Customer Reviews

Career Success without a Real Job: The Career Book for People Too Smart to Work in Corporations

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This book is BLOWING ME AWAY! Get out of the corporate world NOW!

Chapter 1. "Life without a real job will set you free."
I underlined a sentence, "Working at something just for the money is something fearful people do. It is a sign of their lack of self-confidence in their ability, talent, and creativity to earn money doing something they enjoy." Wow. But what if you make a LOT of money. A few paragraphs down, "There can be no doubt that getting trapped in to believing that money is the most important thing in a job increases your chances of being trapped in a miserable job for the rest of your life." Double wow. In our overly materialistic society, we think that money will solve everything, even a dis-satisfying career. I got an idea, I hate my job, let's just get promoted, make more money, and it will take care of the fact that I hate my job. Brilliant. NOT!

Chapter 2. Unreal jobs -- so many worlds; what to do.

The first part of this chapter stopped me in my tracks (at least my eyes in their tracks). Business Week surveyed successful American business executives about their job. 72% where not in their dream job. They named things like they wanted to be a chef, golf pro, rock star, bed-and-breakfast-inn owner/operator. Here's what stops me in my tracks. These guys have the RESOURCES TO DO THEIR DREAM JOBS, BUT MORE MONEY WON'T SEEM TO LEAD THEM DOWN THEIR DREAM PATH. What is holding these guys back? They didn't "choose wisely", to quote the Matrix. And they are paying for it.

I like his list "100 of the coolest unreal jobs." I put tic marks next to many of them as something I would like to pursue.

Chapter 7, "The work model for people to prosperous to do mornings" was the one I went straight to when I first got the book. This chapter talks about making money on the internet. I found it very informative, and Ernie gives lots of examples of people who have made good money on the i-net.

Overall, this book gives you a boost in changing your thinking about the corporate world. Your thinking will never be the same again.

Ernie Zelinski, author of Career Success without a Real Job', hasn't had a real job in over 25 years. Back in the day, Zelinski worked as an Engineer, but hated the firm grip of the corporate world. With no writing experience, Zelinski left the corporate life to become a writer and speaker. Though his success started very slow, he has now published 14 books internationally!

I found it interesting that Zelinski had no formal training as a writer. Most publishers and many critics complained he could not write. In the beginning, Zelinski self-published his own book. After a while, the book sales were high enough for publishers to take notice and they began to publish his work.

This guy works 4-5 hours a day. Never misses a workout and enjoys life to the fullest. Zelinski is an inspiration that anyone persistent enough can accomplish a dream. There are several examples through out the book of people who followed in Zelinski's foot steps.

If you are considering leaving the corporate life to pursue your own career or thinking about writing your first book, I would consider Career Success without a Real Job, a valuable read.

I read Retire Happy, Wild and Free a few years ago and that began my retirement journey, which has been amazing and more fun than I ever imagined, and created a new career for myself.

As a counselor, I worked with many people on job and career-related issues. I wish Career Success without a Real Job had been available then. I would have recommended that almost every one of my clients get a copy and read it cover to cover. The idea that staying with a company year after year and feeling miserable because of what Ernie Zelinski terms "career inertia" is painful to consider, yet this is what so many of my clients did, because they were so afraid of trying anything else and failing. The fear of being in control of their own lives and fear of the "unknown" seems to keep so many people bound to jobs they hate.

In Career Success without a Real Job, the reader is challenged to open his or her mind and discover what will make career/job happiness become a reality. This book is designed to help you understand yourself, the corporate world and the job market, and how you can create your perfect niche in it. The book is filled with exercises and examples and every one is both encouraging and inspiring. When we read stories of other people like ourselves making change and succeeding, it brings that reality a bit closer to us. With each added example, we become a bit more willing to put a toe in the water, to maybe try something new and see what happens.

Ernie has a way of writing that is so easy and comfortable to read that it often feels as though he is right there with you, coaching you along, telling you that you can do it. That is one of his gifts, and this book carries on the work he has done in his preceeding books: telling us in no uncertain terms that he KNOWS we have what it takes to be happy and to have a career or job that makes you want to get up every morning and get to it. You've gotta admit: if you can do that every day, your world will be beautiful place.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has any interest at all (even a glimmer) in not sticking with the old corporation "9-5, 1 or 2 weeks of vacation a year" routine. If you think that just maybe there might be something else out there for you, buy this book and change your life.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I feel that this would be an excellent book to be offered to young readers. At one point in the book, Mr. Zelinsky even mentions he would like to have someone who has had career success without a real job teach a course at a University and use his book (part of his charitable cause). I think this is an excellent idea, this book really could be useful to young entrepreneurs. Also, people who are of any age can have career success without a real job and Mr. Zelinsky illustrates this throughout the book. I myself work at a 9-6 job that I absolutely love, however I can tell you that I do some of the things Mr. Zelinsky suggests as "unconventional" jobs to supplement my income regularly and it has helped my savings considerably throughout the years. This is a must read for any young college student who is about to get into the real world or for anyone who is stuck in a dead end job.

This is wonderful reading as a reference guide regarding the desire to leave the corporate world.It might even be an alternative to stress-relieving drugs :).
Plenty of food for thought for someone wanting to spread their wings and use their God-given talents, skills, and abilities in a more desirable manner.
The book really helps with thinking "out of the box".
Thanks again, Ernie!

Very good book about author experience on developing an independent way of life not directly linked with corporations. I say "not directly" because unfortunately corporations have a huge impact on everybody individual life that can not be fully neutralized (you should view "the corporation" film). Ernie has found a way of life selling us a dream to work in the way he does. We need first to have an independent mind to accept his very useful ideas. Read and enjoy the book and customize his thoughts to your own values and goals. We can do it and we MUST do it to get free from the "rat race".

My husband read your book and enjoyed the ideas put forth about working in a job that creates satisfaction and enjoyment. Steve worked for 35 years in sales which gave him the freedom to create his own business system to make sales. We have paid off our home and have a nest egg to retire on without having to go through the drudgery of working for a corporation that we hated. Ernie has written a book that outlines how to do this in a fun way.

He's done it again. Ernie Zelinski's Career Success without a Real Job comes at a perfect time in this economy. Smart, sassy, practical and inspirational--what more could you want? As a psychologist working with employees who have problems at work I recommend Zelinski's books on a regular basis. For those who are ready to take responsibility for their careers and not look to a Big Momma or Big Daddy to guarantee security (and we all know how secure that is!), Career Success without a Real Job is a MUST. It's FIVE STARS in my book!

Just finished it and now I'm going to apply it. See you on the other side Ernie. Thanks :)

ps. Anyone out there in the corporate world who want's a way out, must read this book.

Career Success Without A Real Job is easily Ernie's best book, if only because the author's cumulative work and life experience have honed his social commentary skills and knack for telling it like it is.

In this book, he has chosen not to rest on his laurels, but to inspire us with another dose of how delicious creating our own realities can be, and how with a little ingenuity and passion, we can not only afford - but also thrive - in our new found freedom from the daily grind. Mr. Zelinski has again answered the call in this book, and given truly sane people another collectible to add to their libraries.