Millennials and Gen Z’s:
• Get a lot of bad career advice.
• Decide to go to college (despite the soul-crushing debt), then wonder… what did I really learn?
They take jobs they think will satisfy them, and soon learn, they don’t. Trial and error are a tough way to build a career. Their friends are in the same boat. Can they find help on Instagram?
None of these approaches work well. Where is the support for doing it differently from their parents?
An Authentic Human’s Guide to Finding Meaningful Work, written in gender neutral language, seeks to help each person find their own path forward, seeing alternatives that they may never have considered. The learning happens in several ways:
• 7 case studies from peers, who have found their way to meaningful work
• “You Work It” sections in each chapter provides a wide variety of exercises and ideas
• Actions and experiments are encouraged to gauge risk/reward.
The power of the book is in the ideas that are generated for the individual as they read, write, process, and share their unique story. Setting aside the noise of their parents and teachers, each person begins to see themselves in a new light. Understanding their values is part of the journey to meaningful work; without the light of self-awareness, each of us searches in the dark.
If these individuals rely too much on family or societal norms for validation, they may be robbed of their flexibility and creativity or blocks them from clearly seeing their options. As they embrace their true selves, they begin to change the voices that tell them they’re not enough or that they must follow a certain path. It doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a slow process of chipping away the armor that’s been built to protect their precious selves.”
Understanding their how their upbringing, experiences, talents, hopes, and dreams effect their values, and their search is key to changing their path. This guide doesn’t tell readers what they “should” do, but instead, encourages a deep and different look at their options, opening their minds to new strategies and possibilities.
Readers learn things like:
1. Why so much advice is irrelevant to their journey
2. Why it’s important to build a support network
3. How to “Boss Shop”
4. The importance of having mentors
5. How to find out about company culture BEFORE you take the job
About Deborah Mourey
Some of you might know me as Debbie “Machine,” the mother of YouTuber Jenna Marbles. But that alone doesn’t qualify me to write a book about finding meaningful work for people younger than myself.
In my own journey, I was a file clerk, a consultant, a waitress, a teacher, a competitive intelligence analyst, an entrepreneur, and a mentor. I’ve worked in huge corporations and three-person start ups, as well as non-profits.
Some of these jobs held no meaning. Others fed my soul, but none more than my current journey supporting seekers — people who want something more from their work, something better.
I have a deep belief that each of us is special, just as we are. Once we recognize ourselves that way, doors open that we never thought possible. I believe in each person’s unique experience and inherent strength.