Get a Life, Not a Job

Do What You Love and Let Your Talents Work for You

By Paula Caligiuri
Reviewed by: Robert J. Hughes

As anyone who’s hunted for work over the last four years or so has found out, it’s not easy out there. Employers feel that they’re in the catbird seat, not settling until they’ve located the perfect candidate (who never exists), while job seekers are frustrated by the lack of response, the callousness of the process and a growing frustration at ever finding work that not only pays the bills, but is rewarding.

In “Get a Life, Not a Job,” career counselor Paula Calgiuri has put together an approach not only to finding work, but thriving in it. The key, she says, is merging your career with vocations such as child care, photography, nursing and cake-decorating, and taking on more than one job. Sure, a lot of people already juggle multiple sources of income, but Caligiuri recommends looking to open yourself up to finding jobs in areas where you actually want to work, without the stress that a two-job workweek might involve. “Employees are less able to predict their professional futures than ever before — and this lack of predictability and uncertainty has been causing unprecedented levels of stress among employees,” Caligiuri writes, and many people might agree.

People today shouldn’t tie their destinies to one employer, she says. “Our ability to survive layoffs is really not an indicator of your career success unless you are truly fulfilled doing the work that you do with your employer,” she says. “If you are not fulfilled, I am not asking you to leave your job. Rather, consider building a second career act. The benefit of taking control of your own career destiny and giving yourself options will be liberating.”

She knows her plan may seem pie-in-the-sky, but Caligiuri says that you start by talking to people, networking, getting to know yourself. It takes work to find work, but your life is worth the effort. She provides a lot of guidance – web sites, networking opportunities – and support. The rest is up to you, whether you’ve had a dream of starting a new business, want to get out of the rut you’ve been in for too long, or are living in fear of the old executive hatchet.

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