Amazon.com Review
No matter the economic environment, there are ample reasons why you might be aching to change jobs or move up in the one you already have. In
What to Do With the Rest of Your Life, career consultant Robin Ryan--who's offered her advice over the past 20 years to individual clients and through top broadcast and print outlets--shares the specifics that can help you do it right. Dividing her book into sections that focus on sequential steps in the process (figuring it out, moving on, staying put), she describes proven ways to determine your ideal job and workplace, land a job or launch a business and get paid appropriately, get promoted, get a raise, or take your own enterprise to a higher level. Virtually all of Ryan's suggestions will prove useful to one reader or another, as she explains in detail how to tap into the hidden job market--since some 85 percent of all positions are never directly advertised--via research "on the Internet, in the library, over telephones, and through conversations with colleagues, friends, and acquaintances." She also explains, based on interviews with 78 top executives, how "to help you get promoted no matter what level you're at or how big your organization is."
--Howard Rothman
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Define Your Passion I've always believed that any person with a little ability, a little guts, some persisitence, and some determination could achieve whatever he or she could dream.
Are you ready to move on? Make a change? You'll spend about eleven thousand days working over your lifetime, and I believe they should be rewarding and happy ones. This book's goal is to help you decide how you're going to spend your days--at what job, at what level, where you do it, and how it will affect your life and your family for all the weeks to come. It's not just a career book, though because--contrary to public opinion--you cannot compartmentalize your life. You have only one life. Your career, your family, your hobbies, and your socializing are all parts of your life--the only life you have to live. So, as we work together, I'll refer to your life and how you'll blend your career goals with both your family and your financial needs.
The first thing to determine is exactly what you want. I've worked with many clients who have faced the decisions you face now and moved on to a better and more fulfilling situation.
Sucessful people love their work, excel at it, and find meaning and happiness performing it. You are about to investigate many potential options: something new, bigger, better, different, or part-time, or even something you create and own. You can ponder and explore a new field or industry, land a promotion, and perhaps even consider a new location. You might be burnt out or simply want a position that allows more flexibility and time to be with your children. Starting completely over at the bottom in a new career just isn't financially feasible for a lot of people whose lifestyle includes a house, two cars, kids and so forth. But changing careers doesn't have to mean a big drop in pay, as you'll see in later chapters. We'll look at your income objectives and make that a part of your career goals. Maybe all you need to do is clearly sell the skills and talents you already possess. You may need training or more specialty courses or even degree to make your move. We'll investigate it all and set a plan of action in motion. If a move up is in your future, then hold tight, for included in this book is a new CEO/top executive survey on exactly how to get promoted and even reach the top if that's your goal.
