Smart Careers: How to turn a mid-career crisis into a rewarding work life

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Description

Mid-career crises are on the rise. Its no wonder: working lives are getting longer, 'jobs for life' are a thing of the past, and theres more opportunity than ever before to change role, companies or careers. As a result, more people are questioning whether their work is truly serving them in emotional, spiritual, and practical terms.

Yet mid-career crises can also become the springboard to finding greater meaningfulness at work, resulting in huge psychological and performance benefits. In Smart Careers, Jess Annison shows you how to craft your career by designing and sustaining a work life that is deeply satisfying and fulfilling.

Blending real stories, science, and exercises to provide an accessible, hands-on guide, the book deals with the deepest questions of meaning and purpose, and how they impact both what we do and how we work. Once you understand your personal sources of meaning at work, you can make changes that boost and amplify those experiences, from small day-to-day tweaks to a complete career change, and everything in between. Importantly, these adjustments are unique to you and dynamic over time.

Smart Careers includes:
- a simple framework to help you find more meaning at work, whatever your starting point and aspirations
- real-life stories and evidence-based insights from positive psychology and career development science
- practical exercises to guide you through your career crafting journey.

Reviews

Packed full of possibilities for people who are stuck mid-career. And with a beautiful view into coaching conversations and what else a thinking space can offer. -- Claire Pedrick * author of Simplifying Coaching and The Human Behind the Coach *
A career isnt a ladder, its a landscape, and Smart Careers is the map we all need. Smart Careers is essential reading for anyone feeling stuck or searching for more at work. Combining the latest evidence with real stories and clear steps, Jess Annison equips you with the mindset and methods to navigate your now and shape your next. This isnt just a book, its a toolkit for designing a work life you actually want. -- Rob Baker * founder of Tailored Thinking, author of Personalization at Work *
Smart Careers is honest, optimistic, and full of the kind of clarity we crave when the question is this it wont go away. This isnt another follow your dream pep talk. Its a grounded, practical guide for people who want work to feel meaningful again, without feeling the need to burn everything down to start over. The personal stories ring true and the exercises create momentum to act. If youre feeling stuck, restless or just quietly fed up, this book wont just help it might help you be happy. -- Susie Palmer-Trew * founder, Everyday Change and The Growth Club *
Smart Careers is a treasure trove of practical, compassionate, and wise advice. Its the book I wish Id had at key crossroads in my career one that will support so many in crafting their own meaningful path. -- Ruth Cooper-Dickson * Positive Psychology Practitioner & Thrivership Coach *
If youre thinking about your next career move, and wondering how to get more meaning from your next step, Jess brilliant book is essential reading. Its smart and practical and it takes you by the hand and guides you through your past, current and desired future, step by step. I loved it. -- Dr Lucy Ryan * author of Revolting Women: why midlife women are walking out and what to do about it *
Smart Careers is the practical guide you need to help you find your most rewarding work life. -- Rachel Clark * careers coach *
As an Executive Coach, the utility of this book in helping my executive coaching clients re-find their purpose will find me returning its frameworks over and over. It cleverly takes the personal and subjective matter of meaningfulness into the tangible and actionable. It helps me support my clients as they reroute back to meaningfulness. -- Jess Dooley * Executive Coach *
We don't need to suffer foolish co-workers, unethical bosses, or soul-withering working conditions anymore! Jess Annison gives us a friendly, approachable, and authoritative playbook for filling our lives with rewarding, meaningful work instead. Turn your mid-career crisis into the most joyful stage of your working life with the stories, research, and exercises packed into Smart Careers. -- Michael F. Steger, PhD * Professor and Director of the Center for Meaning and Purpose *
Jess has written the kind of career book that coaches and career consultants dream of giving their clients its thoughtful, real, and is packed with practical tools to help people take charge of their careers and to explore and find meaningful work that will have a positive ripple effect on those around them. -- Jimi Wall * founder of Upwrd *
Smart Careers is an empowering read for anyone feeling stuck or unfulfilled in their professional journey. Jess Annison unpacks the complexities of modern careers with clarity and offers a robust framework for intentional career crafting. This book isn't about quick fixes (because there aren't any) but is about building a sustainable foundation for a deeply meaningful work life. Its a vital resource for professionals who want to take control of their narrative and create lasting impact. -- Ben Legg * CEO & co-founder, The Portfolio Collective *
Beautifully woven with metaphors, this book hooks your curiosity from the start like an exciting novel. The blend of stories, theories, and practical tools brings a realistic optimism that balances hope and caution, encouraging you to wonder: What if I could craft my career Its not a typical do this, do that formula rather, it offers a wiser approach, inviting you to explore your own story while following the thread of career crafting. -- Dr Ayse Burcin Baskurt, CPsychol * FHEA *
Jess Annison has written the book we need now: honest, human, and unflinchingly useful for anyone seeking more meaning at work. Smart Careers is part workbook, part wake-up call. It doesnt pretend the journey will be easy but it makes sure youre not alone on the path. With the clarity of a coach and the depth of a scholar, Jess offers a toolkit for shaping a working life that actually works for you and the world. This isnt just another career book its a field guide to making work matter, backed by evidence and brimming with heart. -- Andrew Soren * founder & CEO, Eudaimonic by Design *

Author Bio

Jess Annison, OBE, MSc is a positive psychologist, accredited career and leadership coach, facilitator, researcher, and author. Having navigated her own mid-career crisis, Jess helps individuals and teams to create their most meaningful work life. Her evidence-based approach is underpinned by the science of positive psychology, in which she has published extensively. A career highlight of hers includes five years of involvement with planning and delivering aspects of the London 2012 Olympics.