Building Your Career Portfolio

Rating:
Summary: From the author
Review: As the author of "Building Your Career Portfolio," I spent four years researching and writing a book to help you discover your personal purpose and align four, important career investments to help you achieve that purpose. The book will help you figure out ways to minimize your career risk and maximize personal rewards and purpose. In my research, I've not yet seen a book that helps readers consider their career as a "portfolio" of well-chosen investments.

Rating:
Summary: Find your life purpose!
Review: Building your Career Portfolio could just as easily be called, finding your life purpose. This book understands that it's not just enough to have a job and work hard anymore. You must do something you love, have outside interests, participate in your community and continue learning throughout your life. Unfortunately, too many people (even those with successful careers) have forgotten that there is more to life than just earning money. In this book, the author reminds us all that not only do we need to have a primary job, we also need to become dynamically involved in our community in other ways. She promotes finding a second source of income, which because it comes from something you love to do, could eventually either take over as your primary source of income or at least give you the semblance of control over your life that so many of us tend to lose in our regular jobs. She also encourages spiritual growth through volunteer activities in your local community and personal growth through continuing education. By following the steps and guidelines in this book, you can become a better, happier, more well-adjusted person - and isn't that what everyone in today's self-help culture is striving for.

Rating:
Summary: This book got it right.
Review: I've long believed that the most important investment you can make is in yourself. Here is a book that shows you how. In very easy instructions the author helps you understand your goal, and how to get there.

It's astounding how many "investment" ideas the author provides to help you shape your career.

I've never seen a book with a mission statement before, but seems like a great idea, and it makes a good summary: "This book is designed to help each reader develop a dynamic CareerPortfolio of wise career investments-- investments that pay off in the ability to fulfills personal purpose and navigate lifelong career transitions."

This book is about controlling your destiny, or to re-purpose a term by Dr. Allan Kay, "inventing your future." I know some people who will greatly benefit from this.

Rating:
Summary: Investing Your Mental Energy
Review: When Bill Gates said "human imagination is our only real asset here at Microsoft" he could just as easily have said "here in the universe." Carol Poore, unlike most personal improvement writers, understands this profound shift in wealth and knows how we can take advantage of it. If you are an imaginative human being, (and her book shows you how to get that jump-started if you're not) your most precious resource is your time, and when you treat your time like an investor treats money, your life becomes a creation. BUILDING YOUR CAREER PORTFOLIO is chock full of exercises to do and lists to make that will clarify and enhance your future. When I first skimmed through it, I didn't realize(until I sat down and really read it) what else was there: a series of wonderful short stories, real life examples of real people who have done exactly the things Poole recommends, and the great results they got. This book can be read many times at many levels. HOW I WISH I HAD THIS BOOK TO WORK WITH WHEN I WAS IN MY 20's!!!! (and if you have any loved ones in their 20's, what a gift this book would be.) I'm in my 50s (just finishing the first half of life) and this book is still a treasure. The workbook aspect is for the left side of your brain, and the marvelous stories are for the right side. The final result is a whole brain delight. I don't recommend going forth into the 21st century and trying to create your career without it.

Rating:
Summary: Investing Your Mental Energy
Review: When Bill Gates said "human imagination is our only real asset here at Microsoft" he could just as easily have said "here in the universe." Carol Poore, unlike most personal improvement writers, understands this profound shift in wealth and knows how we can take advantage of it. If you are an imaginative human being, (and her book shows you how to get that jump-started if you're not) your most precious resource is your time, and when you treat your time like an investor treats money, your life becomes a creation. BUILDING YOUR CAREER PORTFOLIO is chock full of exercises to do and lists to make that will clarify and enhance your future. When I first skimmed through it, I didn't realize(until I sat down and really read it) what else was there: a series of wonderful short stories, real life examples of real people who have done exactly the things Poole recommends, and the great results they got. This book can be read many times at many levels. HOW I WISH I HAD THIS BOOK TO WORK WITH WHEN I WAS IN MY 20's!!!! (and if you have any loved ones in their 20's, what a gift this book would be.) I'm in my 50s (just finishing the first half of life) and this book is still a treasure. The workbook aspect is for the left side of your brain, and the marvelous stories are for the right side. The final result is a whole brain delight. I don't recommend going forth into the 21st century and trying to create your career without it.