Hand-Me-Down Dreams: How Families Influence Our Career Paths and How We Can Reclaim Them

"My son the doctor! My daughter the lawyer!" Or whatever you heard while growing up. Sure, Mom and Dad are proud of what you've accomplished, but has anyone asked you (the one with the supposedly wonderful career) how you feel? If you feel trapped or disappointed in your current career or job, or if you feel you let your family's wishes, rather than your own natural talents, interests, and passions, guide your ultimate choice of career, you are living someone else's dream. If you are in this position, Mary Jacobsen's insightful wisdom, culled from her professional expertise and from her own personal life, illuminates the problems you'll encounter when you try to change this family dynamic. Then, by using her 7 Steps to Reclaim Your Career, you'll be armed with the knowledge you'll need to find the motivation and, finally, the courage to make the changes needed to fulfill your own dreams and attain success on your own terms. Over the last fifteen years, Mary H. Jacobsen has helped many people in this situation work through career transitions, and she can help you, too. You'll understand how even well-intentioned family expectations about work are passed on from one generation to the next, sometimes openly, but often in subtle and indirect ways, and how these expectations influence not only your career choice but also color your role, relationships, and values on the job.