Live for a Living

by Paula Caligiuri, Andy Palmer

Take ownership of your career path. This is your unique journey. The upheaval marking the early 2020s has created the “great opportunity”—an unprecedented chance to prioritize your life and decide what you really want from your career. You can now create a strong personal brand and pursue career activities that are authentic to your goals, not your employer’s. It is within your reach to have autonomy and control over your career, have greater clarity of your priorities, and align your career around the life you want to live.

Live for a Living is a guide to designing a life that leverages your personal values, motivators, and goals in your career. With inspiring case studies, accessible exercises, and online self-assessments, authors Caligiuri and Palmer reveal how to identify your ideal career, then purposefully expand and create career-related activities to do more of what you love.

Distinguished business professor, speaker, and author Paula Caligiuri joins forces with award-winning serial entrepreneur Andy Palmer to bring you a timely resource on crafting income-producing career activities that result in more professional excitement, personal fulfillment, and financial security. Are you ready to take control of your career?

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Business

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2023

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do feel everyone who’s working needs to give this book a chance. The content may sound familiar. However, this book gives numerous examples with recommendations on what we can do about our current situation in our jobs when we are not being able to enjoy what we are doing.

I appreciate the fact that options and suggestions are given crisply now and then in each chapter as it aids in the reading experience to make the recommendation given more practical wherever relevant for the different readers.

The book is made of three main sections which focuses on identifying our career, planning the journey in the career we choose and how to build/maintain a momentum in what we are doing.

I find this book refreshing and engaging.

Do give it a chance.

Thank you, Greenleaf Book Group, for the advance reading copy.

[Janice L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors – a leading industrial psychologist and a successful tech entrepreneur – provide a perfectly timed manual for how to take charge of your own career versus your career taking charge of you. Against a backdrop of the tremendous changes happening in careers and employment over the last decade (and certainly the last few years), the authors provide wisdom, ideas, real-life examples/lively success stories (including their own), and useful exercises helpful to anyone of any age seeking to own their relationship with work, to live the life you want and deserve. Learn how mentoring, apprenticeships, and “engineered” serendipity, among other tools, can help put you on the path to career ownership and happiness. (I was provided a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

[Jessi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the title and cover of this book and in some career flux so thought I'd take this book on. There are definitely some good points made by the authors but there is a lot of belief that everything you need is inside yourself. The entire first chapter is about learning your own limiting thoughts while the second looks at finding your skills. I think this focus is a bit myopic as you also have to be aware of the trends around you as well. You may be the very best and most passionate burger flipper out there but if you live in a town of vegans, it's not going to help.
There is more advice related to building a career portfolio, keeping yourself healthy, and identifying your values. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking but there are a number of resources and I've read enough of them to know that they were gathered well and the book is written well. This book could probably work well for anyone looking for a career move but will probably benefit those early in their careers the most.

[Hannah Taylor-Loyd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pros: some quotes and some insight about moving up in your career

Cons: I felt like this was basic advice, not for any stage of someone’s career specifically. Because the authors tried to make this book applicable for everybody, a lot of the content was basic - eat well, exercise, volunteer, time management, etc.

I was also under the impression from the title and description that this would be more toward entrepreneurship. This was not the case! The premise of the book is more so about not just doing what your employer wants but instead living out a fulfilling career that you want (but at a workplace, not as an entrepreneur).

Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book, although I do appreciate winning a digital copy through Goodreads giveaways.

[Memo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great advice and exercises

I won this book in a giveaway. It was perfect timing as I am in a phase in my life where I am ready to make my next career act. I wasn't sure how I was going to approach my next move in my career. I was hoping that my current employer gave me the opportunity of my next career act. After reading this book, I feel more confident about taking control of my next career, look for the right opportunities in the right direction, and make my next move purposefully without fear of leaving my current organization. The exercises helped me to understand the direction I wish to take my career next.

[Jess Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought there were a lot of great points in this book. The only reason for minus a star is that I think a lot of the advice in the book can't be a resource for everyone. Many parts of the book require different sources of support. If I were to write a book based off of my experiences in leadership, growth, and early retirement it would cover many of the same points. I hope this book helps young people figure out how to live their lives at an early age instead of waiting to retire to enjoy it.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway, which is always appreciated.

The content took a broad approach trying to address readers at all stages of their careers but because of that most of it was not applicable.

I was glad this book didn't just encourage entrepreneurship, but included a variety of paths.

I might recommend this book to someone more junior than me to cover the basics.

[Carol & Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hard to put down

[Paulette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn’t what I was expecting. However, it is an excellent book for younger people just starting out their career. Nothing new if you already have career awareness and expectations.

[Ashley Reel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was hoping for a bit more in depth look at this topic. Probably a good book for those just graduating college.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great work.