10 Best Books on Career Design to Craft Your Own Path!
Welcome, folks! We spend a good chunk of our lives working. We go through the motions: degree, job, paycheck, rinse, and repeat. But have you ever taken a step back and asked yourself - am I on the right path? Do I even love what I do? Many haven't, and that's okay. But for those who are fired up about transforming their work-life into something they genuinely love, this list is for you. We've done some digging to find the top 10 books about designing your career.
These reads are filled with expert advice, real-life experiences, jaw-dropping insights, and powerful exercises that will shake your work life to its very core. They'll spark questions you've never thought to ask yourself and guide you to the answers. This could revolutionize how you approach your job, whether you're just starting out, looking to switch lanes, or at a career crossroads. Enough of the sugarcoating - this stuff isn't easy or light leisure reading. But for those seriously contemplating stepping onto a new path or carving out their own, these books are straight-up gold. Brace yourselves for a wild ride. Let’s dive in, shall we?
『Designing Your Life』
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • At last, a book that shows you how to build—design—a life you can thrive in, at any age or stage • “Life has questions. They have answers.” —The New York Times Designers create worlds and solve problems using design thinking. Look around your office or home—at the tablet or smartphone you may be holding or the chair you are sitting in. Everything in our lives was designed by someone. And every design starts with a problem that a designer or team of designers seeks to solve. In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.
Author | Bill Burnett/Dave Evans |
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Price | $16.99 |
Publisher | Knopf |
Release Date | Sep 20, 2016 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Professional』
The Professional is Subroto Bagchi's most deeply felt book. Bagchi's first best-selling book, The High-Performance Entrepreneur, shared his story of building a company. His second best-seller, Go Kiss the World, was the story of his life, a motivation to young people that anyone can achieve. But as Subroto Bagchi says: 'Go Kiss the World did not provide a tool kit.' In The Professional he gives us his knowledge, based on his lifelong experience, of what it takes to be a professional, what qualities you need to become a great professional, and what are the challenges of the future a professional must be prepared for. Most importantly, he asks, and gives answers, to the toughest question every professional faces: Is what I am going to do now, faced with a difficult decision and multiple options, the professional choice to make? In a world where a 'sub-prime crisis' and a 'Satyam saga' were incomprehensible; where the global economic meltdown has affected the livelihoods of millions of people; where companies and individuals are routinely revealed to have made unprofessional choices, The Professional provides the explicit and implicit code of conduct-the boundaries which separate a skilled individual from a professional. Read The Professional and find the power within you to acquire the cutting edge required for the twenty-first century workplace and gain entry into the club of professionals.
Author | Subroto Bagchi |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin Books India |
Release Date | Jan 01, 2009 |
Source | Google Books |
『Think and Grow Rich!』
"Think and Grow Rich!" is the most widely acclaimed, influential book on success ever published. For a quarter-century, Napoleon Hill interviewed hundreds of successful men and women under the guidance of the richest man of his time, Andrew Carnegie. In this timeless classic, he reveals the secret to their great achievements—a powerful, proven formula that can empower you to achieve your own most cherished goals, too. If there is one must-have guide you need on the road to high achievement and success—to real riches in every aspect of your life—this is it. Unlike most versions of Dr. Hill's book, this edition restores his masterpiece to its original form and intent. It includes essential material on how to thrive in challenging economic times that was taken out of later versions but is incredibly relevant today. This is the only edition of "Think and Grow Rich!" that is fully annotated and indexed, providing key details about Dr. Hill's life and times, his life-long research, and the leaders of business and industry he studied to learn the invaluable principles of success you'll discover here. "This is the best single book on personal success ever written: it made me a millionaire—starting from nothing."—Brian Tracy, author of "Getting Rich Your Own Way" “It's the classic of all classics.” —Harvey Mackay, author of the #1 "New York Times" bestseller "Swim with the Sharks without Being Eaten Alive" “Reading 'Think and Grow Rich!' many years ago helped me to become the world's greatest retail salesperson. A must to read if you want to become somebody.” —Joe Girard, World's #1 Retail Salesperson, as attested by "The Guinness Book of World Records" “I thought 'Think and Grow Rich!' was a classic and could never be improved. I was wrong. I am sure Dr. Hill would be greatly pleased to see how his work has been honored and enhanced by this outstanding new edition.”—Wally Amos, founder of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies and author of "The Cookie Never Crumbles" “This book is a jewel! Buy lots of copies for your friends and clients.” —Dottie Walters, CSP, Founder of Walters International Speakers Bureau
Author | Napoleon Hill |
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Price | $18.95 |
Publisher | SCB Distributors |
Release Date | Mar 17, 2015 |
Source | Google Books |
『Pivot』
What's next? is a question we all have to ask and answer more frequently in an economy where the average job tenure is only four years, roles change constantly even within that time, and smart, motivated people find themselves hitting professional plateaus. But how do you evaluate options and move forward without getting stuck? Jenny Blake--a former training and career development specialist at Google who now runs her own company as a career and business consultant and speaker--has a solution: the pivot. Pivoting is a crucial strategy for Silicon Valley tech companies and startups but it can also be a successful strategy for individuals looking to make changes in their work lives. This book will introduce you to the Pivot Method and show you how to to take small, smart steps to move in a new direction--now and throughout your entire career. No matter your age, industry, or bank account balance, Jenny's advice will help you move forward with confidence. Pivot also includes valuable insight for leaders who want to have more frequent career conversations with their teams to help talented people move and grow within their roles and the broader organization. If change is the only constant, let's get better at it. Your career success and satisfaction depends on your ability to navigate change well and this book can help you do so.
Author | Jenny Blake |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Sep 19, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『What Color Is Your Parachute? 2022』
With timeless advice, up-to-the-minute insights, and more than ten million copies sold over fifty years, the world’s most popular and best-selling career guide is fully revised and expanded for 2022. “One of the first job-hunting books on the market. It is still arguably the best. And it is indisputably the most popular.”—Fast Company What Color Is Your Parachute? is the world’s most popular job-hunting guide. This completely updated edition features the latest resources, strategies, and perspectives on today’s job market, revealing surprising advice on what works—and what doesn’t—so you can focus your efforts on tactics that yield results. At its core is Richard N. Bolles’s famed Flower Exercise, a unique self-inventory that helps you design your career—and your life—around your key passions, transferable skills, traits, and more. This practical manual also provides essential tips for writing impressive resumes and cover letters, networking effectively, interviewing with confidence, and negotiating the best salary possible. Whether you’re searching for your first job, were recently laid off, or are dreaming of a career change, What Color Is Your Parachute? will guide you toward a fulfilling and prosperous life’s work.
Author | Richard N. Bolles |
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Price | $9.99 |
Publisher | Ten Speed Press |
Release Date | Dec 14, 2021 |
Source | Google Books |
『Deep Work』
AN AMAZON BEST BOOK OF 2O16 PICK IN BUSINESS & LEADERSHIP WALL STREET JOURNAL BUSINESS BESTSELLER A BUSINESS BOOK OF THE WEEK AT 800-CEO-READ Master one of our economy’s most rare skills and achieve groundbreaking results with this “exciting” book (Daniel H. Pink) from an “exceptional” author (New York Times Book Review). Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep Work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship. In short, deep work is like a super power in our increasingly competitive twenty-first century economy. And yet, most people have lost the ability to go deep-spending their days instead in a frantic blur of e-mail and social media, not even realizing there's a better way. In Deep Work, author and professor Cal Newport flips the narrative on impact in a connected age. Instead of arguing distraction is bad, he instead celebrates the power of its opposite. Dividing this book into two parts, he first makes the case that in almost any profession, cultivating a deep work ethic will produce massive benefits. He then presents a rigorous training regimen, presented as a series of four "rules," for transforming your mind and habits to support this skill. 1. Work Deeply 2. Embrace Boredom 3. Quit Social Media 4. Drain the Shallows A mix of cultural criticism and actionable advice, Deep Work takes the reader on a journey through memorable stories-from Carl Jung building a stone tower in the woods to focus his mind, to a social media pioneer buying a round-trip business class ticket to Tokyo to write a book free from distraction in the air-and no-nonsense advice, such as the claim that most serious professionals should quit social media and that you should practice being bored. Deep Work is an indispensable guide to anyone seeking focused success in a distracted world.
Author | Cal Newport |
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Price | $15.99 |
Publisher | Grand Central Publishing |
Release Date | Jan 05, 2016 |
Source | Google Books |
『Expect to Win』
Outlines specific advice as gleaned by the author throughout her successful Wall Street career, in a guide for business professionals that makes recommendations for navigating the day-to-day complexities of the workplace. 25,000 first printing.
Author | Carla A. Harris |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Jan 01, 2009 |
Source | Google Books |
『Show Your Work!』
In his New York Times bestseller Steal Like an Artist, Austin Kleon showed readers how to unlock their creativity by “stealing” from the community of other movers and shakers. Now, in an even more forward-thinking and necessary book, he shows how to take that critical next step on a creative journey—getting known. Show Your Work! is about why generosity trumps genius. It’s about getting findable, about using the network instead of wasting time “networking.” It’s not self-promotion, it’s self-discovery—let others into your process, then let them steal from you. Filled with illustrations, quotes, stories, and examples, Show Your Work! offers ten transformative rules for being open, generous, brave, productive. In chapters such as You Don’t Have to Be a Genius; Share Something Small Every Day; and Stick Around, Kleon creates a user’s manual for embracing the communal nature of creativity— what he calls the “ecology of talent.” From broader life lessons about work (you can’t find your voice if you don’t use it) to the etiquette of sharing—and the dangers of oversharing—to the practicalities of Internet life (build a good domain name; give credit when credit is due), it’s an inspiring manifesto for succeeding as any kind of artist or entrepreneur in the digital age.
Author | Austin Kleon |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Workman Publishing |
Release Date | Mar 06, 2014 |
Source | Google Books |
『Lean In』
The #1 international best seller In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg reignited the conversation around women in the workplace. Sandberg is chief operating officer of Facebook and coauthor of Option B with Adam Grant. In 2010, she gave an electrifying TED talk in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Her talk, which has been viewed more than six million times, encouraged women to “sit at the table,” seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto. Lean In continues that conversation, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to change the conversation from what women can’t do to what they can. Sandberg provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career. She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment, and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women both in the workplace and at home. Written with humor and wisdom, Lean In is a revelatory, inspiring call to action and a blueprint for individual growth that will empower women around the world to achieve their full potential.
Author | Sheryl Sandberg |
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Price | $13.99 |
Publisher | Knopf |
Release Date | Mar 11, 2013 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Long Game』
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller Your personal goals need a long-term strategy. It's no secret that we're pushed to the limit. Today's professionals feel rushed, overwhelmed, and perennially behind. So we keep our heads down, focused on the next thing, and the next, without a moment to breathe. How can we break out of this endless cycle and create the kind of interesting, meaningful lives we all seek? Just as CEOs who optimize for quarterly profits often fail to make the strategic investments necessary for long-term growth, the same is true in our own personal and professional lives. We need to reorient ourselves to see the big picture so we can tap into the power of small changes that, made today, will have an enormous and disproportionate impact on our future success. We need to start playing The Long Game. As top business thinker and Duke University professor Dorie Clark explains, we all know intellectually that lasting success takes persistence and effort. And yet so much of the relentless pressure in our culture pushes us toward doing what's easy, what's guaranteed, or what looks glamorous in the moment. In The Long Game, she argues for a different path. It's about doing small things over time to achieve our goals—and being willing to keep at them, even when they seem pointless, boring, or hard. In The Long Game, Clark shares unique principles and frameworks you can apply to your specific situation, as well as vivid stories from her own career and other professionals' experiences. Everyone is allotted the same twenty-four hours—but with the right strategies, you can leverage those hours in more efficient and powerful ways than you ever imagined. It's never an overnight process, but the long-term payoff is immense: to finally break out of the frenetic day-to-day routine and transform your life and your career.
Author | Dorie Clark |
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Price | $15.39 |
Publisher | Harvard Business Press |
Release Date | Sep 21, 2021 |
Source | Google Books |
Wrapping it up, folks, this list of cream-of-the-crop books on career design sure carries some serious clout in the professional world. I've done you a solid by sifting through heaps of books, and delivered into your hands not just the good, but the absolute best. These puppies are going to light your way as you hustle to build your dream career. Each one is plastered with invaluable advice, unforgettable insights and practical tips, all specifically tailored to help you craft your own unique journey. Seriously, these books are about as close as you can get to having a personal career coach without forking over a bunch of cash. So, do yourself the favor and give 'em a read. You'll be thanking yourself when you're marching confidently down the career path you've designed for yourself.
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