Product Description

One of the top struggles listed by twentysomethings is the fight to find a purpose and a calling. They find themselves studying a major or working in a job they do not really enjoy, and soon self-doubt surrounds, bombarding them with questions such as, What am I doing? Shouldn't I have this figured out by now? and Am I the only one who doesn't get it? Written by acclaimed Twentysomething author Margaret Feinberg, this book takes readers on a soul-searching journey that gets to the heart of their passions, talents, abilities, and life goals.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #216324 in Books
• Published on: 2006-01-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 232 pages

From the Back Cover
What the heck am I going to do with my life?

It’s a question that just won’t go away.

Maybe you just graduated with a degree in business only to discover that you hate business. You like the idea of being a teacher except for the students. Or you love public service except for the people.

That’s when it hits you—you’ve spent the last few years pursuing what you thought was the career of your dreams, and now you’re wondering, “Is this it?”

Well, guess what. You’re not alone.

The good news is it’s never too late to pursue your passion. You can still discover that thing you were created to do. You can go back to school, launch a new business, change professions—whatever you’d like. This book is designed to accompany you on that journey.

So go ahead.
Be brave.
Ask the question and be daring enough to find the answer.
You never know what kind of opportunities might be around the next corner.

Customer Reviews

Very disappointed in this book
I tried to give this book, and the author, the benefit of the doubt by continuing to read through at least the first 80 pages. I was really looking for help on how to shape my future, find my passion, etc. and thought maybe if I kept reading I would be inspired and find my way on a surprising path. Instead, the message I got from the book, and the author, was that if I prayed and waited, someday God would let me know what to do. That was all I essentially got from the book. It was hard to find anything substantial (to me) between the comparisons to Christ, quotes from the bible, and attempts to sound hip by randomly referencing reality television shows.

I understand how Christians or those that have a religious background might find this book inspiring, however I was put off on two fronts. First, nowhere on the amazon site, or in the explanation about the book, or on the book itself, was it made clear this was a religious based book. Judge me how you'd like, but I would never have bought this book had I known that so I feel tricked. Second, the content of the book was so weak that the only advice the author could give, as I stated earlier, was to pray about it and someday you'll get your answer. Suffice it to say I was disappointed in the lack of real advice or guidance and was also disappointed in the overall quality of the book.

If you are ready to really think about your life and where you are going, try this book on for size
This gentle, introspective, and thought-provoking book doesn't shirk the hard questions or seek to wrap things up neatly for you, as many career guides try to with their tests and checklists. Instead, Feinberg trusts that if you are willing to take the time and energy to ask yourself the hardest questions and face your life, that you can make a real success of it.

This is a Christian-based book, so the author does quote a few bible verses and talk about how God might lead you in certain directions. It might not be the best choice for a non-Christian, but at the same time the religion isn't heavy-handed or off-putting, so if you think that her approach might be for you, don't let the religious aspect turn you off to it.

The strength of this book is in the thought-provoking questions she asks. Each chapter is divided into sections for each step in your journey of figuring out where you want to go in your life and career, and each section has a lot of material about things we should ask ourselves, pitfalls to consider, and new ways of thinking about it all. There are also some wonderful personal stories of people who have found themselves at a crossroads and have made either a mistake to learn from or a good choice to try to emulate.

I already have a career that I find satisfying and joyful, but I often wonder "What if?", since I have so many passions that could be taken in a money-making direction. This book helped me consider a lot of the benefits to following a few of my dreams, while providing the necessary reality checks.

This would be an excellent book for a bible study group or a group of under-30's to read together. Not only does each chapter have a lot to discuss, but the end of the book has some very personally affecting discussion questions that could be effectively used in a one-on-one or group setting.

Real & Really Needed
I think this book should be required reading for all high school and college seniors. I also believe it would be a good idea to keep it in your reading rotation so that you came across it again every 2 to 3 years.

Why is this book so needed? Well, I think the answer to that can be found first and foremost in what this book is not. It's not filled with tests that are supposed to help you figure out your gifting. It's not filled with pie-in-the-sky talk of finding the job that's going to make your whole life great. It's not trying to provide generic answers to tough questions. It doesn't make any promises to make you rich.


What this book does and does well is to provoke thought about who you are and what impact you can make on the world around you. It's realistic! Margaret has taken great pains to point out the myths that abound about finding the perfect job that never causes stress and makes you a ton of money. She points out that often our passion and calling result in a career choice that meets our financial and emotional needs, but sometimes our career may simply be a means to meet our physical needs thus enabling us to pursue our passion and calling. I especially like the questions and surveys throughout the book that are intended to cause reflection. I believe many who read this book will discover things about themselves that will validate their current career choices or cause them to rethink them.

As someone who made a major career change in the past 4 years and who still has many decisions left to make, I whole-heartedly recommend What the heck am I going to do with my life?. Whether you're still in school or just not satisfied with where you are this book is well worth your time. I fully intend on using it as a small group study in our 20somethings ministry and hope that other ministry leaders will do the same.