Taking Charge of Your Career: a book review

In Taking Charge of Your Career by Leigh Bailey, the author outlines tips for making your current job more satisfying and setting future career goals. Taking Charge of Your Career is a workbook that gives the reader practical tools, a roadmap, and support for finding satisfying work. The workbook is an easy read, has stretch assignments and addresses topics such as career fundamentals, how to write a job renewal plan, learning about your work self, assessing your current job, career options for transitioners, and the challenge of change.

A consistent theme throughout the Taking Charge of Your Career Workbook is that we are ultimately responsible for our career or job satisfaction. While it is in the best interest of organizations to assist employees on this journey, we must do the work to define and create satisfying work for ourselves.

The author states that taking responsibility for personal development means confronting and giving up illusions about money, about someone else being responsible for your work satisfaction, and finding clear answers that work for a lifetime.

The author also states that even though there has been a paradigm shift in the workplace, it is also an exciting time to be alive and in the workplace. Opportunities exist for people who are clear about what they are looking for and who are willing to put in the hard work to realize their dreams.

The author ends the introduction to the workbook by stating that the end result may not be exactly what you expected, but it will include increased maturity, self-confidence, a sense of purpose, and perhaps, if you are fortunate, even joy.

May this workbook help you accept the responsibility of taking charge of your career.

Tammy McIntyre is owner of McIntyre Employment Service, an agency providing individuals and small businesses with career development services. She welcomes reader responses to tammy@mcintyre-employment.com.