I aim for my writing to be user friendly so my readers can hear my voice when they read my book. My goal is to be informative, poignant, and helpful - interspersed with wit and some pithy moments to keep everybody on their toes.

A mentor and member of my personal Board of Directors encouraged me to write my book. I was developing my brand as a career consultant and public speaker and had career reinvention stories I shared to illustrate my message, including my own dramatic career shift.  I began blogging as I continued to do research about women who experienced career transitions and my book developed from there. It was an exhilarating journey and I look forward to writing the new books that are now percolating in my head!

My personal career transition was a struggle so I am on a mission to empower other women with the tools, resources, and confidence to know that it’s ok to make a change so they can embrace an opportunity to start anew. The book is a combination of self-help, motivation, and a personal career coach (me!) walking the reader through the process of career reinvention  -  packed with action steps and inspiration.

When the book was published, I had interviewed over 150 women across the globe that made a career transition and are now thriving in a new role. That number is now well over 275 as I continue to interview women and I feature their reinvention stories on my blog.

The community of women with whom I connected was (and is) incredible. It was amazing to me how the sisterhood wanted to help other women out there by sharing their stories and their strategies. The bonding, motivation, and support were amazing and it’s wonderful to know that the book is helping people.

The book is told through the lens of women from twenty-somethings to a woman in her late 80’s, although it is appropriate for any woman from the new college graduate to the seasoned professional and beyond. But the messages are also applicable to men. I have gotten some great feedback from men who have read their girlfriend’s copy of the book and shared it with their guy friends.

Caroline Dowd-Higgins

Book title: This Is Not The Career I Ordered: Empowering Strategies From Women Who Recharged, Reignited, and Reinvented Their Careers                                               ISBN: 978-0-9827318-0-2

Websites: www.carolinedowdhiggins.com and www.notthecareeriordered.com (blog)

Price: $24.95 paperback; also available in Kindle and Book Nook e-versions $9.99 The book is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble