Check It Out: Advice abounds for changing careers
Second careers are quite a common occurrence in today’s world of work. They give many an opportunity to realize their true potential and explore interests at a time of greater self-knowledge and maturity. Many times what someone chooses as their profession at 22 isn’t exactly what they would choose five, 10 or 15 years later. Time goes on, people change and new interests develop.
If you are questioning your career choice, or just testing the waters and thinking of trying something new, be sure to check out these resources from the Newport Beach Public Library. They all offer strong advice on how to take that initial leap while gently reminding you that it’s never too late to follow your heart and delve into a new and exciting career opportunity.
Business psychologist Timothy Butler guides readers toward life transformation in “Getting Unstuck: How Dead Ends Become New Paths.” He offers strategies for awakening the imagination and looking deeply within oneself to discover how to take action toward redefining life and career goals. This book offers practical approaches for getting unstuck through the use of exercises that can be used to develop a new life vision.
“The Start Up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform your Career,” by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha, gives a detailed account on the competitive realities of today’s current job market while offering practical tools to navigate successfully. Through firsthand experience in his work as LinkedIn co-founder and chairman, Hoffman gives readers advice on how to manage careers just as anyone would manage any type of start-up business. He stresses the importance of building networks, taking intelligent risks, and embracing the unknown; all vital in making progress toward self-actualization and career fulfillment.
Sometimes all it takes to realize a dream is the power of positive thinking. “Second Acts: Creating the Life you Really Want, Building the Career you Truly Desire,” by life coach and financial advisor Stephen M. Pollan and Mark Levine, helps readers explore those self-imposed barriers that many create as an obstacle to true fulfillment or success. Readers are guided through the process of revaluating one’s own thoughts, sometimes self-defeating in nature, in order to adjust thinking toward more positive self-empowerment.
Quitting doesn’t always have to mean failure. It can mean the possibility of change. In the book “Quitter: Closing the Gap Between your Day Job and your Dream Job,” author Jon Acuff provides insight on his own personal and inspiring story — how he moved strategically through different career fields in order to land in a place that feels more authentic and professionally satisfying.
Alexandra Levit instructs readers to start fresh and forge ahead on a fulfilling new career path in her book, “New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career.” As a Wall Street Journal columnist, Levit’s experience has allowed her to conclude that confidence and clarity are significant in the reinvention of self toward a new career. Levit also soundly organizes and explores the seven major motivations that lead people to seek career changes — family, independence, learning, money, passion, setback and talent.
In addition to the inspirational and useful titles mentioned above, be sure to visit the career resource databases available at https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org to build a resume and cover letter, search for jobs, acquire new skills and so much more. Start your own career development journey today at the library.
CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org. For more information on the Central Library or any of the branches, contact the Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.