Review: Relaunch! Stagnation, Change and Renewal in Mid-Career and Beyond by Steven Simon, Ph.D.

An experienced career counselor shares wisdom about recognizing and surviving a professional life crisis in Relaunch! Stagnation, Change and Renewal in Mid-Career and Beyond.

As Simon lays out methodically, there are many ways that your career may grow stagnant. For example, you may feel underappreciated in general, or perhaps your job no longer seems meaningful. Conflict situations at work can lead to anger, frustration and depression. Perhaps you are doing work you don’t enjoy simply because finances dictate it, or you have lost your job and are experiencing the challenges of seeking new employment. All of these circumstances can invoke a feeling of total stagnation. The author suggests a wide array of remedies for each of these situations.

Many people feel that the only way to conquer the sense of stagnation is making a total change – a new career, with a new organization. Sometimes a confrontation with an overbearing boss, a transfer to another worksite or simply asking for a new assignment can change the situation enough to make more drastic change unnecessary. Sometimes stress reduction outside work hours can be helpful. But if it seems that major upheaval is the only answer, the author urges that we consider the “intersection principle”: you will feel most passion for a job in which your interests, skills and environmental needs can intersect.

Simon writes boldly and knowledgeably, using real examples in almost every section of this wide-ranging examination of workplace situations and values. He makes many practical suggestions, such as to create a skills inventory including not only what you do at your job but what you can do – your “hidden” and “transferable” skills. Examine your interests, assess your environmental requirements. He lists numerous resources: for job seekers, there is O*NET (Occupational Information Handbook), OOH (Occupational Outlook Handbook), and LinkedIn.

What works best about this manual is Simon offers practical advice, rather than self-help bromides that may be too general to put into effect. His advice includes starting your own home business, with many suggestions for such an undertaking. If you have become disabled he offers contacts for guidance, both for work that accommodates disabilities and organizations that can assist with funding. He discusses such issues as age and employment gaps in a straightforward manner, and gives recommendations about creating an up-to-date resume and preparing for a job interview by coaching oneself on how to answer tough interview questions. His case studies feel realistic and effectively highlight the differences between successful and unsuccessful attempts and outcomes.

In all, the book is a comprehensive overview and covers issues that most any interested reader should face, and readers should feel some sense of inspiration in Simon’s prescriptions. Not surprisingly, since career counseling is his profession, Simon recommends seeking services of a highly trained and experienced career consultant, offering guidelines for locating such a consultant. Instead of seeming self-serving, the author comes across as a serious-minded guide willing and ready to help. Throughout the book, the reader will feel that Simon is a reliable source of the assistance he recommends.

The second in a series on changing careers, Relaunch! is an inspiring and useful guide for changing careers, whether you’re well into a career or just starting out, though it will be most effective for those who are looking to change careers later in life.