I Don't Know What I Want, but I Know It's Not This: A Step-By-Step Guide to Finding Gratifying Work

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Summary: Great resource for the mid-life career crisis....
Review: Ever looked around at what you're doing at work and wondered how on earth you got to this awful place where you hate getting out of bed in the morning? Ever feel like there's something about your so-called 'successful career' that makes you feel vaguely rotten inside? Feel like what you really wanted to be when you grew up got lost somewhere along the way?

Through a series of exercises, Julie Jensen helps you rediscover your values and passions, and to see why where you are right now is so frustrating. This book isn't about finding a job, it's more about defining yourself and seeing where you shine and where you don't.

She categorizes people 'stuck' in their careers into six types (Where's the Meaning, Been there, Done that, Need the Money, Bored and Plateaued, Bruised and Gunshy, One Toe in the Retirement Pool), and then works through specific exercises to help those archetypes set goals that will move them towards more connection in their life.

The book is nice in that it isn't all about having to be an entrepreneur to be happy. Most find-yourself-through-your-career books push entrepreneurship really hard and completely devalidate the whole work concept. Jensen suggests that working for someone else is fine, but making sure your needs are met is important. Many books about career change are horribly vague about how to figure out what you want to do. Jensen provides concrete exercises and examples of how people applied what they learned.

The biggest problem I had was trying to fit myself into an archetype, since I honestly fit into three or four of them. But everything in the book is useful, even if you may not immediately think it applies to your situation.

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Summary: Survey? What kind?
Review: I have to say that I like this book. The core of it is valuable and it's more useful than not. However, some of the statements aggravate me. On page 61, the sentence 'In a survey that I conducted of 110 people, more than 90 percent ranked "finding meaning" as the number one reason that they recently had changed or would like to change their careers.' Really now! What kind of survey was it that better work hours, job availability and reliability, and better wages combined came in at less than 10% of the sample set for wanting to change careers? I just don't believe a good survey would give these results. Perhaps the author is merely trying to empasize a point in talking about people who are in the group of dissatisfied workers classed in the 'where's the meaning' category but it doesn't scan right.

Rating:
Summary: I'll Know It When I See It
Review: I liked the book. Good suggestions on how to analyze your interests, experiences and skills. Very helpful for displaced workers. But, I liked a book called Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey even better. Rat Race Relaxer showed me how analyze my interests then took it a step further so I could discover new ways of seeing and changing my current situation. For those of us with family or financial obligations that limit our ability to change jobs (or wait for the "right" job when downsized), Rat Race Relaxer is a better choice.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent resource for job seekers and career changers
Review: If you're like me and hate what you do for a living but are floundering, Julie Jansen's book, "I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This," is a godsend. I've heard Jansen speak. She's smart, dynamic and refreshingly down to earth. Her book is the same. Reading it is like having a private career coach or a supportive, no-nonsense friend who is always there to give you [boost] you need to stop whining about work and do something about it! It's written in Jansen's warm, straightforward style and packed with practical information (e.g., websites for finding a job, dealing with job stress, getting a free critique of your resume), self-assessment tools and action plans that are actually fun and easy to use. All of this is extremely helpful for organizing your thoughts, honing in on the real reasons you're unhappy, and discovering valuable clues about who you are and what you really want to be when you grow up. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is ready to get serious about finding work they can feel good about.

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Summary: Find Yourself en route to Gratifying Work
Review: Ms. Jansen's new book is THE definitive resource for those seeking a job change or career makeover. Her series of self-assessments is both thorough and insightful. Definitely a tool to help one get more in touch with oneself -- essential before embarking on any job or career change. The author uses real examples to which the average person can relate. This is not just an executive job search tool, but one for career changers at every level -- those just starting out, those who are burned out, veteran job seekers, would-be entrepreneurs.... It's never too late to learn more about yourself, particularly during these challenging economic times when there's even more at stake with every career move. Read it, take the tests, and prepare to become enlightened!

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Summary: I Do Know What I Want, And It Is For You To Read This Book
Review: This is THE book you MUST read if you are a victim of a layoff or pondering "What do I truly want to do with the rest of my work life?". As a maniacal researcher and reader, I bought and borrowed dozens of job search/career change books; none came close to the results I achieved from Julie Jansen's step-by-step, no-nonsense guide.

Within 3 weeks of completing this book, I am now employed in my dream job; a job that came true because of the many exercises that are used in "I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This."

Ms. Jansen's guide will have you writing notes to yourself, staying up late dreaming about the life you really want to have, and getting up early to implement the suggestions that are found througout this classic book.

Do yourself a huge favor: stop searching the web, stop browsing at the bookstore, and simply order this book NOW!

P.S. As part of my severance package, I worked with a world-famous outplacement firm. This book was so responsible for my successful career change, that I strongly advised the outplacement firm to make Julie's book mandatory reading for all new clients!

Rating:
Summary: Helpful exercises...easy read...very useful.
Review: This title provides effective exercises for would-be career changers and entreprenuers. After spending 10 years in the corporate world and making a couple unsuccessful attempts at small business, I found myself thinking "I don't know what I want, but this isn't it." Locked into a career that pays well, but has little else to recommend it, I've been having a hard time finding a vocation that offers fulfillment, but doesn't involve going broke in the process. The exercises in this book helped me clarify what I want (and do not want) from my work-life and helped me to develop a plan to acheive it. I recommend using this book in conjunction with "Do What You Are" by Tieger.

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Summary: Exceptional Writing and Essential Reading!
Review: Wow! I recently picked up a copy of Julie Jansen's "I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This" and couldn't put it down. This book--destined to become a classic in the career section of every resource library--is the definitive guide to finding and maintaining meaningful work in the twenty-first century. It's no-nonsense approach to assessing and, if necessary, altering one's work situation is practical, clear, and concise, while, at the same time, managing to inject much needed warmth, humor, and hope to this most serious topic. As our jobs and careers become ever more impersonalized, quantified, and rationalized, there is an ever-increasing need for outstanding books like this, which can help us master all of the "corporate machinations" without losing sight of the personal skills, strengths, and attributes that make work--and life--truly satisfying.