Career Renegade: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love

Jonathan Fields has created a 'how to' book that goes far beyond the borders of explaining a plan for self-improvement. CAREER RENEGADE: How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love is a timely transfusion for many people caught in the current economic stagnation or those who face the enforced retirement package. In a smart, very readable book Fields gets real about infusing a sense of well being and confidence in every reader who takes the time to pick up this friendly manual. Somewhere along the way each of us was told that our lives could/should be divided between career and hobby, that making a living was key in allowing us to find space to live out the dreams in little sheltered moments. The work ethic has become the beastie that governs our lives and too often leads to fractured relationships and even physical distress. Enter Jonathan Fields, a man who at the peak of success in law and fortune fell ill enough to have that wake up call to change. And change he did, embracing all the things he loved doing, finding (surprisingly enough!) that he could (and did) make a fine living from following his dreams. This book is about taking the risk of stepping out of the corporate cubicle or its equivalent and jumping into the middle of a fountain of youth via discovering what it is we really love and committing ourselves to pursue that which makes us happy to the point that it is the source of our income. Yes, there are well-devised steps outlined in this book: it is after all a guide to taking control of life. But it is the manner in which Fields writes and offers examples and suggestions in such a user-friendly way that makes this book so valuable. It challenges the reader to follow dreams and it backs up that challenge with some excellent resource data to assist the willing to fulfill their desire. This is a happy book and could not come at a better time! Grady Harp, May 09

There are three major benefits that you will gain from reading this book. First it will serve as a motivation to all who want to give up the rut we all call a job and move out on their own. The second benefit is really a step by step guide about how to move out on your own. Not only does Jonathan tell you how, he gives links to hundreds of resources to help you accomplish what you want. The third valuable benefit is the wisdom that Jonathan shares from his own experiences. The third benefit is perhaps the most valuable. Under the wisdom he shares, there are two very valuable lessons - either of them worth the price of the book. The first lesson is how to deal with fear. Here Jonathan gives some extremely good advice. Fear is probably the number one reason most people do not achieve their dreams. His advice is to explore and quantify the fear. Ask what are the consequences of failure, what is the worst case scenario, and examine the results. Often this will put fear in perspective. Then let go of the fear. Do this only once and let go. Then you need to explore and quantify inaction. What are the results of doing nothing? If "staying the course is going to create a miserable future", that should be an unacceptable alternative. Once you explore and quantify inaction, let go. Again do this only once. What you focus on expands. So only examine the fear and inaction once and then move on. Then the important part is to stimulate success daily. Again, what we focus on expands. So stimulate success daily. You do this by being clear about what you want, believing you can achieve it and taking focused action. The other huge lesson is how, when and why to involve others family/friends/mentors in your mission The last lesson is probably the best advice in the entire book. There is no one person, guru, mentor who can give you the magic formula or set of directions that will work for you. In the final analysis, "no one can stand in your shoes. No one else can take action but you." Take responsibility for your own life. Ask yourself this question, "Will this career choice let me spend the greatest amount of time absorbed in the activities and relationships that make me come alive while earning the living I need to live?" The book is well written and easy to read. If you really wish to change your life, to take charge and put your future in your own hands, this is a great place to start.

I am near the beginning of my journey of making the necessary changes to make a living doing what I love. I am so grateful to Jonathan for this book. Not only has it inspired me anew, but I will be referring to it again and again, on each step of my journey. His information is impressive in its scope and depth. I now feel that, instead of standing before a huge mountain, I now face it equipped with a set of mountaineering gear to begin my climb. I am more skilled at using some tools than others, but fear and reservation have been replaced with determination, inspiration and specific ideas of how to move ahead. This book is chock full of practical advice, lists, and bullets points of how to begin new explorations and tackle problems step by step as they arise. So here I go! Thank you, Jonathan!

If you've ever wondered how you can turn your passion into a business, this book is probably the best place to look for answers. The author, who left a career in law years ago to pursue his dreams as an entrepreneur, describes in great detail seven often overlooked ways to make money doing what you love. He starts by explaining how each particular strategy can work for you, and follows through with real life examples and a list of resources for you to dig deeper on your own. Then, he continues to guide us through the process of marketing our dream, the basics of Internet marketing, and how to use blogs and social media to make our mark in the world and gain influence. Perhaps the passage of the book that I liked the most is when the author talks about conventional wisdom, and how it gets in the way of identifying opportunity. Learning to defy conventional wisdom (or what others may call "thinking out of the box") is the best way to discover niches that nobody is addressing and that you can turn into a business. With that frame of mind and the practical tips in this book, you shouldn't have any problem finding work that is at the same time lucrative and fulfilling.

An excellent read even for those of us already firmly in the entrepreneurial world. Fields knows his stuff and doesn't gloss over the hard parts. He does, though, deliver on the title. Even though I already love what I do, the book started me thinking about other paths as well. Absolutely packed with practical information and resources. The success stories are much more than feel-good 'see? it can be done!' They're usable examples. The list of Career Renegade paths is a tool I'll use the rest of my life. I wanted to write this book. Probably best that Jonathan beat me to it; he's done an excellent job.