⌊ K™¦krizzna.web.id ⌉

By 

Kevin L. Nenstiel “omnivore” (Kearney, Nebraska) –

  

  

  

Instead of hoping for a lifelong career with one employer, Paula Caligiuri wants you to focus on “career acts,” productive components that make meaning and, ideally, money. To that end, she proposes you take a hard look at what you can leverage in your life, what skill sets make you uniquely valuable, and what strategic choices you can make to render yourself irreplaceable. I have mixed feeling about the finished product.

On the plus side, Caligiuri makes a persuasive case for diversifying yourself. A one-task job and one-boss career might have worked for our parents, but today, we need to strategize for both this job and the next one. That means planning our own multi-pronged careers, with a broad safety net and many irons in the fire. Caligiuri’s career model looks enticing when I’ve been wondering who I’ll work for in three months.

On the minus side, I have two caveats. First, Caligiuri’s suggestions mostly speak to managerial workers and skilled professionals. Laborers can do little to increase their institutional indespensibility or make themselves more crucial, especially when a volatile economy makes sticking your neck out a poor career move.

Second, while leveraging what makes you happy sounds good, how realistic is that for most of us? Consider how many people really, REALLY want to be actors, novelists, full-time parents, or (let’s not kid ourselves) drunks. Now consider how many have the connections, resources, or luck to live the dream. X does not equal Y.

Perhaps Caligiuri addresses my qualms in later chapters. But my Kindle edition is only a sample, containing just the introduction and first two chapters. I think I get Caligiuri’s broad ideas, but if she explicates fine details, I’ll need to buy the print edition. As it stands, her ideas look appealing but not yet clarified.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 

Was this review helpful to you? 

|

 Comment (1)