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Happen to Your Career: An Unconventional Approach to Career Change and Meaningful Work
There’s only one thing standing in the way of your ideal You.
This book is for you if you want to do meaningful work that pays well. If you want to make a big career change without going back to school or taking a step down. If you’ve often wondered if there could be more out there for you. Spoiler there is!
Career coach, podcast host, and CEO Scott Anthony Barlow shows you that it really is possible to find your way to a career that feeds you and fulfills you; one in which you get to use the talents, strengths and skills you already possess to get just as much back out of it as you put in.
Drawing from his years of studying Happy High Achievers—high performers who are fulfilled in their careers—Barlow delivers a series of real-life case studies and insights to help you join their ranks. You’ll learn how a lawyer who’d spent a decade trying to remove himself from law successfully transitioned to content strategy. How an engineer made a career change upwards instead of laterally while moving cities, jobs and industries. And many more.
Along the way, you’ll learn about the Four Major Milestones that all happy high achievers cross, and the Five Obstacles to Change that each needs to overcome. You’ll see that it is possible to have a career you’re enamored with—one that is good for you, your family, your bank account, and even your long-term health. And not only is this possible. It’s critical. Because the world of work is undergoing a transformation. And it’s led by people like you.
This book is for you if you want to do meaningful work that pays well. If you want to make a big career change without going back to school or taking a step down. If you’ve often wondered if there could be more out there for you. Spoiler there is!
Career coach, podcast host, and CEO Scott Anthony Barlow shows you that it really is possible to find your way to a career that feeds you and fulfills you; one in which you get to use the talents, strengths and skills you already possess to get just as much back out of it as you put in.
Drawing from his years of studying Happy High Achievers—high performers who are fulfilled in their careers—Barlow delivers a series of real-life case studies and insights to help you join their ranks. You’ll learn how a lawyer who’d spent a decade trying to remove himself from law successfully transitioned to content strategy. How an engineer made a career change upwards instead of laterally while moving cities, jobs and industries. And many more.
Along the way, you’ll learn about the Four Major Milestones that all happy high achievers cross, and the Five Obstacles to Change that each needs to overcome. You’ll see that it is possible to have a career you’re enamored with—one that is good for you, your family, your bank account, and even your long-term health. And not only is this possible. It’s critical. Because the world of work is undergoing a transformation. And it’s led by people like you.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 11, 2022
34 people are currently reading
712 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 12, 2022
I've personally benefited so much from the coaching, materials, and podcast put out by Scott and the HTYC crew, so when I learned that they were publishing a book I was eager to pre-order immediately. And it turns out to be timely, since I happen to be at another crux point where I am considering more changes and career experiments to see what's next for me.
First off, I want to clarify what this book is *not*. It is not a book about "manifesting" your ideal life just by visualizing and realizing you deserve it. It is not a list of "secret tricks" to get promotions and accolades, or get rich quick and retire early. And it is not a book that will tell you what you have to do to find the one, magic, perfect career. (If it was any of these things, I wouldn't be recommending it to you.)
What this book is is a ton of good advice for all the steps of a career transition, for all the hard work you can do to really understand yourself -- your strengths and your needs -- and then go out seeking a way to be happier in the work you do to make a living. The methods are backed by research and the years of experience from the coaches at Scott's company, and supported by stories from real people, coaching clients who found improvements in their own lives. And it covers the essentials of all these topics in under 200 pages, so there's no room for fluff -- but plenty of suggestions where you might go to learn more, including recommendations for some of my favorite books.
If you have struggled to understand what it is you really want from your job and why none of the roles or companies you've stumbled into ever quite fit, this may be the book for you. Even if you're given careful thought to your career and work choices, have gone through career coaching, or even just want to be better able to mentor and help others with their own job choices, I'd still recommend this book.
First off, I want to clarify what this book is *not*. It is not a book about "manifesting" your ideal life just by visualizing and realizing you deserve it. It is not a list of "secret tricks" to get promotions and accolades, or get rich quick and retire early. And it is not a book that will tell you what you have to do to find the one, magic, perfect career. (If it was any of these things, I wouldn't be recommending it to you.)
What this book is is a ton of good advice for all the steps of a career transition, for all the hard work you can do to really understand yourself -- your strengths and your needs -- and then go out seeking a way to be happier in the work you do to make a living. The methods are backed by research and the years of experience from the coaches at Scott's company, and supported by stories from real people, coaching clients who found improvements in their own lives. And it covers the essentials of all these topics in under 200 pages, so there's no room for fluff -- but plenty of suggestions where you might go to learn more, including recommendations for some of my favorite books.
If you have struggled to understand what it is you really want from your job and why none of the roles or companies you've stumbled into ever quite fit, this may be the book for you. Even if you're given careful thought to your career and work choices, have gone through career coaching, or even just want to be better able to mentor and help others with their own job choices, I'd still recommend this book.
September 3, 2024
Listened to the audiobook which had actual recordings of the client testimonials in their own words/voices. I liked the enthusiasm and the inspiration it gave me. This guy also has a podcast that's supposed to be amazing, as well as a bunch of resources on his website. I'm excited to check them out.
December 3, 2022
I really enjoyed this book and the author’s approachability throughout the book. I stumbled upon the HTYC podcast after hearing the author interviewed on the Coaching For Leaders podcast (I highly recommend both).
After listening to only the interview and then a HTYC podcast, I knew I wanted to learn more and read the book. I’m not one known to read enough to plow through a book but this one I did in a day or two because I enjoyed the writing and what I was learning so much.
What I enjoyed most was the fact this book never felt like it was pushing me to buy things even though it occasionally mentioned the HTYC resources. It truly reads like someone who cares about helping others—like a friend coming alongside you. Just as a friend would be honest with you, Scott gives hope and encouragement but equally talks about the amount of work needed and the up and down periods one will face. You feel like he cares about helping you but wants you to know it won’t be easy but will be worth it.
Highly recommend this book to anyone desiring insight on this topic!
After listening to only the interview and then a HTYC podcast, I knew I wanted to learn more and read the book. I’m not one known to read enough to plow through a book but this one I did in a day or two because I enjoyed the writing and what I was learning so much.
What I enjoyed most was the fact this book never felt like it was pushing me to buy things even though it occasionally mentioned the HTYC resources. It truly reads like someone who cares about helping others—like a friend coming alongside you. Just as a friend would be honest with you, Scott gives hope and encouragement but equally talks about the amount of work needed and the up and down periods one will face. You feel like he cares about helping you but wants you to know it won’t be easy but will be worth it.
Highly recommend this book to anyone desiring insight on this topic!
July 10, 2023
I wanted to really love this as I think the author gives some really valuable advice. However, the constant plug for his business is nauseating. I get it, this is a great way to get the word out but holy cow the entire book is just one giant promotion.
More importantly, it was super irritating to read because he would trail off on stories. The stories were important and relevant, but he wouldn’t close the loop and so there were pockets of “this person was miserable until they worked with me,” and then there wasn’t a resolution until much later. It was very much a client testimonial focus, but lacked enough context to be helpful at some points.
I had a super hard time following the train of thought on some of these ideas. Honestly I think the book has potential, and I agree with the main points, was just very disappointed in the execution.
More importantly, it was super irritating to read because he would trail off on stories. The stories were important and relevant, but he wouldn’t close the loop and so there were pockets of “this person was miserable until they worked with me,” and then there wasn’t a resolution until much later. It was very much a client testimonial focus, but lacked enough context to be helpful at some points.
I had a super hard time following the train of thought on some of these ideas. Honestly I think the book has potential, and I agree with the main points, was just very disappointed in the execution.
January 5, 2025
I bought this book because I listen to the HTYC podcast and it did not disappoint! I’m not sure if I’m fully ready to commit to career shift or when that will be, but the strategies described will certainly help me as I work throughout my life.
January 4, 2023
Absolutely recommend this book! It is funny, insightful, and most of all USEFUL. It will literally change the way you think about work.
October 25, 2023
There are so many books on finding happiness at work, but this book goes one step further and defines finding that meaning at work.
Though this dwells into finding an alternate job or finding a new job in your life. I would use this as a reference to finding why you are at the current job and why you love being there.
The real voices of people who shared their stories adds to the awesomeness of the book. The stories and examples take you to the depth of the subject. This book is a gem! I would certainly recommend it. If you’re looking for a new job, or lost in the current or just really looking for that meaning in the current job, this book is a must read
Though this dwells into finding an alternate job or finding a new job in your life. I would use this as a reference to finding why you are at the current job and why you love being there.
The real voices of people who shared their stories adds to the awesomeness of the book. The stories and examples take you to the depth of the subject. This book is a gem! I would certainly recommend it. If you’re looking for a new job, or lost in the current or just really looking for that meaning in the current job, this book is a must read
May 12, 2025
Scott provides practical advice and testimonials with thorough examples that make a job searcher feel understood and hopeful. I still have to listen to the podcast and finish my ICP, but just the acknowledgement that this process can take some time and how so many HTYC clients are success stories makes this book valuable enough to me.
February 13, 2025
Are you changing careers? Do you want to take a new direction or find a job that aligns with you, your strengths, your values? This book will motivate you, inspire you, guide you and so much more. Seriously just buy it, you will 100% learn something useful from it.
Read
August 1, 2025I skimmed through this one. The chapter about the experiments was the most helpful for me personally as it had examples of different types of experiments based on real life stories. But the rest was a bit too high level and I wanted more details.
December 31, 2024
HTYC presents a different approach to job hunting and finding meaningful work.
May 22, 2023
This was not bad, it had a lot of good examples and advice. I'm not sure I would describe it as unconventional, are there really any unconventional or new ideas in the career advice space these days? But it was pretty well written and kept my attention.
October 13, 2025
Items of Note:
* Use career experiments as a way to begin surfacing interests and relationships that will help you to find clarity.
* Every stage of your career is an opportunity to learn and grow
* The most successful career changes are not about starting over, but about leveraging your past experiences in a new direction.
* Use career experiments as a way to begin surfacing interests and relationships that will help you to find clarity.
* Every stage of your career is an opportunity to learn and grow
* The most successful career changes are not about starting over, but about leveraging your past experiences in a new direction.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews