportunity and look beyond one' immediate surroundings. -- The Midwest Book Review, September 2005

Excellent title that covers clues to advancing career goals. Recommended pick for any who would bring new ideas into play. -- The Bookwatch, July 2005

Presents expert advice, real-life success stories, and 14 activities to guide readers to reconstruct how they think about career planning. -- T&D Magazine, May 2005

From the Publisher

Whether due to offshoring, bankruptcy, the quest for global competitiveness, or some other cause, chaos in organizations is real and radical and can create fear and uncertainty in the heart of even the most savvy and confident employee. Looking inward, outward, forward, and beyond--and with a planned course of action--CAPITALIZING ON CAREER CHAOS delivers the tools and strategies to become an authentic, trailblazing pioneer who can thrive in this age of unprecedented change.

Helen Harkness draws on her work with more than 6,000 individuals and her nearly 30 years as a career management expert to present a timely process for regenerating, redirecting, or crafting a new career--from the inside out. With expert advice, real-life success stories, and more than a dozen interactive tools, CAPITALIZING ON CAREER CHAOS begins at the beginning: looking inward to develop a clear sense of the values and traditions that define our authentic selves, and the important Meaning Magnets that serve as our focal points for change. Harkness's easy-to-implement, four-step process shows how to look outward to match core instincts and talents with external realities; look forward to create a vision of the future; and look beyond to a specific course of action that will move us from visualization to the realization of our goals.

"As a career counselor, I can say, without reservation, this is a must read. This book provides the tools to see change as an opportunity for career growth." --Dennis Grindle, Director of the Career Management Center, Cox School of Business, Southern Methodist University

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Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing; First Edition edition (April 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891062092
• ISBN-13: 978-0891062097
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Helen Harkness, Ph.D. is a futurist, consultant, researcher, an experienced speaker, teacher, writer, and a pioneer in the development and implementation of career management programs. She founded Career Design Associates, Inc. (CDA) in 1978 focusing on the new realities, chaos and changes to be faced in our work life in the 21st century. Her work integrates her own multidimensional career as a successful entrepreneur, former academic dean/provost, college professor, director of continuing education and a public school teacher.

Her published work includes Best Jobs for the Future 1995; The Career Chase: Taking Creative Control in a Chaotic Age 1997; Don't Stop the Career Clock: Rejecting the Myths of Aging for a New Way to Work in the 21st Century 1999; Capitalizing on Career Chaos: Bringing Creativity and Purpose to York Work and Life 2005 and is currently writing "Moving from Mindless Myths to Meaning and Money at Midlife". She was guest editor for the Career Planning and Adult Development Journal - "Golden Boomers" issue in January 2011 and "The Mid Life Career Crisis: How chaos theory and positive psychology can help" in 2010. Author of more than 100 articles and quoted in countless major publications. She received the Career Convergence Recognition Award from National Career Development Association for the article "Careers in Energy" in April 2009.

She is a member of the National Career Development Association, Association of Professional Futurists, National Speakers Association, International Association of Career Professionals, The Collaborative Law Institute of Texas and International Positive Psychology Association. As a long term member of the World Future Society, she coordinates the career counseling at the annual conferences. The Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter Association of Career Professionals (ACP) International created an ethics award " Helen Harkness Professional of the Year Award" permanently named for her.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You get a do over, January 18, 2006

By 

Ross W. Vick III "singer/songwriter" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Capitalizing on Career Chaos: Bringing Creativity and Purpose to Your Work and Life (Paperback)

Dr. Harkness' wealth of experience in her field is manifest in her writing. Not only is she an educator, unlike most arm chair authors writing about what they've studied in a lab, Dr. Harkness writes about reality as she is LIVING the experiment or should one say, the adventure. Like the friend, aunt, mom or mentor you never had, she clearly shows you how to shed the preconcieved, society proclaimed notions of what success is supposed to be and learn how to become yourself in the work force. For anyone looking for a way out of a dead end job, be warned, there are no easy or quick fixes and Dr. Harkness is very clear about that. But you do have options and knowing what they are can be the key to an extraordinary new chapter in your life. "Chaos" is a great first step to getting a do over.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Is Fabulous and I'm Living Proof, January 19, 2006

By 

Kimberly Woods "'aka Soulfull of soulfulsyner... (Outside of Chocolate City, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Capitalizing on Career Chaos: Bringing Creativity and Purpose to Your Work and Life (Paperback)

Don't waste another minute. You are thinking about buying this book because something inside of you is screaming for you to make a change, to move out of the "chaos". I was there not too long ago and after reading this book, I decided to do something about it.

"Capitalizing on Career Chaos" by Helen Harkness was the match that sparked a new reality for me. Along with prayer, I decided to utilize the things I learned from this book and start a new career. One poignant moment in the book is the "Formula of Change: C = P > F. It states that "change happens only when pain is greater than fear". After learning this, I realized that the pain of a unfulfilling career was overcoming the fear of stepping out on faith. It wasn't my limitations that were holding me back from true success; it was my fear of the unknown. I'm sure you understand what I am saying, because you're there right now, but this book is chock-full of stories and activities to spark your future life. As the book states, "Look inward, outward, forward, and beyond - and take creative control of your career!" Definitely a great read!

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to redesign a career by pinpointing important strengths and using them appropriately, July 3, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Capitalizing on Career Chaos: Bringing Creativity and Purpose to Your Work and Life (Paperback)

Helen Harkness' Capitalizing On Career Chaos: Bringing Creativity And Purpose To Your Life And Work advocates two basic steps and shows how to achieve them: looking inward to connect with real needs, then looking outward to match core instincts and talents to workplace realities. Chapters cover the basics of how to redesign a career by pinpointing important strengths and using them appropriately.