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The Pathfinder : How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success (平装)
by Nicholas Lore
| Category:
Career development, Career guide, Self help |
| Market price: ¥ 178.00
MSL price:
¥ 168.00
[ Shop incentives ]
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| Stock:
In Stock |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
An in-depth, insightful and practical career change guide to benefit from. Highly recommended. |
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AllReviews |
1 Total 1 pages 9 items |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-29 00:00>
The Pathfinder is the perfect guide for anybody who feels that he/she should be doing something different career-wise, but that "something different" is too vague to be pinned down definitively. Lore provides an exhaustive list of queries, questions, and quests for the reader to investigate both internally and externally. Answering the numerous inquiries provides the reader with invaluable insight with respect to his/her strengths, talents, likes, and dislikes both on and off the job, allowing for a rational, well thought out decision to take a new career path that integrates some of the most interesting and fulfilling aspects of an individual's life. Beware, however - this book is not your average inspirational "you can do it" manual for success. It takes a lot of brainstorming, contemplation, and self-analysis to get through each chapter, but the rewards are invaluable. A special bonus is that the reader learns a lot about themselves, not only as an employee, but as a human being, which can inspire one to get the most out of many other aspects of life as well. The one drawback is the occasional inclusion of overly wordy, redundant examples and anecdotes, but these are easily glossed over, allowing the reader to focus on the "meat" of the text. |
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Jazzmamma (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-29 00:00>
I completed the work in this book in 1997. You can't just 'read' it, you have to follow the 'path', which means to answer questions (in writing, in a journal), REALLY consider your past, present and potential futures. Writing things down, as this book asks one to do, helped me by making me discover what my fears were, what potential drawbacks were. Also, suggestions for picking a couple of potential careers and really investigating them were brilliant for me. For example, as I sat in an LSAT review class, I became instantly aware that I really didn't want to sit in school for three more years, nor did I want to work at the office for 70 hours a week. The book offers advice to help one choose, research, and narrow down career choices.
In the back of the book there are phone numbers for further research, for an additional fee (at the time I think it was about $250) which I pursued. I completed a whole written Pathfinders survey, did a phone interview and received a tape of it, and although at the time I felt it was expensive, ultimately, it did help me find a career that was a giant leap but an excellent fit with my needs and skills.
In the end, Pathfinders is about listening to one's own answers. I can say they helped me to realize I knew what I wanted all along. It took me about a year to determine what I wanted to do, and another year to actually set about doing it, but now, six years later, I am still in my calling, and think this book was an excellent investment, if one is willing to do the work and look at one's life under a microscope. |
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JMG (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-29 00:00>
Two years ago I had a great job. My boss loved me, my volunteers loved me, I was making the world a better place, I made decent money, when I told people what I did for a living their consistent response "That's so cool"... and I was miserable.
Logically, the gnawing discontent I felt made no sense. I looked at lots of different career books to try and figure out what was wrong. When I found this book, I stopped looking and started finding the answers I was looking for. Now, I look forward to my alarm going off in the morning so I can go to "work" and it's largely because of this book. (And its not because I have become a workaholic. In fact, I make it a priority to leave work at a reasonable hour.)
The Pathfinder is simply the best career book there is. Most career books focus on transferable skills, the importance of networking, and maybe ask you some questions about what interests you. The Pathfinder addresses all of these things too, but what makes it different is that it pushes you to think about what you want your life as a whole to look like and how you want your job to fit into that. The exercises help you to really think about who you are, what your goals and dreams are, and why the things that matter to you matter to you. Then the book helps you to explore careers that are an expression of those things. It also accesses your special skills and talents in a more complex and multifaceted way than most career books. It considers things like how many new ideas you have a day and whether you are a concrete or abstract thinker. The end result is that you can begin to see for the first time the things that are so easy for you that you didn't think they could possibly be talents...only to realize that they are and people will pay you to use them.
If the best thing about your job is a paycheck, if you use the commute home to decompress so you don't take your misery out on your partner, if you dread Mondays or even if you just know you could be happier than you are at work buy this book today. My goal when I book was to get paid to play instead of getting paid to work. The things I learned about myself from this book made it possible for my to achieve that goal. I now have a job I absolutely love. If you honestly and thoughtfully complete the exercises you can too. |
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A Canadian reader (MSL quote), Canada
<2006-12-29 00:00>
In my opinion, The Pathfinder is simply the best career change resource out there. I have read an untold number of career-related books, and have been trying to change careers myself for over 10 years, without success. That is, until I discovered this book.
Nicholas Lore has created the most comprehensive career change decision-making tools available today. His approach breaks down the process of choosing a career that fits you like a glove into small, manageable steps, thereby reducing the likelihood that overwhelm will take over and cause you to quit. There is also the question of commitment: Lore constantly challenges you to ask yourself whether or not you are truly committed to choosing the career of your dreams. For me, this was both an eye-opening and deeply transformational concept.
The career testing offered by Lore's company, Rockport Institute, is brilliant. Again, I had done lots of testing for aptitudes, preferences and interests before, but none of those methods really hit the nail on the head as the Rockport approach did. It took me a while to see what the difference really was, but as I got deeper into the career exploration process, it all started to make sense. Now I know that what I learned from the testing results alone will make a huge difference as I navigate my way through my newly chosen career path.
I also highly recommend Rockport Institute's career choice program, which gives you access to a personal career coach to guide you through the research and decision-making process. I can't count the number of times that I wanted to quit, or hit a wall in my thinking, and my career coach was there to give me constructive feedback or reassure me that I was on the right track. Having that support and guidance made all the difference to finally making a decision on my new career path.
I believe that the Pathfinder approach to career exploration should be embedded into the curriculum of every high school, college and university, incorporated into the career development process of corporations and businesses, and utilized by career counselors worldwide. If that were the case, I think that the high levels of career dissatisfaction so prevalent amongst today's workers would be fundamentally reversed, and the productivity and employee satisfaction inside our organizations would soar.
If you're serious about creating the career of your dreams, the Pathfinder approach is for you. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-29 00:00>
I've read many books in the career choice category in the past few years, and even did most of the exercises they contained. All were helpful to some extent, but each left me wanting more, and still feeling rudderless. But when I stumbled across The Pathfinder, and read the introduction, I knew this was what I was looking for. This book is certainly not an empty, "feel good" narrative that urges you to "find your passion" and then says: good luck! What Lore has done is assemble a massive "toolkit" for career changers that requires serious time and effort. This is the career-choice guide for those of you ready to roll up your sleeves and get busy. And for those who do, the answers will come.
I'd say there are three major keys to The Pathfinder which set it apart from others in its category. 1) Comprehensiveness: Lore hits the career-choice question from every conceivable angle. This yields a robust and multidimensional picture of your ideal careers(s). 2) Integration with motivational psychology: several chapters are designed to help you overcome self-doubt, make better decisions, and learn to set goals and get things done. And if you're really going for a big change, for the thing you've always wanted to do but never thought you could, then you'll be needing these chapters. And 3) Method: the brick-by-brick process of career discovery is extremely helpful. By breaking it all down, and asking you to make smaller (more manageable) decisions along the way, the Big Decision is far less intimidating, and has such a logic to it that you'll no longer be able to beat yourself up for being "impractical."
On a personal note, The Pathfinder is working for me. I'm in transition now, making the leap from DC public policy geek to Austin-based filmmaker. Perhaps the best part is, although I know that the road ahead will be a major challenge, I also know that I've worked hard for this change, having spent months using The Pathfinder to dig deep within myself to uncover my path. I now have a notebook full of completed exercises to revisit when the going gets tough. These remind me that what I'm doing is not some childish fantasy, but the very practical answer to the question: What should I do with my life?
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D. Sain (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-29 00:00>
I've been a career counselor for almost 30 years. I'm always searching for solid books to recommend to clients. I liked this one, as it offered a refreshing spin on a topic that has been written about endlessly. I particularly like the idea of Commitment, which is not stated as clearly in many of the other materials I have read and utilized. When I've exhausted the typical assessments I use with my clients and find some clients who are stuck, this is one of the books I suggest they use to move ahead.
Its weakness is in the job hunting section. The concepts are all right, but nothing new. I think once the job hunt commences, most job seekers need a LOT of support - more than just reading a book. Even though Lore writes about support teams, it's not enough. Most job hunters KNOW this, and Extroverts more easily act to connect with others. Introverts, though, need more encouragement. However, I do like the creative analogies and images he conjures up, both in this section and in the rest of the book. In the hands of a skilled career counselor, using these images is very powerful for clients who need concrete analogies and metaphors. For example, on pp 22 and 23 he compares the career decision-making process to the decision to buy a house. On pp 331-333 he illustrates how a job hunter goes from a "outsider" to an "insider" using a kayaker example.
Personally, for job hunting I like the no nonsense Five O'Clock Club approach, which offers either a bricks-and-mortar or telephone task-oriented group, led by a professional career counselor or coach, in addition to 4 books that spell out a very structured methodology for job hunting. Also, they do research on what works and what doesn't, which I've found to be unique among such firms.
All in all, Lore is a creative guy with a knack for zeroing in on the trials and tribulations of those who are needing or wanting to change career direction. It's well worth adding to your library if you're a professional. For you career changers, it's worth getting a notebook (as Lore wants you to do) and working your way through the "Inquiries" in most or all of the book. |
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Damian Koziak (MSL quote), Canada
<2006-12-29 00:00>
I don't consider many things to be worth 5 stars, but this book deserves the full board. Throughout university, I read multiple career choice books and took numerous tests to help me find my path, and was left wanting. Within the first hundred pages The Pathfinder had taken me in a more meaningful direction then all of the books and test I had done before - combined. The progress with The Pathfinder doesn't come easy. It takes time and energy, and you're going to have to ask yourself some tough questions and be willing to answer honestly. Some people might not be ready to do that, I know I wasn't until recently. If you think you are ready to find a career you love, get this book. Even if you don't think you are ready, get the book anyhow, there are numerous passages that will really get you thinking about why you aren't going after what it is you really want in life. The best investment I've ever made. I'm on my way to having a career that I love. I believe this book can help you do the same. |
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Shane Brewer (MSL quote), Canada
<2006-12-29 00:00>
The Pathfinder is the best book I've read on finding the right career for you. Author Nicholas Lore has some excellent insights into how the human brain works and how it can trick us into not going after what we really want.
Be prepared... this book as a lot of self-reflection exercises. These exercises can take weeks, even months to complete. So don't go into this thinking that you will know exactly what you will want in a couple days of reading.
The exercises themselves were good for self-reflection. I would have liked some more example answers for some of them, as a few questions left me wondering exactly what they were asking for. Additionally, this book is too wide and the font is too small! The sentences and paragraphs seem to go on forever and lost my focus quite a bit. They should have put in more pages and less on each page to make it more readable.
Despite these shortcomings, Pathfinder is a must read for the career seeker. The advice is excellent and the exercises are a great place to start thinking about yourself and what you want. I highly recommend this book. 5 out of 5 stars. |
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An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-29 00:00>
Could commendations of excellence from two U.S. Presidents be wrong? Well, I just couldn't wade through the muck. Heavy metaphor rotation and dewy-eyed spiritual platitudes are to be expected- after all, it's a self-help book- but the book could easily be 100 pages thinner without such reliance on them. The writing style is condescending and overly soothing, with such gems as "Now let's take a look at how creating a clear commitment separates your voice from that of Jiminy Lizard", and "Wait a minute now, I'm not going to let these Yeahbuts shoot down my dream". And I know they are hardly the point, but the illustrations are so bizarre they reminded me of religious tracts. I still can't shake the drawing of the Eskimo, and found the comparison of an "Inuit (Eskimo)" building an igloo to my building a satisfying career not only decidedly un-PC (odd for the generation the book is probably meant to appeal to- I get a heavy Boomer vibe), but a stretch, too. Preening quotes are sprinkled throughout the book, from Joseph Campbell, Ghandi, Kierkegaard, and Yoda. Sub-sections of chapters, called "Inquiries", have titles such as "Designing Your Workplace Ecosystem" and "What Game Will I Play?". But worst of all, the book consistently gave me the sense that the motherlode of critical information was just about to be revealed, but, wait, not yet; please read some more star-shine and cloud-glow first, and your dedication will be rewarded, we promise! This book left me itchy and bored. Filling a notebook with my innate talents and figuring out the difference between a mission and a purpose?... honestly, I didn't feel the love.
(A negative review. MSL remarks.) |
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1 Total 1 pages 9 items |
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