“What’s Next? Follow Your Passion and Find Your Dream Job” by “US News & World Report” Contributing Editor Kerry Hannon is an entertaining, engaging, and quick-to-read book that provides the reader with examples and motivation to keep going. your passion instead of excelling in a job that is unsatisfying and doesn’t provide the important things in life, like family time and wellness. The book is a collection of stories, interviews, and tips related to changing careers in your 40s, 50s, and beyond. The stories and interviews are from real people who did just that, and the jobs they left and the careers they entered are extremely varied, but all interesting with some common themes behind why they changed. From the opening story of a tough cop turned Nashville music agent to the ending story about a lawyer, congressional aide, lobbyist turned pianist, singer, and performer of skits, skits, and songs, I found myself engaged and motivated as I searched for change. of race. myself.
Each chapter has the same format and features a different person and their career change. First there is a brief history of the change the person made. This is followed by a question and answer section where the author asks the person about reasons for the change, difficulties, and resources. Questions like “What did the transition mean to you personally?” or “What do you say to the people who come to you for advice on how to start the second act?” While the answers are brief, they provide a good perspective and made me stop more than once and reflect on my own situation. Following the interview questions and answers, there are short segments that provide tips and resources, and some insider tips. These sections are also short, but they contain some very good information to think about as you think about your own second or third act and career change. There are sixteen chapters, so sixteen profiles and other information.
Also, the back of the book has some additional book pages on the topic and helpful websites on topics like nonprofits, job hunting, continuing education, small business, and more.
Hannon writes in an engaging style and I found myself enjoying the book and really thinking about my own possibilities. And that is the benefit of this book. It’s not going to draw a roadmap for his career path. It is highly unlikely that you would want to follow the same course as one of the sixteen profiled, and even if you did, your path would be different. This book is for motivation. It allows you to see what others have done and why, and it can trigger a sense of inner excitement that leads to your own second or third act. (Or maybe even his room, who knows?) The purpose of the book is to show what has been done to open his eyes to his own possibilities. If that’s the point of your life right now, this may be the book you’ve been needing.