I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This: A Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Gratifying Work

Within 3 weeks of completing this book, I am now employed in my dream job; a job that came true because of the many exercises that are used in "I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know It's Not This."

Ms. Jansen's guide will have you writing notes to yourself, staying up late dreaming about the life you really want to have, and getting up early to implement the suggestions that are found througout this classic book.

Do yourself a huge favor: stop searching the web, stop browsing at the bookstore, and simply order this book NOW!

P.S. As part of my severance package, I worked with a world-famous outplacement firm. This book was so responsible for my successful career change, that I strongly advised the outplacement firm to make Julie's book mandatory reading for all new clients!


Great resource for the mid-life career crisis....   September 25, 2003
 192 out of 195 found this review helpful

Ever looked around at what you're doing at work and wondered how on earth you got to this awful place where you hate getting out of bed in the morning? Ever feel like there's something about your so-called 'successful career' that makes you feel vaguely rotten inside? Feel like what you really wanted to be when you grew up got lost somewhere along the way?

Through a series of exercises, Julie Jensen helps you rediscover your values and passions, and to see why where you are right now is so frustrating. This book isn't about finding a job, it's more about defining yourself and seeing where you shine and where you don't.

She categorizes people 'stuck' in their careers into six types (Where's the Meaning, Been there, Done that, Need the Money, Bored and Plateaued, Bruised and Gunshy, One Toe in the Retirement Pool), and then works through specific exercises to help those archetypes set goals that will move them towards more connection in their life.

The book is nice in that it isn't all about having to be an entrepreneur to be happy. Most find-yourself-through-your-career books push entrepreneurship really hard and completely devalidate the whole work concept. Jensen suggests that working for someone else is fine, but making sure your needs are met is important. Many books about career change are horribly vague about how to figure out what you want to do. Jensen provides concrete exercises and examples of how people applied what they learned.

The biggest problem I had was trying to fit myself into an archetype, since I honestly fit into three or four of them. But everything in the book is useful, even if you may not immediately think it applies to your situation.


Very limited focus   September 6, 2005
 80 out of 101 found this review helpful

Terrible book IF you are not in the business world. There is almost nothing here that related to my situation. In fact, the only situations the author seems to know anything about are people in the 'white collar' business world. Virtually all of her real life examples are human resource 'professionals', finacial analysts, and others from the 'white collar' corporate world. In my case, I have a master's degree in English and have been driving a forklift in a book printing plant for 8 years, and apparently the author doesn't think factory workers yearn for other work situations. In fact, she probably has such a severe case of tunnel vision that she wouldn't think a factory worker might even want to read her book. This book might be a good book if you are a banker looking to make a career change--I don't know. But if you're not, save your money on this one.


Basic basic basic   March 1, 2006
 49 out of 52 found this review helpful

Most of the material in this book is obvious, trivial, or both. Whatever is left has been better covered even in "starter" career books like What Color Is Your Parachute.

I bought this together with several other career change books, including Is Your Genius at Work (Dick Richards), Working Identity (Herminia Ibarra), Finding Your North Star (Martha Beck), and Do What You Are (Paul & Barbara Tieger). I Don't Know What I Want was the only disappointment. The assessment section is a joke, while the advice for individuals with different motivations to change careers appears to be written at an introductory level more suitable to somebody who's starting their first career (in which case see my comment above about What Color Is Your Parachute). All the other books I've mentioned provide either an in-depth method of self-assessment helpful in developing a plan of action, or information about the job search process that hasn't been published in popular magazines; some of them provide both.

It's not worth the bother to return it, but I don't see myself keeping it around or recommending it to friends.


Still Don't Know What I Want   April 22, 2004
 43 out of 52 found this review helpful

I found out a little more about myself as far as attitudes and personality (not much I didn't already know; just a litte reaffirming I guess to have gone over the exercises), but I still don't know what I want.

The book may help you, or maybe not, place yourself into one of the six categories the author describes on why you want to change jobs. The book may also help you itemize your values, attitudes, change readiness, personality preferences, interests and skills into neat categories. The book does nothing in helping push you to finding gratifying work.