The author wrote a book that will give anyone struggling to make a passion into a career a reality check. Yes, there is advice on how to make a passion a career, but I thought the most beneficial advice was actually taking a look at your current situation and completing the workbook exercises. The anecdotes from successful people were inspiring, but the actual workbook is what is going to help someone reach success.

Full disclosure, while reading Don’t Keep Your Day Job, I was also reading another self-help book about unlocking creativity and potential. The second book was written by someone I adore and idolize and I found myself comparing the two often. That being said, my opinion on Don’t Keep Your Day Job may have changed slightly had I not been reading a similar book that I found much more entertaining. So I guess, take all of my feedback with a grain of salt…

Don’t Keep Your Day Job: How to Turn Your Passion Into Your Career is a how to book geared towards anybody trying to turn the things they love doing into a full fledged, money-making career. It included some great advice, some great practices and some great insights and stories from people who have succeeded in turning their own passions into their careers.

The inclusion of these individual success stories in their own words was greatly helpful. I enjoyed reading about each of their experiences. They were interesting and helped to give a wide range of examples. They also broke up the book so that I didn’t feel like I was being preached at by only one person, which can happen with some self-help style books. The multiple different viewpoints also helped increase the chance of finding something useful to me personally. I did think it would have been even more helpful if Heller had chosen two or three of the people and had them give their insights and experience and how it pertained to each chapter. It would have felt more like a journey for the reader and I think focusing on a few individual experiences and really diving into them throughout an entire process would have made those stories even more impactful.

I really enjoyed the Journal entry takeaways and writing prompts that were included at the end of each chapter. They included some great exercises to help people get started down the path of passion-to-career. I also liked how each chapter was summarized at the end in her “Remember This” sections. The only issue was, I could see someone just reading the end of each chapter, doing the exercises and being able to take away the same as anybody who spent the time to read the whole book.

Honestly, Don’t Keep Your Day Job was good, but not great. Nothing was groundbreaking information and I never really had an “AHA!” moment, which is what, at least I feel, should be a big part of any self-help book. I don’t often take the time to indulge in self-help books, so when I do, I’d like it to be amazing. DKYDJ just didn’t hit that chord for me. But that doesn’t mean it won’t for other readers. It has a lot of good information and a lot of good exercises and included some information that does sometimes get left out, such as building customer bases, networking and using social media. All in all, Don’t Keep Your Day Job gets 3.5 stars from me!

This review is based on an advanced review copy that I received from NetGalley and the publisher.

I really wanted to like this book. It sounded like it was exactly the type of book I was looking for to motivate me to take some steps to grow my side interests into something more. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

The author, and many of the people used as examples in the book, are not normal, everyday people who struggle from paycheck to paycheck. Most, if not all, were successful individuals who were already well-established, well-connected and earning six figures or more prior to leaving their day jobs. The ability to "give up" the security of one's day job is vastly different for the average person who works to make ends meet and put a roof over their head.

Also, the constant emphasis on making six figures was a big turn-off for me. Not all of us want to make six figures, and not all of us want to do so by creating and building internet businesses that require developing email lists with a goal of generating passive revenue streams. I was looking for motivation and encouragement, but I really had to struggle to finish this book.

Don't Keep Your Day Job
How to Turn Your Passion Into Your Career
by Cathy Heller

Hardcover, 256 pages
Published November 12th 2019 by St. Martin's Press



Goodreads synopsis:
The pursuit of happiness is all about finding our purpose. We don't want to just go to work and build someone else's dream, we want to do our life's work. But how do we find out what we're supposed to contribute? What are those key ingredients that push those who succeed to launch their ideas high into the sky, while the rest of us remain stuck on the ground?

Don't Keep Your Day Job will get you fired up, ready to rip it open and use your zone of genius to add a little more sparkle to this world. Cathy Heller, host of the popular podcast Don't Keep Your Day Job, shares wisdom, anecdotes, and practical suggestions from successful creative entrepreneurs and experts, including actress Jenna Fischer on rejection, Gretchen Rubin on the keys to happiness, Jen Sincero on having your best badass life, and so much more. You'll learn essential steps like how to build your side hustle, how to find your tribe, how to reach for what you truly deserve, and how to ultimately turn your passion into profit and build a life you love.

***

4.25 Stars

This book might say “ don’t keep your day job,” but it isn’t telling you to quit your current job. It suggests that you “try out” your new endeavor and when the time feels right to quit your day job. Do that. Don’t quit your job before you know if your idea is going to sell and make you money.

This is a very inspiring book based on a podcast series created by Cathy Heller. There are a few workbook questions to answer but not really enough to get any of us to bound forward in our purpose. I think you have to go into this book already knowing your passion and purpose and this book wants to help you capitalize on that. It is not a book that will help you define and figure out what your purpose is. I think this is really for those few who want to start a business and make money using their purpose and passion as a guide. If that is what you are looking for, then this book is for you. If you are searching for your purpose, you won’t find too much help in these pages. But the lady does know how to motivate herself to get things done and that is always a great thing to learn.

If you are wanting to make your dream job come to fruition for you, check this book out. But if you are just looking for your purpose, look elsewhere.

This is a really quick and easy read. It is not a mind-bender. It is pretty straight forward giving advice based on her own experiences. I enjoyed it and am thinking of looking up this podcast to learn even more.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

I am in a really weird phase of my life. I have a job that I have loved for years, but now I had my doctorate and the job that I do have really only requires a bachelors. I find myself growing bored with my day to day life and I feel resentment building when it comes to being unable to stay home with my son and write books all day and teach college classes. It's a sore spot in my marriage lately and we both feel my overall frustration in feeling stuck in a job that in many ways I have mastered. I am stuck between wanting more and less at the same time. 

It's a weird phase in my life like I said. I also feel really stifled creatively and sometimes when I daydream lately I find myself thinking back to that time in my life when I was newly graduated from college and maybe if I hadn't pursued this life, maybe if I had just struggled even harder than I did, maybe I would be doing something more along the lines of writing full time and teaching college part-time. I don't know for sure and I definitely don't regret the life I have built, but I think I am just at a point where I want to see a change in my professional life that would allow me to be home with my baby more and would challenge me in new ways than teaching hs been lately. 

I was excited to receive a galley of Don't Keep Your Day Job because I thought that it might give me some great advice or some great push towards pursuing something new and exciting in my life. However, there was no great secret to how the author got to where they were and I also found that there was a profound lack of gratitude for the luck and support she received in abandoning the every day 9 to 5 life for the creative life. 

I think many of us would like to quit our jobs today and pursue a life that we are passionate about, but with real-life responsibilities like kids, families, mortgages and paying for health insurance...I just didn't see how I would ever be able to take that leap like so many described in this book. It's a well-written book and if you like her podcast, this would seem to be a new way to look at it, but for me, I was just disappointed that there wasn't some magical answer about how I could change my life today. 

Which, I suppose, is more reflective of me than it is of this book. Overall, though, I will stick to listening to the podcast. 

Book Information
Don't Keep Your Day Jobs by Cathy Heller will be released on November 12, 2019, from St. Martin's Press with ISBN  9781250193605. This review corresponds to an advanced electronic galley that was supplied by the publisher in exchange for this review.

I didn't find this book as inspirational as I'd hoped. The people profiled pretty much gave up their lives 24/7 and went to extreme lengths for years in order to make a living in the fields they desired, but at such an extent that I guess I would prefer to keep my day job and just do my passion on the side if I needed to go to the same lengths. :) I actually found it more depressing than motivating. My own passions are writing and mothering (okay, along with a hundred other things), and I've managed to find a way to do those and not need a day job. I don't make millions (the author likes to tell you a LOT about how much money she and the others she profiles make) but I'm able to write and spend my days with my kids -- while still having a life and other passions -- so I guess I'm good without that dream career and all those millions.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

This book is full of inspiring stories of people who have left traditional jobs and gone after their dream job. It is written for people looking to make a career change. If this is you, you will enjoy this book. The author also includes her story which helps add a personal touch. 3/5 stars.

There are a lot of self-help/ career advice books on the market, plus a constant stream of positive, inspirational web content on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. I have about 10 unread Muse emails right now, as a matter of fact. So a book would have to be really special to set itself apart. This book really does not.

The author tells you her story pretty much right off the bat, plus brings in some other successful people. Yet there's a bit of tone-deafness and maybe a lack of appreciation for their sheer luck and support networks and lack of hindrances that prevent many people from achieving their dreams. It made me want to read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell again. And those Muse emails.

I have never heard the podcast, so maybe regular listeners would get more out of this than I did.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the digital ARC.

DNF @ 51%

There are some interesting ideas, a few of which are even original and insightful, but the bubbly writing honestly made me feel exhausted (maybe it reflects the podcast's style? I wouldn't know) and some of the "advice" was a little too out there for me.

So the writing isn't the best, and the anecdotes / examples were hard to take at face value when I couldn't stop thinking about survivorship bias (i.e., we only notice the people who "make it"; we don't hear about those who don't, even if they followed the exact same path but for whatever reason found failure instead of success). But it was easy enough to just keep reading ... until it wasn't.

Native Americans have repeatedly asked that people stop referring to their network as their "tribe," and in this case it's particularly problematic since this is the specific context:

"As soon as you've identified the tribe that you'd like to grow, it is important to set down roots, plant some trees, or build a teepee where those people can find you."

I may jot down and apply some of the insights and action steps I picked up, but I just can't continue reading past this point.

I was excited to read Don't Keep Your Day Job by Cathy Heller as I was in a transitional phase of getting ready to leave my current job to pursue something more. I had not listened to the podcast so the book was all new information for me.
The book focuses on following your dreams as an artist and living to your full creative potential. This can be anything from blogging to acting to running an Etsy shop. Her information was inspirational but I mostly enjoyed hearing testimonies from other well-known artists and how they achieved their dreams.
Reading this book really gave me the little push I needed to remember that I am a creative person at heart and the happiness I can achieve by going out of my zone and exploring what really sets my heart on fire.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is part self-help, part entrepreneurial advice. The anecdotes from successful people were interesting. The practical advice is kind of uneven--you won't finish reading with a definite plan for starting your own business, but you may get some inspiration from catchphrases like "your mess is your message." Readers may be inspired or turned off by some lightly Christian content. On the other hand, I am intrigued enough to start listening to the author's podcast on the same subject.

Decent self help book about striving for your dreams. With reading other's success stories, someone can find this either motivational or hindering that they themselves have not found their passion. A few helpful tidbits, but nothing completely new or mind blowing.

This was an interesting book. I thought the information presented was well laid out and flowed well. I really enjoyed reading it.

As a teacher, I am often trying to fit children into certain lessons, and this book was a great reminder that children can show success multiple ways, just like adults can. And this book offers great ways to create passion and eventually turn it into a job.

I really enjoyed Cathy Heller and her guests practical advice on finding passion and I found the writing style engaging and witty. The book goes back and forth between examples of success and practical tips toward creating a more fulfilling career using your talents and passions.

For those of us with dreams or those of us just looking to put the passion in life, this is a great book. I really enjoyed Jenna Fischer's part as well.

I have not yet listened to her podcast, but I am planning to!

Thanks to NetGalley.com, the author and publisher for my ARC.

Excellent book. Highly recommended for anyone who feels "stuck" in his or her career and needs to make a transition to something more enjoyable and fulfilling. The author encourages readers to follow their passions and, more importantly, to develop their passions. It's okay to make mistakes and not have a crystal clear vision of where you're going, she advices. It's more important to take steps in the direction of what you really want to do with your life. I found this book very inspiring.

I received Don’t Keep Your Day Job as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. The title is set to publish in November 2019, and you may know Heller from the Don’t Keep Your Day Job Podcast.

Heller is all about following your creative dreams and living your life happily to your fullest artist potential. This purpose on earth ranges from making cupcakes or teaching yoga online to starting a blog or selling pottery.

I find Heller to be highly relevant and inspirational. She teaches bloggers how to build community, reach out to target and end buyers, and even brings into the mix self-discovery and meditation.

Her book gives scenarios of everyday people like you and me making their dreams come true. Heller also discusses and interviews big-name podcasters, bloggers, and entrepreneurs to demonstrate how you can replicate their success.

Anyone can do it.

If you journal or write down your goals, you will love Heller’s prompts.

The idea behind Don’t keep your day job sounds very appealing to me. I was very interested and eager to start reading and get that fire burning to take some of the next steps I’ve been aching for. However, the book fell flat for me. It wasn’t really new or unique and already being familiar with some of the stories she shares, I just didn’t feel inspired or excited.

3 Stars! This book is a little inspirational but also a bit depressing too! I liked all the inspirational stories of people that turned their passions into their career, but it also made me feel like I haven’t done my best in life since my dream career is still just that... a dream! If you’re looking for real guidance and steps to follow, this isn’t the book you want. Maybe it gets better though- I didn’t finish the whole book.
*I received this book to read and review at no charge from the publisher and I gave my honest opinion.*

The first half of this book was somewhat useless to me. I also found this book to be riddled with millennial cliches such as "find your tribe." I found myself rolling my eyes frequently. There was good advice mixed throughout the book, but it was painful to get through the lingo that has become so rampant in the social media culture. I really did appreciate that the author discussed being in alignment and seemed to be supporting a holistic lifestyle. That resonated deeply with me. Overall, I feel that this book is perfect for someone who might be just graduating college.

I can understand the allure of the book for some people but, for me, it was lackluster at best. The first part of the book was an introduction to the author that immediately reminded me of the start of an MLM presentation or another "here's my story...I was just like you before I ..." spill that so many people give when they try to influence people. Some of the advice is okay, but most of it is unrealistic and assumes that one wants to become an influencer rather than pursue their own interests and leave others to theirs. This just wasn't a book that I would recommend to others.