When to Jump

November 1, 2017
More than 40 career-changers tell their stories.Introduced by Facebook executive and founder of Leanin.org Sheryl Sandberg, Lewis' second cousin, the book offers exuberant advice for people who want to make a leap--daring or modest--from one career path to another, just as he did. At the age of 24, working for the investment firm Bain Capital, the author felt restless and dissatisfied. "I began to realize," he writes, "that I wanted this life mostly because I thought I should," but he heard "a very distinct if faint voice" urging him to try something "very different." As he considered following his passion to become a professional squash player, Lewis sought advice from others who made similar jumps: a banker-turned-cyclist, for example, and a journalist-turned-politician. From them, and the others whose stories fill the book, he came up with the idea of the Jump Curve, a process of four key phases: listening to your inner voice, making a practical plan, believing in your own good luck, and rejecting regret. "You will come out stronger," Lewis insists, even if your initial plan fails. "I keep coming back to the idea of agency," said a man who made a move from corporate hospitality service to restaurant ownership: "the difference between life happening to you versus you making life happen." Among the individuals profiled are a nurse who, at the age of 50, became a doctor; a football player-turned-writer; an investment professional who became coxswain of the U.S. Paralympic Rowing Team; a PR executive who found her calling as an Episcopal bishop; and a lawyer who sued the New York fire department to admit women firefighters--and then became the first woman hired. "Harassment, discrimination, death threats," and physical abuse dogged her 25-year career. But, she says, "this was a jump worth fighting for," a sentiment that Lewis underscores. Changing careers is risky, but "there is a risk to not taking a jump at all."An easy reading book of supportive encouragement to follow one's dreams.

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November 20, 2017
In his debut, Lewis, a financial analyst turned pro squash player, gathers together 44 first-person case studies from career changers to help readers make their own career jumps. The stories range from small changes, such as an internal move within a company, to dramatic ones, such as the case of a pro football player who becomes an HBO writer. The examples are a mix of people famous (e.g., Michael Lewis, bond salesman turned bestselling author) and not (Barbara Harris, PR person turned bishop). Lewis shares stories of his own “jump” as a preface to each of the book’s four sections: “Listen to the Little Voice,” “Make a Plan,” “Let Yourself Be Lucky,” and “Don’t Look Back.” By “Let Yourself Be Lucky,” when Lewis decides to quit his company and head to New Zealand to pursue his dream of playing squash professionally, the reader can’t help but cheer him on. Lewis is overeager in a Boy Scout way, but likable and helpful, offering collections of tips extracted from the jumpers’ stories at the end of each section. As he states in the introduction, he wants his book to be a “steady hand of support” rather than a mere manual. Most importantly, Lewis and his jumpers offer enough wisdom that readers will return to these stories even after making their own jump.

December 1, 2017

Most of us dream of changing our fortune and beginning a new career at one time or another. Readers who cannot quiet this voice seeking change have a new guide to help plan their next adventure. Lewis (founder & CEO, When To Jump) offers advice for confronting fear and developing confidence to embark on a new path. He suggests that a successful career jump consists of four specific phases: listening to your inner voice; planning for success; being open to luck while trusting it will come through; and never looking back. Lewis clearly describes the components of a successful jump. Additionally, he supplies readers with dozens of vignettes from individuals describing their experience with the process. The author does not guarantee every career move will be successful but rather suggests that making well-planned next steps leads to confidence to make a new decision should things not go as imagined. Similarities may be drawn between Lewis's work and Gail Sheehy's Pathfinders or Richard N. Bolles's What Color Is Your Parachute? With an introduction by Sheryl Sandberg. VERDICT Suitable for readers of any age who are considering a career change.--Lydia Olszak, Bosler Memorial Lib., Carlisle, PA

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