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Author Nicholas Lore uses the techniques of his career-guidance network, the Rockport Institute, to make The Pathfinder a substitute for a great job counselor. Through goal setting, list making, and other techniques, the book leads readers though the process of deciding exactly what they want to do for a living and finding a way to make it happen. Lore realizes that people have different temperaments and decision-making methods, so he provides individualized advice to suit each one. He also understands that creating a new career requires courage as well as desire, so The Pathfinder devotes plenty of space to motivation and overcoming fears. While anyone looking for a new career will find direction with this guide, people who didn't know they were looking may decide to start once they go through Lore's probing self-examination process.

DO YOU JUMP OUT OF BED EVERY MORNING AND RUSH TO A JOB YOU LOVE?

Or is the work you once enjoyed now just a way to pay the bills? Perhaps you're even doubting your career choice altogether. Let The Pathfinder guide you to a more engaging, fulfilling work life. Based on breakthrough techniques developed by Rockport Institute, an innovative and award-winning career-counseling network that has changed the lives of over 10,000 people, The Pathfinder offers invaluable advice and more than 100 self-tests and diagnostic tools that will help you choose an entirely new career -- or view a current job from a new, more positive perspective. You'll learn:

* How to design your new career direction step by step so that it fits your talents, personality, needs, goals, values, and is, at the same time, practical and attainable
* How to deal successfully with the "yeah but" voices in your head that keep you going back to the same old ill-fitting job, day after day
* How to land the perfect job in your new field, plus tips on writing a really exceptional r¨¦sum¨¦, personal marketing, and networking (even for those who hate to network)

Whether you're a seasoned professional in search of a career change or a beginner just entering the working world, you want to make the right choices from the beginning. No matter where you are in your journey, if you want work to be more of a dance than a drag, The Pathfinder will expertly coach you through the process of designing a career you will love.

Customer Reviews:

• WANT A CAREER YOU LOVE? GET THIS BRILLIANT BOOK
  This is the masterpiece book on picking your perfect career. I went all the way through a PhD program only to discover I did not enjoy my field. I bought and read several of the popular career titles such as the Parachute book but did not find most of them particularly helpful. The exception was The Pathfinder. I read through all the reviews of it this morning and the one word that shows up in many of them is "brilliant", the best single word to describe this book. The author says that in order to have a career you love it needs to fit your "natural" talents and your personality perfectly, allow you to do work that comes most naturally to you. In addition, it must be in a field you care about, fulfill your goals and put you in a workplace environment that suits you well. I noticed that the few negative reviews of this book mostly complain that it is too long. I disagree. I found the whole book to be very useful. It is long because picking a career that fits is not easy. The book challenges you to reach toward a career that is not a compromise and shows you how to do so. It takes you through many exercises that help you discover what would make a career fit you perfectly. It teaches you how to deal with the obstacles that get in the way, most of which are self-generated internal voices that tell you to avoid risk. It takes you all the way through to the final goal.
  I called the author's Rockport Institute today and got to speak with him. It turns out that this organization created the field of career coaching nearly thirty years ago and does constant research on what it takes to pick a career that fits. No wonder this is better than the other books.
  ...more info
• Is there Something I'm not Getting?
  Basically what you are asked to do in this book is generate dozens of lists on your own and that this process will somehow create an epiphany of your ideal career. In the beginning, I forced myself to be open-minded about this process, but found that writing interminable lists, which did nothing to clarify what was already floating in my head, did not lead to a career decision. I suppose that this process is supposed to spark ideas and new insights - it didn't. All the stuff that I wrote down was information I already knew quite intuitively and seemed obvious (e.g., I want a job where I get along with co-workers). What I needed was something structured and concrete that would point me to certain careers, which this book really doesn't do. ...more info
• A little help to identify the purpose driven life
  I found this book so useful, I bought it twice. The first time to examine my overall interest and possible fit for career. Then, I lent the book out. I just repurchased to complete the values exercise. This book has a mini Myers-Briggs Type assessment (useful to understand how you make decisions, where you get your energy, how you take in information and how you organize your life) and its potential impact on career and other life choices.
  
  If you like to read and aren't into doing 'self work', this book is not for you. Hope it does for you what it did for me, clarity around things I'm passionate about and creating a plan to align my work with the things I'm most passionate about.
  
  I found the quotes and drawings inspirational and relevant, pushing me to keep digging and searching for my right path....more info
• The ultimate career decision-making tool
  In my opinion, The Pathfinder is simply the best career change resource out there. I have read an untold number of career-related books, and have been trying to change careers myself for over 10 years, without success. That is, until I discovered this book.

  Nicholas Lore has created the most comprehensive career change decision-making tools available today. His approach breaks down the process of choosing a career that fits you like a glove into small, manageable steps, thereby reducing the likelihood that overwhelm will take over and cause you to quit. There is also the question of commitment: Lore constantly challenges you to ask yourself whether or not you are truly committed to choosing the career of your dreams. For me, this was both an eye-opening and deeply transformational concept.

  The career testing offered by Lore's company, Rockport Institute, is brilliant. Again, I had done lots of testing for aptitudes, preferences and interests before, but none of those methods really hit the nail on the head as the Rockport approach did. It took me a while to see what the difference really was, but as I got deeper into the career exploration process, it all started to make sense. Now I know that what I learned from the testing results alone will make a huge difference as I navigate my way through my newly chosen career path.

  I also highly recommend Rockport Institute's career choice program, which gives you access to a personal career coach to guide you through the research and decision-making process. I can't count the number of times that I wanted to quit, or hit a wall in my thinking, and my career coach was there to give me constructive feedback or reassure me that I was on the right track. Having that support and guidance made all the difference to finally making a decision on my new career path.

  I believe that the Pathfinder approach to career exploration should be embedded into the curriculum of every high school, college and university, incorporated into the career development process of corporations and businesses, and utilized by career counsellors worldwide. If that were the case, I think that the high levels of career dissatisfaction so prevalent amongst today's workers would be fundamentally reversed, and the productivity and employee satisfaction inside our organizations would soar.

  If you're serious about creating the career of your dreams, the Pathfinder approach is for you....more info

• Found a new career as a result of reading this book
  After reading this excellent book, I actually took tests with the Rockport Institute, founded by the author, Nicholas Lore.
  The tests confirmed what the book had already indicated ... I was unhappy at work because I was not doing work that suited my personality and talents. I am now in the process of starting my own small business and I really do wake up every day feeling energized and looking forward to my work.

  I was previously an HR executive and thought I had a good understanding of the world of career choice. I had read many career books and those books told you to find work you love - to think about your hobbies and try to find work that matched your hobbies. It was hopeless! I love to cook and garden, but am not good enough to do them professionally. I like to watch movies and read books - but who will pay me to do that?!

  In Pathfinder, Nicholas Lore focuses not on what you do for a hobby. Instead, he goes deeper and enables you to identify your talents - some of which you may never have used during your career - or even in your hobbies.

  His theory is simple - but incredibly powerful. I don't understand the reviewers who did not have the same experience as I did. All I know is that this book truly changed my life and that I am incredibly grateful that I picked it up one day when browsing for a new novel to distract me from my career misery!

  If you are serious about finding a new path in life, this is the best book to help you get there....more info

• test in the book
  hi - i actually wanted to give this test ..but not sure of...there are some tests already in the book...does this test provide much more? ...more info
• You're worth the work...
  A great book, reasonably priced and filled with thought provoking exercises that really help you dig deep to find what it is you really love to do. I've recommended this book to several friends and they have all commented on how pleased they were with the book and the results they achieved by "doing the work"....more info
• Career Change Success Story
  As a career and personal coach I use the exercises in this book with clients. They're extremely productive. They're exhaustive. I challege any author to produce more thorough and effective exercises than this. In fact I recently I went to a large bookstore to see if anyone had done so. I looked through the career books until I was cross-eyed, and I found pieces-just pieces in this book and that, of the exercises Lore had laid out in exhaustive detail.

  "The American Way of Career Selection" section toward the beginning ought to clue you in, reader. The wake up call - our schools and colleges' methods of helping students toward fitting careers is totally inadequate. They don't have the time or resources, and I've visited several of them. This fact needs to be published more often.

  We are blessed to have someone who not only calls it to our attention in the book's beginning, but makes you laugh as you see yourself in the book - a human being who is seeking direction with a mixture of fear and dread; and hope and inspiration. The Artist's Way was extremely confrontational; this book was welcoming and compassionately honest. The author understands human nature.

  "The Questions List" exercise alone is worth the price of the book. About 130 questions in 21 categories about your work preferences, which if you have or had answered in college, may have been instrumental in setting you on the right career path the first time!! No small feat judging by today's career satisfaction statistics.

  My recomendation? There ought to be a course in every high school junior year called "Career Planning To Reflect Who You Naturally Are," with this book as the text. Oh, and by the way, this book and career testing by the Rockport Institute, founded by the author, moved me from my former to my current career. I'm a success story....more info

• Refreshing
  I've been a career counselor for almost 30 years. I'm always searching for solid books to recommend to clients. I liked this one, as it offered a refreshing spin on a topic that has been written about endlessly. I particularly like the idea of Commitment, which is not stated as clearly in many of the other materials I have read and utilized. When I've exhausted the typical assessments I use with my clients and find some clients who are stuck, this is one of the books I suggest they use to move ahead.
  
  Its weakness is in the job hunting section. The concepts are all right, but nothing new. I think once the job hunt commences, most job seekers need a LOT of support--more than just reading a book. Even though Lore writes about support teams, it's not enough. Most job hunters KNOW this, and Extroverts more easily act to connect with others. Introverts, though, need more encouragement. However, I do like the creative analogies and images he conjures up, both in this section and in the rest of the book. In the hands of a skilled career counselor, using these images is very powerful for clients who need concrete analogies and metaphors. For example, on pp 22 and 23 he compares the career decision-making process to the decision to buy a house. On pp 331-333 he illustrates how a job hunter goes from a "outsider" to an "insider" using a kayaker example.
  
  Personally, for job hunting I like the no nonsense Five O'Clock Club approach, which offers either a bricks-and-mortar or telephone task-oriented group, led by a professional career counselor or coach, in addition to 4 books that spell out a very structured methodology for job hunting. Also, they do research on what works and what doesn't, which I've found to be unique among such firms.
  
  All in all, Lore is a creative guy with a knack for zeroing in on the trials and tribulations of those who are needing or wanting to change career direction. It's well worth adding to your library if you're a professional. For you career changers, it's worth getting a notebook (as Lore wants you to do) and working your way through the "Inquiries" in most or all of the book....more info
• Review of Pathfinder Career Development Book
  I am approximately 1/3 complete with this book, and it is well written and thorough. Very conversational in style, not a dry, textbook approach. The author almosts seems like he is speaking directly with you in the same room, you can feel a sense of compassion and understanding in his presentation. Very good at covering all aspects of helping to clarify your career focus. Works well to help the reader identify personal traits first, then gradually get into a realistic goal and method for pursuing a better or the right career....more info
• The Very Best Career Book There Is
  Two years ago I had a great job. My boss loved me, my volunteers loved me, I was making the world a better place, I made decent money, when I told people what I did for a living their consistent response "That's so cool"....and I was miserable.
  
  Logically, the gnawing discontent I felt made no sense. I looked at lots of different career books to try and figure out what was wrong. When I found this book, I stopped looking and started finding the answers I was looking for. Now, I look forward to my alarm going off in the morning so I can go to "work" and it's largely because of this book. (And its not because I have become a workaholic. In fact, I make it a priority to leave work at a reasonable hour.)
  
  The Pathfinder is simply the best career book there is. Most career books focus on transferable skils, the importance of networking, and maybe ask you some questions about what interests you. The Pathfinder addresses all of these things too, but what makes it different is that it pushes you to think about what you want your life as a whole to look like and how you want your job to fit into that. The exercises help you to really think about who you are, what your goals and dreams are, and why the things that matter to you matter to you. Then the book helps you to explore careers that are an expression of those things. It also asesses your special skills and talents in a more complex and multifaceted way than most career books. It considers things like how many new ideas you have a day and whether you are a concrete or abstract thinker. The end result is that you can begin to see for the first time the things that are so easy for you that you didn't think they could possibly be talents...only to realize that they are and people will pay you to use them.
  
  If the best thing about your job is a paycheck, if you use the commute home to decompress so you don't take your misery out on your partner, if you dread Mondays or even if you just know you could be happier than you are at work buy this book today. My goal when I book was to get paid to play instead of getting paid to work. The things I learned about myself from this book made it possible for my to achieve that goal. I now have a job I absolutely love. If you honestly and thoughtfully complete the excersizes you can too. ...more info
• Good book for some, but not life changing
  This book could be helpful to people who do not have any idea at all what they want to do. The exercises point you in a good, general direction. However, if you know what you like and are good at, but just want to find out how to get paid for it, or you want a super detailed career plan, this book won't do it. ...more info
• Too long and windy!
  I bought this book because it had a high 4.5 star rating in Amazon. I have been extremely disappointed. The author of this book must be in love with his own voice. I get the sense that the book was dictated. It wheezes on for over 350 pages. The text is like an endless blog.
  Years ago, I read What Color is Your Parachute? That was a good book! Buy that one--instead of Pathfinder....unless you like endless pontification....more info
• Need help aswering difficult career questions?
  This book offers it graciously. It includes tools to help the reader engage and explore his/her personal values and priorities, as well as suggesting some of the pitfalls involved in risking career change.

  What it does not do -- what no such book can do -- is make a good decision on the reader's behalf. That's what several recent reviewers seem to have been seeking. Maybe the current state of the U.S. job market has more people looking for the quick fix.

  Other reviewers, most of them, had an experience like mine. I found it supportive in the manner of loving friends and family when under the great stress of a career change. Most importantly, Lore's book was a tool to see and embrace what matters most to me....more info

• This is a great book!
  This is the first book that I can honestly say changed my life. I was stuck in a job that was just not right for me. I hated going to work everyday. Did you see that commercial that CareerBuilder ran during the Superbowl about how you know it's time to leave your job (I think they said if you cry all the time, get no respect, want to punch small animals... ect). That was me, I had pretty much all those symptoms. Well, after the 2nd or 3rd time of calling in sick because I just couldn't face another day, I decided I wanted to look at my options, and I picked up The Pathfinder.
  
  Ok, The Pathfinder is not an easy book to read. They want you to do all these exercises and keep a notebook journaling your wants, commitments, and requirements. I will admit that the journal thing is not all that clear (or at least it wasn't to me). Plus, there are several parts of the book that are kind of confusing, such as, what's the difference between a commitment and a goal, and a meta-goal and your purpose? I still haven't figured a few of those things out.
  
  However, there are quite a few nuggets of gold hidden between the craziness. First of all, this book will convince you that there is a better job out there for you, that you are not necessarily stuck forever in your current crappy job unless you decide to be. This was the biggest revelation for me. Until I read this book I thought that my last job was the best that it would ever get, which in retrospect was pretty sad because I was really unhappy in my last job. Secondly, it will get you off your butt and help you think in more positive ways about how you can improve your situation. I think that that is actually the main purpose of the journal - maybe some of the things they have you do don't make much sense but at least you're thinking about how to change things. Finally, there are some extremely good and different ideas in here, stuff that I have never seen before. This Nicholas Lore guy has an extremely different way of thinking. I love his discussion about the "yeahbuts," which are the things that make you fail your commitments. That chapter alone has helped me through many obstacles. You could even use this book outside of the job search purpose, if you had something else in your life that you wanted to change.
  
  A side note - I did the talent assessment that Lore recommends to go along with this book. I would say, it is very interesting, and it helps you see why you are the way you are a little more. However, I don't think it is worth the 500$ price tag. Especially since it didn't affect my job search in the slightest, and I am slightly skeptical of the way they are calculating their "grades" on the exam. My opinion after going through the entire process of finding a new job is that you innately know what you want from a job, and you probably don't need a talent assessment to tell you that. For an example from my own experience, during my job search I knew that I wanted a lot more problem solving and responsibility at my new job. When I took the talent assessment it showed me that I had high analytic and diagnostic reasoning. I could have figured out from the test that I wanted more problem solving, but I already knew that before I took the test.
  
  I was definitely a victim of the American way of job selection, and I now believe that every senior in high school should have to take a class in deciding what they want to do with their lives before they go to college and get forced to select. It is unfair to ask a kid that has never been out in the workforce and has very little life experience to simply just decide what they want to do for the next 40-50 years, especially if they are not the type of kid with some sort of hobby that could translate into a career. When I have kids, they are going to learn from me that the most important thing that they can do to get into a career that suits them is to pick up a book like Pathfinder, and really assess their lives and ask questions about what profession would be best for them.
  
  This book has it's flaws, but I feel that the main goal of this book (to get you off your hiney and looking for a job if you're unhappy, or to start thinking about what careers would be best for you if you're a student) is achieved, and the author has some genius pearls of insight that can help you in every aspect of your life. Plus, I can also attest that I have this book to owe for getting me out of my old job and into a new job that I am much happier in....more info
• For Serious Career Changers Only
  I've read many books in the career choice category in the past few years, and even did most of the exercises they contained. All were helpful to some extent, but each left me wanting more, and still feeling rudderless. But when I stumbled across The Pathfinder, and read the introduction, I knew this was what I was looking for. This book is certainly not an empty, "feel good" narrative that urges you to "find your passion" and then says: good luck! What Lore has done is assemble a massive "toolkit" for career changers that requires serious time and effort. This is the career-choice guide for those of you ready to roll up your sleeves and get busy. And for those who do, the answers will come.

  I'd say there are three major keys to The Pathfinder which set it apart from others in its category. 1) Comprehensiveness: Lore hits the career-choice question from every conceivable angle. This yields a robust and multidimensional picture of your ideal careers(s). 2) Integration with motivational psychology: several chapters are designed to help you overcome self-doubt, make better decisions, and learn to set goals and get things done. And if you're really going for a big change, for the thing you've always wanted to do but never thought you could, then you'll be needing these chapters. And 3) Method: the brick-by-brick process of career discovery is extremely helpful. By breaking it all down, and asking you to make smaller (more manageable) decisions along the way, the Big Decision is far less intimidating, and has such a logic to it that you'll no longer be able to beat yourself up for being "impractical."

  On a personal note, The Pathfinder is working for me. I'm in transition now, making the leap from DC public policy geek to Austin-based filmmaker. Perhaps the best part is, although I know that the road ahead will be a major challenge, I also know that I've worked hard for this change, having spent months using The Pathfinder to dig deep within myself to uncover my path. I now have a notebook full of completed exercises to revisit when the going gets tough. These remind me that what I'm doing is not some childish fantasy, but the very practical answer to the question: What should I do with my life?...more info

• Innate Ability battery
  I did the innate ability battery recommended by this book and I feel a lot clearer on what I am good at, not good, at and different ways to think about myself and what might make me happy. This one clued me in in a very comprehensive way. If you are confused about what would make you happy, fulfilled, goal-oriented etc, then take this test. The other tests other than myers-briggs are not too useful. (I also did the whole workbook of what color is my parachute a couple years ago but this test feels more like knowledge I can build upon.) The cost to do the test is high but the value I feel I will get is equal plus the discussion I had with the counselor made me feel like I was talking to someone who understood where I was coming from. I would like to do more personal counseling but the book will have to do and I look forward to answering the questions to figure it out. ( i don't work for anyone or am related to anything regarding this book)...more info
• The Pathfinder:
  I wish I had discovered "The Pathfinder..." by Nicholas Lore before I spent several hundred dollars on career counselling, and probably the same amount on career-related books. Mr. Lore takes the reader through all of the internal and external processes required (identifying values, determining how you are "playing the game of life," how to research industries, etc.) to select a career that will fit like a glove. He presents all of the tests, exercises and activities that a competent, thorough career counselor would provide, in a format that is accessible to people in all stages of life; from young people embarking on their first job hunt to post-retirees looking for a second (or third) career. The narrative is pleasant and entertaining; Lore makes complicated concepts related to psychology and personality easily digestible. Completing everything in the book will take perseverance, but the reader will be richly rewarded in the end. Having purchased countless books in the search for my perfect work, I can tell you that "The Pathfinder..." is the Mercedes of them all. As a school administrator, I have even recommended this book to high school seniors who want tools to help them plan their futures....more info
• A Useful Tool
  My bookshelf contains the likes of "Do What You Are," "Now, Discover Your Strengths," and "Soar With Your Strengths," and I was pleased to add "The Pathfinder" to my list. I found the book to be rich with exercises and examples that enabled me to drill down further than I had previously. If you are looking for a 'quick-fix' to your career blues, than this is not the book for you (and I doubt that such a book exists). As with any big change, there's work involved. If you are willing to spend the time working through the exercises, then I highly recommend "The Pathfinder." And if your budget can manage it, I recommend meeting with a Pathfinder career counselor. I found this to be a terrific compliment to my reading of the book. Good luck!...more info
• An Insulting, Creepy Book
  If you are one of those radical airhead humanists who are looking for "a life that sings"; or if you are eight years old, this is a great book. If you are a grownup, you will find this book insulting and disturbing -- especially the occasional illustrations that appear to have been drawn by someone you really don't want to have wandering around in your house.
  
  It is probably necessary, given the subject matter, that books about self-fulfillment are a little hippie-wacky, but this one is intolerable. It is written at a very low grade level and that's not even considering the ooey-gooey tone....more info
• A Good Compass
  You spend about a third of your life (or so) working, so it's a hefty chunk of your time. Therefore, it would be nice if your job was truly satisfying. That's why this is a such an important book for a lot of people- job satisfaction can definitely equal greater happiness in life.
  
  At over 300 pages, the book is a bit on the long side. It also is quite detailed, so don't expect to pick it up and have all the answers in an hour or two- there are exercises and "things to do", so be prepared to put some elbow grease into it. But remember, if it was that easy to figure out how to have a satisfying career, we wouldn't need career counselors or books like these. In the end, you will get what you put into it. Besides, the book isn't just about having a great career, it's about having a great life. Also recommend "Finding Happiness in a Frustrating World" for more on setting specific goals that can bring one long-term happiness. ...more info
• Just DO it -- If you DO the book (versus just READ the book), you will be amazed where it takes you.
  The book is not perfect.
  
  I found myself critiquing this idea or that section. But I wanted something to change, so I persevered.
  
  Still, while attempting to complete the activities of the book, I got to that familiar place in my life where I always seem to land --somewhere between "stopped" or "stuck".
  
  That is when the REAL Learning began.
  
  If you are ready for a breakthrough of an unexpected nature, pick up this book and go for it....more info
• Comprehensive, but unfocused
  Nice try to summarize existing approaches to life and career planning, plus a heavy dose of new age pop psych. But the whole thing could be much shorter, and much more concise and focused.
  
  I found the biggest flaw was that Lore completely misses out on family history and relationships ... that probably serve as the most important context to all the goals, meta-goals and values he talks about. In short: too fuzzy and unsystematic for my tastes, and simply missing core essentials.
  
  For more focused and concise approaches, I recommend Bolles: What Color is Your Parachute and Covey: First Things First (and maybe Coveyys 7 Habits Book) instead. ...more info
• Get Ready to Meet Yourself......Finally!
  This book is not meant to be read overnight, but rather a guide to wake-up to everyday as you step yourself closer to the who, what, and when you really are. This book provides the "How" of getting there. Ranging from recalling your childhood dreams, discovering where you are at on your life's timeline, meeting the different parts of yourself all the way to ultimately waking up one day (for me, two years later) and realizing a vocation that fits you like your own fingerprints. This is a labor of love of discovering yourself with Nick (the author)along side you as you reflect and laugh along the way. I recommend this book highly....provided you value yourself enough to dig in and do the self-work involved in this type of journey. ...more info
• A personal career change guide
  I have found the Pathfinder one of the most humorous, down-to-earth and well-written books of any type. I have used it myself and recommend it to others. I especially value the section in the middle of the book on decision-making. I sometimes refer my coaching clients to read this section, even though we may not be discussing career change.
  
  A caveat - this book is not for those that want practical advice after reading the book in one sitting (as some reviews noted) or as an intellectual exercise about career change. Actually doing the inquiries over a period of time produces quite a different experience (I used the book over a 9-month period)....more info
• Tedious, long- winded, and hippie-dippy
  Could commendations of excellence from two U.S. Presidents be wrong? Well, I just couldn't wade through the muck. Heavy metaphor rotation and dewy-eyed spiritual platitudes are to be expected- after all, it's a self-help book- but the book could easily be 100 pages thinner without such reliance on them. The writing style is condescending and overly soothing, with such gems as "Now let's take a look at how creating a clear commitment separates your voice from that of Jiminy Lizard", and "Wait a minute now, I'm not going to let these Yeahbuts shoot down my dream". And I know they are hardly the point, but the illustrations are so bizarre they reminded me of religious tracts. I still can't shake the drawing of the Eskimo, and found the comparison of an "Inuit (Eskimo)" building an igloo to my building a satisfying career not only decidedly un-PC (odd for the generation the book is probably meant to appeal to- I get a heavy Boomer vibe), but a stretch, too. Preening quotes are sprinkled throughout the book, from Joseph Campbell, Ghandi, Kierkegaard, and Yoda. Sub-sections of chapters, called "Inquiries", have titles such as "Designing Your Workplace Ecosystem" and "What Game Will I Play?". But worst of all, the book consistently gave me the sense that the motherlode of critical information was just about to be revealed, but, wait, not yet; please read some more star-shine and cloud-glow first, and your dedication will be rewarded, we promise! This book left me itchy and bored. Filling a notebook with my innate talents and figuring out the difference between a mission and a purpose?... honestly, I didn't feel the love....more info
• Absolutely everyone should read this book
  I was a single mother, unemployed, depressed, living in a ratty
  apartment complex when I found the Pathfinder seven
  years ago.
  
  Today, I have an MBA from an excellent university, am employed as a
  management consultant for a top-notch firm, own a wonderful home and
  sailboat in a bucolic neighborhood, and am raising a happy, vibrant 9-
  year-old boy.
  
  I credit this book. The Pathfinder allowed me to develop a route to attain what I wanted out of life. It's not just for career improvement, but for life improvement. ...more info
• Careers by Design
  I found the The Pathfinder by Nicolas Lore to be an excellent career navigational guidebook. It assisted me in an examination of past career decisions and helped me to chart a course for the future. It has been and still is a source of inspiration that has helped me to fully acknowledge and understand the enormous commitment which is our working life. To waste away with a less than satisfying livelihood is by extension a wasted life. This might not necessarily be profound, or original, but to me it was poignant and deeply personal. The beauty of this book is that it seemed to speak directly to me. It highlighted a whole host of social and personality dynamics that are what we call the "workplace."

  In The Pathfinder the myth that the working world is a fixed model is effectively de-bunked. The Pathfinder seeks to help individuals discover vocations that suit their unique personality and aptitudes. By reacquainting myself with my own unique nature I became able to shape and design a working vision. This is not a book about how to write a perfect resume or the do's and don'ts of performing in job interviews. It is a self analysis compendium that suggests clearly to trust your own gut instincts. Other books like Lou Marinoff's "Plato not Prozac" better describe the importance of "meaning" in work but the essence of The Pathfinder is it encourages individuals and people like myself to try and move beyond detrimental social criteria when making critical life decisions. Decisions that all too often are influenced by parents, peers, trends, status and pre prescribed cultural conventions. This shift in "conventional wisdom" probably differs from person to person but for me was nothing less than a liberating experience. Sometimes the exercises and inquiries in this book proved frustrating but ultimatley I realized their intention was like brain storming and that they were producing conditions for creative thought if not the creative thoughts themselves. I read this book at least three times and with each reading my own personal focus became clearer and clearer and I gained energy from its perspective.

  If I can make one suggestion to readers of this book it would be this: don't read this book while in the throws of a 60 hour work week. Take this book on vacation, or better yet, take a reading vacation. You might just come back thinking the notion of work and vacation could be one and the same....more info

• A solid foundation for making a well informed career move.
  Author Nicholas Lore understands very well that changing careers is a normal part of life. He guides the reader with humor and a great deal of good information using a method that is well aligned with the leading edge in the Career Development field. Readers of all ages and backgrounds will relate to the commonsense approach to finding a path to your lifework that is a true reflection of one's own core values, interests, aptitudes and personality.

  I use the Pathfinder as the main resource for Career Exploration classes. There are a myriad of exercises and hands on assignments that students love. It brings a level of fun to the classroom environment that some of the other Career Development texts fall short in. I think most students benefit from the practical test and explanation of the Myers Briggs personality indicator and how it relates to the career decision making process. It makes for lively discussions and is something that has a definate application outside the career realm as well.

  I recommend the Pathfinder to every student of life who wants to make well informed career decisions. This is a value packed resource during these relatively lean times....more info

• Not your ordinary self-help book...
  At 58, I found The Pathfinder book to be just what was needed as I prepared for the amazing challenge of transforming my life to reach a goal of combining the benefits of retirement while still generating an income. I had read "What Color is your Parachute?" in the 70's and a multitude of spirituality books recently, but The Pathfinder gave me access to a "portable coach inside a book" I used the book to transform my traditional job into a consultant contract, move from east coast to west coast, and create a career direction that grew out of my "natural talents" instead of my interests. To make that happen I needed a path rather a series of pat answers.

  The "Path" that Lore propels us along is less linear (but far more helpful if you are turning your life inside out) than the more traditional job seekers' values clarification exercises, or a "How to Get a Job" guide. This book is less about finding a job you like than inventing or reinventing (in the case of mid-career changers) the kind of life you want to have in the area of work or career. Those of us, who are searching for a life path rather than a job, will find the gentle push of commitment actually gets us to where we want to be. I especially liked the practical way the book moved me past my YEAH BUTTS and into action.
  
  Reading The Pathfinder is like having a witty, insightful, life coach who understands human nature and guides your adventures, through humorous stories and analogies. Those of us who have paid for "coaching" know what the coach's job is: to ask the powerful questions, create structures that support the seeker, share the "gold" they have learned from their life experience, and finally trust the person being coached to be responsibility for the results. At the end of the coaching, the life we invent will be our own and be perfect for us because we made it up... The invention is up to the coached. That too is the gift of The Pathfinder!

  I have given this book as a graduation gift to high school kids and to recently downsized executives. The Pathfinder is perfect for anyone pursing the dream of finding the work they love to do inside the life they want to live....more info