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Leap: Leaving a Job with No Plan B to Find the Career and Life You Really Want
Until recently, Tess Vigeland was a longtime host with public radio's Marketplace; it was a rewarding, high-status job, and Tess was very good at it—but she'd begun to feel restless. Without any definite, clear sense of what she wanted to do next (but an absolute certainty that what she'd been doing was no longer truly satisfying), she walked away from her dream job and into a vast unknown. Suddenly she was no longer “Marketplace’s Tess Vigeland,” she was just Tess Vigeland.
For the multitude of Americans who change jobs mid-career (by choice or circumstance), the growing legions of freelance workers, and the entrepreneurially-minded who see self-employment as an increasingly more appealing and viable option, Tess Vigeland has created a personal and well-researched account of leaping without a net. With her signature humor, she writes honestly about the fear, uncertainty, and risk involved in leaving the traditional workforce—but also the excitement, resources, and possibilities that are on the other side.
Leap is also about finding a new definition of success. Tess poses the important question – “Who am I without my job?” She shares the accounts of people who struggled with this question before and after they took their own leap of faith, and ended up finding out more about themselves than they’d thought possible. Success doesn’t have to be measured by salary or a traditional career path, as so many of us are conditioned to think, but by your own happiness and fulfillment.
Part memoir and part field guide, this book offers a funny, thoughtful, and provocative look at how to find satisfaction and success when pursuing a career less ordinary.
For the multitude of Americans who change jobs mid-career (by choice or circumstance), the growing legions of freelance workers, and the entrepreneurially-minded who see self-employment as an increasingly more appealing and viable option, Tess Vigeland has created a personal and well-researched account of leaping without a net. With her signature humor, she writes honestly about the fear, uncertainty, and risk involved in leaving the traditional workforce—but also the excitement, resources, and possibilities that are on the other side.
Leap is also about finding a new definition of success. Tess poses the important question – “Who am I without my job?” She shares the accounts of people who struggled with this question before and after they took their own leap of faith, and ended up finding out more about themselves than they’d thought possible. Success doesn’t have to be measured by salary or a traditional career path, as so many of us are conditioned to think, but by your own happiness and fulfillment.
Part memoir and part field guide, this book offers a funny, thoughtful, and provocative look at how to find satisfaction and success when pursuing a career less ordinary.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2015
51 people are currently reading
815 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
August 21, 2018
So, here's the thing. Vigeland writes well. And she brings up good points about women in the workplace, how our identity and sense of self-worth can be so wrapped up in our jobs, how ambition can sometimes be about insecurity, how quitting is not necessarily failure, and why a general sense of contentment can be more enriching than a roller coaster of invigorating highs and devastating lows.
But, even though she had no Plan B, she had a lot of safety nets. And while the fear of "what's next?" is still very real even when it's mainly about your identity and self-worth, for once I would love to read about big life changes from someone who didn't have most or all of the following:
*well-to-do parents
*a degree from a prestigious university
*an acclaimed career
*a series of helpful professional connections
*fame, or at least name recognition
*a partner whose income can support both of them
*savings and/or investments
THAT would really be a leap of faith. If anyone can recommend a book like that, please let me know. Because I can't read about another person who was okay financially for SEVERAL YEARS without a paycheck and I can't stomach another Sheryl Sandberg reference. This was not the book for me.
But, even though she had no Plan B, she had a lot of safety nets. And while the fear of "what's next?" is still very real even when it's mainly about your identity and self-worth, for once I would love to read about big life changes from someone who didn't have most or all of the following:
*well-to-do parents
*a degree from a prestigious university
*an acclaimed career
*a series of helpful professional connections
*fame, or at least name recognition
*a partner whose income can support both of them
*savings and/or investments
THAT would really be a leap of faith. If anyone can recommend a book like that, please let me know. Because I can't read about another person who was okay financially for SEVERAL YEARS without a paycheck and I can't stomach another Sheryl Sandberg reference. This was not the book for me.
October 4, 2015
This book is by Tess Vigeland, formerly of Marketplace, the NPR finance show.
On the whole, I found the book engaging and a relatively quick read. Vigeland, whose work I knew/know from her reporting, is smart, funny, and intuitive on many levels, and those attributes show through in the book itself.
This book is and should have been sold (and in fact more directly written) as a memoir than as what it purports to be given the title, something of a how-to book. That it is really not. Vigeland is a journalist who thought she wanted to go into TV broadcasting but ended up finding her passion and love in radio. She is a very ambitious person, and from her own description, got into one job and immediately started thinking about her next steps. She is clearly talented, had a devoted following, and moved easily from place to place until she landed what she describes as her dream job at Marketplace at the age of 32 (the timeframes in the book are muddled, so this is approximate).
The story revolves around her departure from Marketplace, a job she loved a great deal, but at which she clearly became frustrated after working there for what I believe was 11 years (again, muddled timelines sort of scattered throughout the book). She never comes out and says it, which I think was a bit disingenuous, but it appears that she left because despite many achievements it was made clear to her she would never become the host of Marketplace. I can understand on one level that she in fact would be hesitant to write critically about NPR and public radio management structures because... then her book might not be reviewed and/or receive an interview on NPR stations and indeed it was on Marketplace that I heard her interviewed about her book. Nonetheless, it seems that there are deeper issues here about how NPR is led and managed or at least about how some public radio stations in the small world of public radio are managed that would have been illuminating as part of this memoir which, see above, is what it should really have been.
I liked the book for its examination of work identities and its challenge to traditional career counseling sorts of stuff, as Vigeland interviews a number of thinkers on the subject, and those who she does have very different views about how to take a "leap" from one thing to another. That said, this is not really an advice book because those aspects of the book are too superficial and too tied up with Vigeland's own story. Moreover, the other personal stories she tells also are told on a superficial level.
One thing I both liked about and also got a bit tired of in the book was Vigeland's repeated admission of her need for the limelight and for external approval. On one hand, she was extremely honest about herself in this way, and let's face it... ego is involved in our work for many of us, and to be honest about that is not only refreshing, it's okay. But that theme kept coming up so many times throughout the book without real examination of why she needed so much external validation, it did at times feel repetitive and/or self serving. On the other hand, there is a lot in her own story and in some of the others she tells that provide food for thought for those of us, myself included, who are always thinking about the future and the "other lives I could live."
I don't think there *is* any one recipe for finding the career and life you really want; there is floundering and uncertainty, and courage and sticking to it, and being able to get through the bad parts. So I can't totally fault the book on the score of not providing what it's title implies. That said, it would have been better, I think, as a memoir with some further and deeper reflection on Vigeland's own career, some more honesty about the things she faced, and some deeper introspection about how she got where she is now than you will find.
On the whole, I found the book engaging and a relatively quick read. Vigeland, whose work I knew/know from her reporting, is smart, funny, and intuitive on many levels, and those attributes show through in the book itself.
This book is and should have been sold (and in fact more directly written) as a memoir than as what it purports to be given the title, something of a how-to book. That it is really not. Vigeland is a journalist who thought she wanted to go into TV broadcasting but ended up finding her passion and love in radio. She is a very ambitious person, and from her own description, got into one job and immediately started thinking about her next steps. She is clearly talented, had a devoted following, and moved easily from place to place until she landed what she describes as her dream job at Marketplace at the age of 32 (the timeframes in the book are muddled, so this is approximate).
The story revolves around her departure from Marketplace, a job she loved a great deal, but at which she clearly became frustrated after working there for what I believe was 11 years (again, muddled timelines sort of scattered throughout the book). She never comes out and says it, which I think was a bit disingenuous, but it appears that she left because despite many achievements it was made clear to her she would never become the host of Marketplace. I can understand on one level that she in fact would be hesitant to write critically about NPR and public radio management structures because... then her book might not be reviewed and/or receive an interview on NPR stations and indeed it was on Marketplace that I heard her interviewed about her book. Nonetheless, it seems that there are deeper issues here about how NPR is led and managed or at least about how some public radio stations in the small world of public radio are managed that would have been illuminating as part of this memoir which, see above, is what it should really have been.
I liked the book for its examination of work identities and its challenge to traditional career counseling sorts of stuff, as Vigeland interviews a number of thinkers on the subject, and those who she does have very different views about how to take a "leap" from one thing to another. That said, this is not really an advice book because those aspects of the book are too superficial and too tied up with Vigeland's own story. Moreover, the other personal stories she tells also are told on a superficial level.
One thing I both liked about and also got a bit tired of in the book was Vigeland's repeated admission of her need for the limelight and for external approval. On one hand, she was extremely honest about herself in this way, and let's face it... ego is involved in our work for many of us, and to be honest about that is not only refreshing, it's okay. But that theme kept coming up so many times throughout the book without real examination of why she needed so much external validation, it did at times feel repetitive and/or self serving. On the other hand, there is a lot in her own story and in some of the others she tells that provide food for thought for those of us, myself included, who are always thinking about the future and the "other lives I could live."
I don't think there *is* any one recipe for finding the career and life you really want; there is floundering and uncertainty, and courage and sticking to it, and being able to get through the bad parts. So I can't totally fault the book on the score of not providing what it's title implies. That said, it would have been better, I think, as a memoir with some further and deeper reflection on Vigeland's own career, some more honesty about the things she faced, and some deeper introspection about how she got where she is now than you will find.
April 11, 2021
This is another reading choice based on my finding it at The Dollar Tree. I started reading it a couple of years ago and just decided to pick it up and finish it today. It was pretty interesting to read her personal account of what happened when she decided to leave her job, but I wouldn't say it delivered any great insights.
September 9, 2015
I hate not finishing books. Hate hate hate.
In fact, I find it physically painful.
I wish I had good things to say about this book - I had high hopes, that's for sure. It came at a highly appropriate time in my life. I love NPR. I appreciate the topic. Tess Vigeland is great. But it really just fell flat for me.
A great career self-help/inspirational book is hard to achieve. It takes finesse, global thinking and specificity. Leap had none of that. Instead, the book fell victim to many of the stereotypical problems this genre of book can gave: mainly, falling victim to navel gazing.
The book spent so much time talking about the author, her feelings, her history and, mostly, how great she really is that I put down the book about a third of the way through and haven't found it in myself to pick it back up. While I can totally understand that the emotional turmoil caused by leaving a job means having to find the kind of inner purpose your job once gave you, I'm not sure the right place for working through those feelings is in the book. It isn't a place to so forthrightly ask for your readers to like you, which is what, essentially, this felt like to me.
I'll leave it at that.
Bee Tee Dubs – I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review. But as usual, this girl has got some opinions on her and they’re all my own.
In fact, I find it physically painful.
I wish I had good things to say about this book - I had high hopes, that's for sure. It came at a highly appropriate time in my life. I love NPR. I appreciate the topic. Tess Vigeland is great. But it really just fell flat for me.
A great career self-help/inspirational book is hard to achieve. It takes finesse, global thinking and specificity. Leap had none of that. Instead, the book fell victim to many of the stereotypical problems this genre of book can gave: mainly, falling victim to navel gazing.
The book spent so much time talking about the author, her feelings, her history and, mostly, how great she really is that I put down the book about a third of the way through and haven't found it in myself to pick it back up. While I can totally understand that the emotional turmoil caused by leaving a job means having to find the kind of inner purpose your job once gave you, I'm not sure the right place for working through those feelings is in the book. It isn't a place to so forthrightly ask for your readers to like you, which is what, essentially, this felt like to me.
I'll leave it at that.
Bee Tee Dubs – I received a copy of this book from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review. But as usual, this girl has got some opinions on her and they’re all my own.
September 9, 2017
While this book had a few good nuggets in it for a gal at a career impasse, I was distracted by all the bragging and the realities that could only be afforded to high-income "leapers." In the end, the author didn't really seem to leap from her career, either... I mostly felt confused as to why this book was published. It seemed more like the author wanted to confirm she was good at the career she left, than really move on from that career and help average folks with wisdom on "leaping."
October 24, 2015
I liked Tess Vigeland on Marketplace, I would probably like Tess Vigeland in person, but I did not like Tess Vigeland's writing in this book. It was one note: "I had a great job that I was crazy to quit, right? But I did it anyway, yay me." Okay, maybe two notes. But I didn't find anything particularly insightful or illuminating here.
August 16, 2015
Disclaimer: I won a proof copy of this book from Goodreads. As you can see, it did not force me to write a great review.
I was excited when I won this book because I've been laid off for a while and am really trying to figure out what to do with myself career-wise. I was hoping that it would give me some helpful advice and pointers on finding a career and life I really want because I totally didn't have a backup plan when I lost my job. THIS IS NOT THAT BOOK.
For at least half the book I felt hit over the head with the fact she used to work at Marketplace. It's a high profile NPR show, in case you haven't heard of it. It wasn't quite as bad as "I ran into an old coworker, from Marketplace, who said I looked ill" but it was close. Very close. And then she tries to backspin by saying that she's not a diva and her life doesn't revolve around the fame she got from Marketplace. You know, the show she hosted. That had millions of listeners.
This book reminds me a lot of Rebecca Black's song "Friday". Not horrible, but definitely self-serving. If I knew who she was or cared before reading the book it might have been more interesting. She does include other anecdotal pieces of people who quit their jobs without a backup plan, but a lot of them didn't have to worry about money and ended up doing well and can go back to work whenever they want. Not really relate-able to the middle class working Joe who is miserable and wants to find a new career and life.
tl;dr? Read this if you know who Tess Vigeland, of Marketplace, is and want to know what she's been doing since leaving Marketplace. Otherwise, not full of advice for those looking to make a career change without a plan.
I was excited when I won this book because I've been laid off for a while and am really trying to figure out what to do with myself career-wise. I was hoping that it would give me some helpful advice and pointers on finding a career and life I really want because I totally didn't have a backup plan when I lost my job. THIS IS NOT THAT BOOK.
For at least half the book I felt hit over the head with the fact she used to work at Marketplace. It's a high profile NPR show, in case you haven't heard of it. It wasn't quite as bad as "I ran into an old coworker, from Marketplace, who said I looked ill" but it was close. Very close. And then she tries to backspin by saying that she's not a diva and her life doesn't revolve around the fame she got from Marketplace. You know, the show she hosted. That had millions of listeners.
This book reminds me a lot of Rebecca Black's song "Friday". Not horrible, but definitely self-serving. If I knew who she was or cared before reading the book it might have been more interesting. She does include other anecdotal pieces of people who quit their jobs without a backup plan, but a lot of them didn't have to worry about money and ended up doing well and can go back to work whenever they want. Not really relate-able to the middle class working Joe who is miserable and wants to find a new career and life.
tl;dr? Read this if you know who Tess Vigeland, of Marketplace, is and want to know what she's been doing since leaving Marketplace. Otherwise, not full of advice for those looking to make a career change without a plan.
November 11, 2018
A lot of readers complain that this book was not advertised well - they thought it was help when in actual fact it’s a memoir with some tips on making a big career move. They also complained that the author went on and on about how awesome her job was and wished she wrote less about that.
On the first point, I agree - the cover was misleading. It should have been advertised and promoted as a memoir and the cover and title didn’t do it any favours.
However I think the second complaint wasn’t completely fair - it’s a big part of her journey out of her career. Having been in a similar position where the job you adored changed on you and you were forced to leave or end up in a worse position, I understood her angst. It’s hard to leave behind something you loved eventhough you had to.
Sometimes you hold on far too long - like our author - but that’s also part of the journey. We have to deal with the reality of it all and embrace the next step - and she has. If you Google her story you would have discovered that she has spend the years after her book was published as a wandering journalist, globe trotting and writing stories. I think that’s an awesome second career, don’t you think?
On the first point, I agree - the cover was misleading. It should have been advertised and promoted as a memoir and the cover and title didn’t do it any favours.
However I think the second complaint wasn’t completely fair - it’s a big part of her journey out of her career. Having been in a similar position where the job you adored changed on you and you were forced to leave or end up in a worse position, I understood her angst. It’s hard to leave behind something you loved eventhough you had to.
Sometimes you hold on far too long - like our author - but that’s also part of the journey. We have to deal with the reality of it all and embrace the next step - and she has. If you Google her story you would have discovered that she has spend the years after her book was published as a wandering journalist, globe trotting and writing stories. I think that’s an awesome second career, don’t you think?
December 29, 2018
This piece of shit, pretentious-ass book…. UUUUGH!!! I am not one to ever really go there, but the sheer privilege oozing from this crap made my skin crawl. She could have renamed it, "What to do when you are totally able to make stupid decisions because you have every safety net conceivable firmly in place." Or if we're sticking with verbs, "Humble Brag" would suffice.
March 30, 2023
Great listen on audio, as the author was a well-known NPR personality before her "leap." The information is helpful and the stories shared by others who made the leap from otherwise privileged jobs into the great unknown were interesting. This book is soaked in privilege, and the author acknowledges such on several occasions. It's a good listen if you're in a place of security and relative self-assurance. Not a great listen if one is struggling to make ends meet.
January 24, 2020
I have to be honest..the whole time that I was reading this I kept thinking to myself “wow this lady is FULL of white privilege”. The whole reason that I wanted to read this book was that the title led me to believe how to get back up on your feet after you lost your job. I was not looking for a memoir that day but alas… I was hoping to find some tips on dealing with me Schizoaffective disorder that would allow me to feel that I am not behind in life but rather I can still embrace this life and be happy! That was NOT what the book was about at all.
The story would have felt more authentic if Tess Vigeland had not been…so privileged. I mean sure there are plenty of poor white people who would LOVE to quit their jobs but kids are expensive. Then there are single mothers. I could name all off a whole category of women who would do anything to quit their job. I live in Hillbilly Elegy country so I have seen what effects wretched poverty brings. I even though I was born and raised here I will be the first to tell you that I have a lot of privileges. For example, many people would love to go to college but they lack the appropriate amount of funds and to be honest, so did I but I received a full scholarship so in the fall of 1998 I left the area not to return here to live until 2 years ago. I am also privileged in the fact that my family HAD truck/car to put all my stuff in and there were able to help me move. Suppose I had not had that advantage?? I may have ended up pregnant and/or worse. I know this for sure, I couldn’t figure why people my age looked so worn down then it hit me that poverty, true poverty is a hard master. It will grind you down until you are begging for a way out. And if you have no money no car and only a trailer that has been condemned then the only way out is death. Poor people often do not HAVE the luxury of saying fuck this shit, fuck this job I quit! And Tess Vigeland did just that and she had a man to catch her ( don’t look at me like that she DID)so now she piddles around trying to figure out what the fuck to do now.
View Spoiler »
I was telling some of my friends about the book and how the whole oh I hate my job imma gonna quit and then I will figure something out” and how Tess Vigeland just up and because of all the privileges she COULD.
to be honest by the time my turn came up for the library audiobook I had forgotten that I had placed this audiobook on hold. You may judge me but by the title and the look of the book, it brought to mind quitting a dream job to lead a more fulfilled and authentic life.
Don’t get me wrong. I am sure that Tess Veigland and other women in the same boat feel as if their world is coming apart and it is. It would just have been more authentic had Tess Veigland had recognized and admitted that she was privileged enough to “leap” from a nice steady job into the vast unknown.
The story would have felt more authentic if Tess Vigeland had not been…so privileged. I mean sure there are plenty of poor white people who would LOVE to quit their jobs but kids are expensive. Then there are single mothers. I could name all off a whole category of women who would do anything to quit their job. I live in Hillbilly Elegy country so I have seen what effects wretched poverty brings. I even though I was born and raised here I will be the first to tell you that I have a lot of privileges. For example, many people would love to go to college but they lack the appropriate amount of funds and to be honest, so did I but I received a full scholarship so in the fall of 1998 I left the area not to return here to live until 2 years ago. I am also privileged in the fact that my family HAD truck/car to put all my stuff in and there were able to help me move. Suppose I had not had that advantage?? I may have ended up pregnant and/or worse. I know this for sure, I couldn’t figure why people my age looked so worn down then it hit me that poverty, true poverty is a hard master. It will grind you down until you are begging for a way out. And if you have no money no car and only a trailer that has been condemned then the only way out is death. Poor people often do not HAVE the luxury of saying fuck this shit, fuck this job I quit! And Tess Vigeland did just that and she had a man to catch her ( don’t look at me like that she DID)so now she piddles around trying to figure out what the fuck to do now.
View Spoiler »
I was telling some of my friends about the book and how the whole oh I hate my job imma gonna quit and then I will figure something out” and how Tess Vigeland just up and because of all the privileges she COULD.
to be honest by the time my turn came up for the library audiobook I had forgotten that I had placed this audiobook on hold. You may judge me but by the title and the look of the book, it brought to mind quitting a dream job to lead a more fulfilled and authentic life.
Don’t get me wrong. I am sure that Tess Veigland and other women in the same boat feel as if their world is coming apart and it is. It would just have been more authentic had Tess Veigland had recognized and admitted that she was privileged enough to “leap” from a nice steady job into the vast unknown.
February 14, 2025
I’m glad I read this all the way through and I would recommend it to people who might have an idea that leaving X job and learning Y might be interesting, people who were ready to quit their job yesterday, and everyone in between.
The author makes it very clear right off the bat that this is NOT a book about how to quit your job, but I feel that she also could’ve included a disclaimer about how autobiographical the book is; while I still enjoyed listening to the full book, I wasn’t expecting it to be so heavily based on the recounting of her own story, which I didn’t find too relatable. She does share a lot of great insights based on her journey, but I guess I expected the whole book to be closer to that type of writing than to only have them sprinkled in amongst the full story. I enjoyed the later chapters more for this reason.
I very much appreciated her attitude and approach towards her own thoughts and feelings that often appear to be conflicting. For example, when she was reminiscing about how, even years after quitting and despite several great opportunities, she still had feelings of inner turmoil and thoughts that she had made a terrible mistake, she approaches those thoughts with a genuine curiosity, rather than a “fix it” mentality or “eliminate the bad thought” attitude. It got me to reflect deeply about how I often take these “conflicting thoughts” to mean that this is the “wrong decision”, which often leads to taking no action at all, and how I’m going to approach my current Leap differently.
The author makes it very clear right off the bat that this is NOT a book about how to quit your job, but I feel that she also could’ve included a disclaimer about how autobiographical the book is; while I still enjoyed listening to the full book, I wasn’t expecting it to be so heavily based on the recounting of her own story, which I didn’t find too relatable. She does share a lot of great insights based on her journey, but I guess I expected the whole book to be closer to that type of writing than to only have them sprinkled in amongst the full story. I enjoyed the later chapters more for this reason.
I very much appreciated her attitude and approach towards her own thoughts and feelings that often appear to be conflicting. For example, when she was reminiscing about how, even years after quitting and despite several great opportunities, she still had feelings of inner turmoil and thoughts that she had made a terrible mistake, she approaches those thoughts with a genuine curiosity, rather than a “fix it” mentality or “eliminate the bad thought” attitude. It got me to reflect deeply about how I often take these “conflicting thoughts” to mean that this is the “wrong decision”, which often leads to taking no action at all, and how I’m going to approach my current Leap differently.
April 23, 2020
I've never felt so entirely understood and supported. She was in my head, and suddenly I was listening to everything I have experienced and heard and agonized over since leaving my job last year and plunging into the abyss of unemployment without a plan. I needed this book desperately, and while I wish I'd found it sooner, I think it's come at the perfect time. I'm recommending Leap to every friend I have who is currently questioning his or her meaning and purpose, career or otherwise. I still don't know what's next exactly, but I've been given an extra boost of confidence in myself and empowerment via a shared community of "leapers" to propel me forward with eager anticipation of my future. THANK YOU, TESS!
August 4, 2022
This was more of a biography with small snippets of advice scattered throughout than a genuine guide to leaving a job. Still, it did have some interesting insights and suggestions! Tess Vigeland’s career journey was pretty cool.
I think this book could be helpful to anyone making that career leap and seeking reassurance that it’s the right thing to do. Vigeland is great about affirming convictions and sharing those Hardworking American Ideals, so a lot of this book boils down to basic platitudes. “If you work hard enough, you can make all your dreams come true!!” kind of things balanced out with concessions that life’s not perfect and each career decision will come with its own flaws. Which I, and I believe most sentient humans, already knew. So, really, this not so great for people trying to decide if the career leap is a wise choice. If you’re on the fence about a career and trying to find a book with suggestions on how to evaluate your next steps, this isn’t it. Again though, Vigeland’s life makes for a pretty interesting read by itself.
(I’m really excited to read “Your Life Has Already Been Designed” by David Cain. Vigeland’s commentary on it: “You may have seen writer David Cain’s 2010 essay called ‘Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed,’ in which he eviscerates both the American work style and the consumerism that necessitates it.” (Love the word eviscerate there.))
3.25 stars on Storygraph
I think this book could be helpful to anyone making that career leap and seeking reassurance that it’s the right thing to do. Vigeland is great about affirming convictions and sharing those Hardworking American Ideals, so a lot of this book boils down to basic platitudes. “If you work hard enough, you can make all your dreams come true!!” kind of things balanced out with concessions that life’s not perfect and each career decision will come with its own flaws. Which I, and I believe most sentient humans, already knew. So, really, this not so great for people trying to decide if the career leap is a wise choice. If you’re on the fence about a career and trying to find a book with suggestions on how to evaluate your next steps, this isn’t it. Again though, Vigeland’s life makes for a pretty interesting read by itself.
(I’m really excited to read “Your Life Has Already Been Designed” by David Cain. Vigeland’s commentary on it: “You may have seen writer David Cain’s 2010 essay called ‘Your Lifestyle Has Already Been Designed,’ in which he eviscerates both the American work style and the consumerism that necessitates it.” (Love the word eviscerate there.))
3.25 stars on Storygraph
February 3, 2019
An engaging read. This is not a “How-To” book, but rather a look at the ups and downs of taking a leap. I read it after taking my own leap last year and ending up back at the same job. I wanted to read something that would give me some faith in putting myself back out there and I think this book gave me some of that.
That being said, Tess left a job she really loved and keeps sort of coming back to. For me, I keep trying to leave an industry I don’t like but seem stuck in. There’s definitely a difference there for sure. But I think even taking that into account, it’s a good read to give you the feeling that there are other options, and maybe you’re not as stuck as you think. Whether you take a leap or not.
That being said, Tess left a job she really loved and keeps sort of coming back to. For me, I keep trying to leave an industry I don’t like but seem stuck in. There’s definitely a difference there for sure. But I think even taking that into account, it’s a good read to give you the feeling that there are other options, and maybe you’re not as stuck as you think. Whether you take a leap or not.
December 2, 2016
When I first was let go from my job in 2010, and was feeling adrift and sometimes panicky and often like a failure, Tess Vigeland on Marketplace Money always calmed me down. So much so that sometimes I would save an episode or two and listen to the podcasts immediately before an interview as they left me feeling confidant and in charge. Then in 2012, she left, rather abruptly. I was sad. I tried listening to the show for another 6 months or so but I eventually stopped. I didn't like the new host or the new format very much. Maybe I should try it again, but I think I really liked Tess.
So last fall, when my husband and I were considering a grand leap—moving across the country and both getting new jobs, and I heard Tess had a book coming out, and one that was about making big leaps in one's career, it seemed like kismet! And then a variety of things kept me from getting to read the book (for one, I was determined to listen to it on audio, but it wasn't available through Overdrive as a download.) And then I got let go from my new job and was in another unemployment funk. Seems like perfect timing so I requested the CDs.
And ah, there was my friend Tess again. The one who has her head screwed on straight, is sensible, and yet is also human and not afraid to admit it. The times I loved her the most on Marketplace was when she was admitting her own financial missteps, when she talked about how her and her husband combining their finances was a difficult decisions to make, when she talked about the several bouts with identity theft she's had to cope with. You felt like jeez, if these things can happen to an expert in personal finance who's at the top of her career, then of course I'm occasionally making a misstep myself—no one's perfect!
Now Tess doesn't even give away what was the event that lead to her leaving. And while I would love to hear the dirt, I appreciate her unwillingness to gossip. (Although it did feel like there was a bit of a hole in the story.) After all, why she left wasn't really about a single event. The book is about what to do when you decide you just can't take it any more but you also can't get something else lined up—whether because nothing else materializes before you get to the end of your rope, the time you gave yourself to transition out was too busy to do anything else, or because you just really don't know what to do next. It's no step-by-step guide to refiguring your career life, it's more about acceptance and about how the struggle to get to that next step in your life is okay.
Of course I didn't get to a breaking point and quit—I was let go—so it's not quite the same. But a heck of a lot still applied, and I even appreciated when she talked about some problems that I don't have as a "let go" rather than a "quit" unemployed person. Namely, I am not a "quitter," I don't have guilt for having put my family into this position financially on purpose, and Tess also experienced that a lot of her network didn't step up to help, as mine has, because they assumed she had something else already in mind, or else why would she quit? I had assumed that quitting was advantageous over being let go, but perhaps not.
While at the end, she doesn't have everything figured out just yet, she is in a better place mentally and emotionally, and she's ready for the next big thing to come along. And hearing that even Tess Vigeland occasionally is runner-up for an awesome job she'd love and be great at (host of NPR's Weekend Edition) makes it a little easier to swallow when I am runner-up for an awesome job I'd love and be great at. If I can have confidence that something else great is out there for her and she'll eventually find it, I ought to be able to have more confidence in my own situation, as hard as that is to do when everything feels like a personal rejection. So I learned no tips, I have no new knowledge, but I come away from her book with a slightly better state of mind, and I'm going to try to cut myself more slack, job hunting during the hardest time of the year. I do hope Tess will end up back on the radio or on a podcast, though, because I will listen to her talk about almost anything. I loved it. I highly recommend the audio version which instead of printing a speed she gave at the World Domination Forum, gives you the actual live recording complete with audience reactions and questions, etc.
So last fall, when my husband and I were considering a grand leap—moving across the country and both getting new jobs, and I heard Tess had a book coming out, and one that was about making big leaps in one's career, it seemed like kismet! And then a variety of things kept me from getting to read the book (for one, I was determined to listen to it on audio, but it wasn't available through Overdrive as a download.) And then I got let go from my new job and was in another unemployment funk. Seems like perfect timing so I requested the CDs.
And ah, there was my friend Tess again. The one who has her head screwed on straight, is sensible, and yet is also human and not afraid to admit it. The times I loved her the most on Marketplace was when she was admitting her own financial missteps, when she talked about how her and her husband combining their finances was a difficult decisions to make, when she talked about the several bouts with identity theft she's had to cope with. You felt like jeez, if these things can happen to an expert in personal finance who's at the top of her career, then of course I'm occasionally making a misstep myself—no one's perfect!
Now Tess doesn't even give away what was the event that lead to her leaving. And while I would love to hear the dirt, I appreciate her unwillingness to gossip. (Although it did feel like there was a bit of a hole in the story.) After all, why she left wasn't really about a single event. The book is about what to do when you decide you just can't take it any more but you also can't get something else lined up—whether because nothing else materializes before you get to the end of your rope, the time you gave yourself to transition out was too busy to do anything else, or because you just really don't know what to do next. It's no step-by-step guide to refiguring your career life, it's more about acceptance and about how the struggle to get to that next step in your life is okay.
Of course I didn't get to a breaking point and quit—I was let go—so it's not quite the same. But a heck of a lot still applied, and I even appreciated when she talked about some problems that I don't have as a "let go" rather than a "quit" unemployed person. Namely, I am not a "quitter," I don't have guilt for having put my family into this position financially on purpose, and Tess also experienced that a lot of her network didn't step up to help, as mine has, because they assumed she had something else already in mind, or else why would she quit? I had assumed that quitting was advantageous over being let go, but perhaps not.
While at the end, she doesn't have everything figured out just yet, she is in a better place mentally and emotionally, and she's ready for the next big thing to come along. And hearing that even Tess Vigeland occasionally is runner-up for an awesome job she'd love and be great at (host of NPR's Weekend Edition) makes it a little easier to swallow when I am runner-up for an awesome job I'd love and be great at. If I can have confidence that something else great is out there for her and she'll eventually find it, I ought to be able to have more confidence in my own situation, as hard as that is to do when everything feels like a personal rejection. So I learned no tips, I have no new knowledge, but I come away from her book with a slightly better state of mind, and I'm going to try to cut myself more slack, job hunting during the hardest time of the year. I do hope Tess will end up back on the radio or on a podcast, though, because I will listen to her talk about almost anything. I loved it. I highly recommend the audio version which instead of printing a speed she gave at the World Domination Forum, gives you the actual live recording complete with audience reactions and questions, etc.
February 2, 2016
Well. I always loved Tess Vigeland on the radio (sorry, Tess) and I wondered where she went. This was on the library 2 week browser shelf the other day and although I feel mostly settled professionally at the moment, I have had a lot of crazy and unexpected turmoil in the last year that made me want to read about someone else's leap. It was a fast read. Made me feel better about some of my own demons. And others I live with (honey!)
I liked Tess' voice, but I didn't love the interspersing of other's stories. It was clunky and forced at many times. Like she scrunched together her personal essays with a bunch of interviews, without much smoothing or transition. It's also a one off dream to just up and quit with no plan. At least she admits that it is a whole different ball game when you don't have kids or other dependents to worry about. Whew. It was comforting to read that corporate American operates on 8 or 9 hour work days but workers are only productive for 3 hours. On average of course. This explains my wildly productive PT schedule; we really can do more in less time.
Parting thoughts: "it's embarrassing. Surely, an adult with more than two decades of work experience can figure out for herself what she wants to do. Especially when she has so much time to think about it and explore her options. I'm smart, I'm capable, and it's up to me to get my ass in gear and come up with some answers instead of just asking these questions over and over." Oh, Tess. How right you are.
I liked Tess' voice, but I didn't love the interspersing of other's stories. It was clunky and forced at many times. Like she scrunched together her personal essays with a bunch of interviews, without much smoothing or transition. It's also a one off dream to just up and quit with no plan. At least she admits that it is a whole different ball game when you don't have kids or other dependents to worry about. Whew. It was comforting to read that corporate American operates on 8 or 9 hour work days but workers are only productive for 3 hours. On average of course. This explains my wildly productive PT schedule; we really can do more in less time.
Parting thoughts: "it's embarrassing. Surely, an adult with more than two decades of work experience can figure out for herself what she wants to do. Especially when she has so much time to think about it and explore her options. I'm smart, I'm capable, and it's up to me to get my ass in gear and come up with some answers instead of just asking these questions over and over." Oh, Tess. How right you are.
October 26, 2015
I went into this book with the warning that it was more inspirational/reflective than a how-to. Viewing the book as reflections from a very successful woman making a career change, I enjoyed it and only had minor complaints (mainly it got a bit repetitive). People looking at the book as a how-to will be disappointed. Especially since the author seems to still be in the discovery stage (Which added to the books success at being inspiring and reflective, but not so much as a plan for pursuing a new career).
This isn't the book that'll give you a plan for what to do after quitting a job (or being fired). It IS a good book to normalize the emotions of quitting. Tess relays the emotional struggle of quitting and losing an identity such as ranging from self-congratulation to self-doubt within the same hour. The author's radio voice translates well into a written voice. Think of it like sitting down with a close friend who isn't judgemental and tells her story in a real way instead of the fake versions of ourselves we all project on social media.
This isn't the book that'll give you a plan for what to do after quitting a job (or being fired). It IS a good book to normalize the emotions of quitting. Tess relays the emotional struggle of quitting and losing an identity such as ranging from self-congratulation to self-doubt within the same hour. The author's radio voice translates well into a written voice. Think of it like sitting down with a close friend who isn't judgemental and tells her story in a real way instead of the fake versions of ourselves we all project on social media.
January 31, 2019
This book had some useful information. I believe leaving your job can be the best thing to do, even when not sure what to do next. And there we're some helpful quotes, including something like that self-imposed change makes change easier in the future, weather it is self imposed or not. She also discusses how so much of identity is tied up in work, which I agree with.
Otherwise, this book was a mess. The author was a nationally known public radio host, which instantly makes it hard to relate to if you are an anonymous accountant, engineer, etc. She doesn't actually tell why she left her job (she prefers to keep it secret) which again makes her situation hard to relate to. and the stories in the book are intermingled with her own story. There doesn't seem to be a lot of organization, and the book isn't up-lifting at all.
Otherwise, this book was a mess. The author was a nationally known public radio host, which instantly makes it hard to relate to if you are an anonymous accountant, engineer, etc. She doesn't actually tell why she left her job (she prefers to keep it secret) which again makes her situation hard to relate to. and the stories in the book are intermingled with her own story. There doesn't seem to be a lot of organization, and the book isn't up-lifting at all.
August 7, 2018
This book was okay, but I would've liked more information/stories on the folks that the author interviewed, and more insight into how *their* paths worked out. I was hoping for more than just the author's story, which took up most of the book and which, honestly, wasn't what I thought it would be from the title and description. She jumped from a career but continued to freelance within the same industry doing the same thing, and also wrote a book about the experience - she didn't radically change career paths or find something entirely different to do, which is more what I thought I would be reading about and what I think would resonate with more readers. It wasn't super helpful for someone who just has a basic day job that they need to get out of but aren't sure where to go.
September 12, 2015
Interesting read, but not profound. The author has a great sense of humor and the book reads like a conversation with a good friend.
May 28, 2016
A reasonable good. Leap, before you look. Make bold moves to follow your heart.
December 14, 2018
This book makes me realize that we - working adult, has similar feeling toward our mundane work life. It is like an anathema, If only we can just stop and do whatever we want without financial worry or society judgment or family questions or whatever worry that matter to us. Also when we are super brave and finally just take the decission to quit, we will experience another emotional phase as the impact of our decission. That is exactly LIFE!
All of those emotional roller coaster phase about the author post her leap from her 20 years career, combine with several other case from people with different background who took the same decission, are all in this book.
For me, reading this book makes me realize that for now I am not ready to stop working. I am not sure if the emotional struggle that I have to go through is so much easier than what I have ever experienced and currently experience.
So a good read for a kind reminder self.
All of those emotional roller coaster phase about the author post her leap from her 20 years career, combine with several other case from people with different background who took the same decission, are all in this book.
For me, reading this book makes me realize that for now I am not ready to stop working. I am not sure if the emotional struggle that I have to go through is so much easier than what I have ever experienced and currently experience.
So a good read for a kind reminder self.
April 15, 2023
I give the author credit for relatability and honesty. Not relatability in the sense that I know what it's like to host a radio show, but when she is discussing issues like external validation, society's expectations and definitions of success, and the pressures of expectations. She is also honest about her struggles with letting go of all of these things after she quit her job.
But. Especially towards the end, you feel as though you are listening to an insecure friend that is spiraling.
I wish I hadn't done that!
Things will be okay, I did a good thing.
But what will I do? Why did I leave?
But it's good that I did.
It's not motivation to quit a job, that's for sure. You just feel as though you are spiraling along with her. And she ends the book with the very phrase that she found insulting! "And I can't wait to see what you do next".
Still, her discussion on trying new things and getting your story straight are good.
But. Especially towards the end, you feel as though you are listening to an insecure friend that is spiraling.
I wish I hadn't done that!
Things will be okay, I did a good thing.
But what will I do? Why did I leave?
But it's good that I did.
It's not motivation to quit a job, that's for sure. You just feel as though you are spiraling along with her. And she ends the book with the very phrase that she found insulting! "And I can't wait to see what you do next".
Still, her discussion on trying new things and getting your story straight are good.
April 16, 2019
Leaping was something I did when I was young and didn't have responsibility or a grown-up job. I picked up this book because I wanted to live vicariously through Tess Vigeland and remember the good old days. But it turned out to be so much more!
This is a book without much of a dramatic plotline. She quit her job without a backup plan. The book takes place in the middle of the transition, so she isn't able to look back on the whole process with the full wisdom of hindsight.
BUT, Tess is a great storyteller and I kept wondering what would happen next. She kept me engaged. I loved her take-away too that its worthwhile to question our value by our job. Thought this was a great book.
This is a book without much of a dramatic plotline. She quit her job without a backup plan. The book takes place in the middle of the transition, so she isn't able to look back on the whole process with the full wisdom of hindsight.
BUT, Tess is a great storyteller and I kept wondering what would happen next. She kept me engaged. I loved her take-away too that its worthwhile to question our value by our job. Thought this was a great book.
December 24, 2019
Well written - thought the author has obvious writing skills. As for the subject, I guess I'm not as aggressive as her. Leaving a well paying job without having another job in place does not seem logical to me. I'm sure it works for some, but not sure I'd recommend such a career move for those with dependents. Regardless, I read this book to gain some insight into how one will feel when departing a job (as I will once I retire from the Army). While my decision to depart my current job is not the same as the author's, some of the emotions and experiences will probably be the same.
September 18, 2020
Spoke to me as I'm going through an involutary or forced Leap. Author is a little self absorbed but what do you expect from an on air personality. Only pays cursory attention to the fact that her circumstances make it a lot easier for her to make a leap (i.e. no children and a supportive spouse). Overall good message of not letting a job become a crutch or excuse for not doing other things as in the end that could be your downfall. Like the idea of a career being a vocation and not about you climbing a ladder at a certain company.
August 4, 2019
This is not a how to book but a book that reviews Tess' story on how she quit her job. She writes about what she did and how to felt to leave her longtime job. She also talked with other people that left their jobs without a permanent job lined up. It is good and very insightful. It could help you make the leap in your career or it could lead you to value your current job situation. Definitely worth a read.
January 18, 2024
If you are struggling with finding meaning in your work or looking at a career transition, this book is a great resource. There were times when I was reading that the author made me tear up thinking that I wasn’t alone in the feelings that I was having about my own job situation. I highly recommend this book, and I can’t wait to see what I do next!
May 27, 2017
The author chronicles her life after quitting her job as a public radio show host in this quick read. She also presents the stories of others would have left their jobs, either voluntarily or involuntarily. OK read, but felt like there could have been something more.
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