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Back in Control: How to Stay Sane, Productive, and Inspired in Your Career Transition
Everyone goes through a career change at least once in their life and most people switch careers several times. This transitional time often causes people to feel stuck, depressed, dejected, confused, alone, and stressed. Back in Control contains counsel and comfort for people working through these changes, turning an unconstructive and emotionally damaging experience into a personally enriching and beneficial one. This book picks up where the "how to" manuals leave off. Countless career books will help readers craft a winning resume, use the Internet and other resources, or prepare for the all-important interview. Wilson's book helps readers manage something even more themselves. It talks about the stuff that most of us want to know about from others but are seldom in a position to ask. It features personal reflections collected from people going through career changes--real-life experiences described in rich and candid detail.
247 pages, Paperback
First published June 25, 2004
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 11, 2016
PERSONAL NOTE: So, in case you didn't know, I have moved over to BL. However, since a ton of GR's are over there now, they have this cool new feature that allows you to automatically update your GR account as you update your BL account. I have to say it's pretty nifty, since it allows you to be in two places at once. Don't take my word for it though, check it out for yourself.
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Best Book On Career Transition I Have Ever Read!
In 2013, I made the executive life decision to leave the corporate world, in order to pursue my artistic goals. I had outgrown my position and there was no where else for me to move up within the company, so I gave my three months notice. Since I was the only person in my position, I wanted to make sure that I gave the higher ups enough time to hire someone new and get them trained. I felt like I left on a good note.
I knew that following my artistic passions was going to be a hard and rocky road. However, with the help of this book, I feel like I have been given a tool box that has helped me to cultivate my abilities, in order to use my whole self, best skills, and have what this book refers to as 'emotional employment'.
I really enjoyed reading this book and doing the writing exercises. My favorite, and most valuable writing exercise was, writing my career narrative. This gave me the power to transform, re-organize my relationship to the information, and allowed me to accept my past a bit better. I realized that every step I have taken so far has given me the skills needed to be able to succeed on my own.
Other take-aways from this book that I learned were:
* My real passion wasn't what I was doing for a job.
* Fear sometimes holds me back, but I can't let it.
* Some of my dreams are more conscious than others.
* The difference between leading and managing is important. I like to lead, but really hate managing others.
* Making a commitment to finding myself, as well as work that expresses myself is a powerful decision, with tremendous potential, but great care must be taken to re-learn new messages about my self worth, in order to grow authentically.
I have also taken the time to cultivate my intuitive guidance system; by turning up the volume on that little voice, as well as, have a care system in place for all my negative inner critics that keep popping up.
I feel like I have just started my journey and am excited to see where it will go in 2014. I wouldn't of been able to feel confident in this journey without the help of this book, and all of the podcasts that I have listened to this past year. I also feel like my accident at the end of this year was important, as it gave me the space to re-start everything, and get all my ducks lined up for further success next year.
_________________________________
Best Book On Career Transition I Have Ever Read!
In 2013, I made the executive life decision to leave the corporate world, in order to pursue my artistic goals. I had outgrown my position and there was no where else for me to move up within the company, so I gave my three months notice. Since I was the only person in my position, I wanted to make sure that I gave the higher ups enough time to hire someone new and get them trained. I felt like I left on a good note.
I knew that following my artistic passions was going to be a hard and rocky road. However, with the help of this book, I feel like I have been given a tool box that has helped me to cultivate my abilities, in order to use my whole self, best skills, and have what this book refers to as 'emotional employment'.
I really enjoyed reading this book and doing the writing exercises. My favorite, and most valuable writing exercise was, writing my career narrative. This gave me the power to transform, re-organize my relationship to the information, and allowed me to accept my past a bit better. I realized that every step I have taken so far has given me the skills needed to be able to succeed on my own.
Other take-aways from this book that I learned were:
* My real passion wasn't what I was doing for a job.
* Fear sometimes holds me back, but I can't let it.
* Some of my dreams are more conscious than others.
* The difference between leading and managing is important. I like to lead, but really hate managing others.
* Making a commitment to finding myself, as well as work that expresses myself is a powerful decision, with tremendous potential, but great care must be taken to re-learn new messages about my self worth, in order to grow authentically.
I have also taken the time to cultivate my intuitive guidance system; by turning up the volume on that little voice, as well as, have a care system in place for all my negative inner critics that keep popping up.
I feel like I have just started my journey and am excited to see where it will go in 2014. I wouldn't of been able to feel confident in this journey without the help of this book, and all of the podcasts that I have listened to this past year. I also feel like my accident at the end of this year was important, as it gave me the space to re-start everything, and get all my ducks lined up for further success next year.
January 6, 2022
A helpful read for those undergoing career transition. The author's insights into psychological processes are helpful and the quotes from clients remind the reader we're not alone.
November 11, 2013
Back in Control: How to Stay Sane, Productive and Inspired in Your Career Transistion by Diane Grimard takes a holistic approach to the job hunt, not found in many books in the career field. While many of us looking for a new job or a career change may look for books targeting a very specific part of the process - resume & interviewing guides, guides to finding jobs in your specific field, or perhaps skill assessments to figure out what field we should even be looking in - but Wilson touches on all of those areas, as well as focusing on the often neglected emotional side of the job search.
Having recently gone through a job search myself, I was amazed at how often I felt like Wilson was reading my mind. I was having the same thoughts and feelings she talked and I really did wish there was somewhere I could turn to help deal with them. It was incredible learning how universal the feelings of shame, impatience, and frustration are in job searches, and Wilson provides numerous tools for dealing with these feelings, first by figuring out exactly what they are and where they're coming from, then addressing the sources of these feelings and developing more useful outlets for your concerns.
The only complaint I have about this book is that it's a little long, but it's jam-packed with information, and I found myself pulling several helpful pieces of information out of each chapter. The chapters I found most generally helpful were: the first few chapters explaining the basic emotional responses to career change and also helped you explore your own emotional reactions; the chapter on maintaining your general health and welfare so you can be more effective in your job search; and the chapter on helping those around you be more effective for you in your career change (ie. how to politely explain to your nagging mother that you would appreciate it if she didn't talk to every Tom, Dick, or Harry about your need for a job).
I highly recommend this book for anyone going through a career transistion who'd like a little extra help with coping with the process.
Having recently gone through a job search myself, I was amazed at how often I felt like Wilson was reading my mind. I was having the same thoughts and feelings she talked and I really did wish there was somewhere I could turn to help deal with them. It was incredible learning how universal the feelings of shame, impatience, and frustration are in job searches, and Wilson provides numerous tools for dealing with these feelings, first by figuring out exactly what they are and where they're coming from, then addressing the sources of these feelings and developing more useful outlets for your concerns.
The only complaint I have about this book is that it's a little long, but it's jam-packed with information, and I found myself pulling several helpful pieces of information out of each chapter. The chapters I found most generally helpful were: the first few chapters explaining the basic emotional responses to career change and also helped you explore your own emotional reactions; the chapter on maintaining your general health and welfare so you can be more effective in your job search; and the chapter on helping those around you be more effective for you in your career change (ie. how to politely explain to your nagging mother that you would appreciate it if she didn't talk to every Tom, Dick, or Harry about your need for a job).
I highly recommend this book for anyone going through a career transistion who'd like a little extra help with coping with the process.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews