Book review : Just 5 Rules >> Self-Coached IT Career Change

It’s a funny what comes your way when you put your intentions about understanding change out there into the universe in form of a few blog posts.

This came via one of my online buddies Jason Ball, who on top of his day job, is the owner of a business networking group called GoodPeople Japan.

I’ve just read a practical guide to making career change called “Just 5 Rules.”

The author, Mark McClure, has aimed this book at IT professionals, but I think that title sells it short.

It’s full of insightful techniques that can apply to people in any profession.

Mark speaks from the curiosity and experience that has seen him navigate his own career change/transition, including moving countries from Northern Ireland to Japan.

He’s also moved from a successful career from IT into freelance writing.

The 5 rules Mark talks about are not really rules, in that you don’t follow 5 steps to success (sorry) but a set of chapters discussing each idea.

The five rules are:

1. Take action
2. Follow a proven plan
3. Focus on one task at a time
4. Let time go lightly
5. Find games worth playing
6. Embracing emotional goal creation

The idea of finding games worth playing resonates with me.

I think too many people get caught up in climbing a corporate ladder to earn more money and buy more things. The idea that this leads to happiness, is the idea that more things make you happy.

I also resonate with the idea of emotional goal creation.

This is working with the idea that you can be more of an observer about the emotions you may experience, and not judge them. Instead you can use these as a guide to how important your goal is to you.

You can welcome the strength of fear, the tightness of knot in your stomach or the depth of depression you feel at the thought of going to work as an indicator of whether what you are doing is really in alignment with what you value or aspire to.

This book took me an hour to read.

It talks about the importance of taking actions.

So instead of reading what I say about it, I suggest you go and buy it.

Click here to find out more.