Can Do #24: First book published
(Erin Hanson, Lilies Impressions, 2020)
Welcome to edition #24 of Can Do, a newsletter where I share my journey of building a Career Multiverse™.
You can also read my previous editions and follow me on Twitter.
Newsletter at a Glance
Career Multiverse™: First book published
Article: How does Gen Z see its place in the working world? With trepidation
Tweet: A reminder to college grads
Career Multiverse™
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I’ve co-authored a book. The book has now been published and is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It has been released as an ebook first, and a physical version is expected to follow soon.
My author page is still being approved by Amazon. In the meantime, here is the announcement about the book I posted on LinkedIn.
—
After I completed my doctorate in 2019, the next item on my bucket list was to write a book.
I spent 8 months in 2020 doing deep research on the topics of leadership, innovation, and meaningful work.
I read 2-3 books a week.
I published 112 blog posts.
I produced a 45,000+ word manuscript.
But something was missing. The book felt disjointed, and I didn't know how to fix it.
I put the manuscript aside and focused on other projects.
Then, several months ago, an opportunity presented itself to contribute to an anthology on the topic of leadership.
The title of the book was Luminary Leadership. I loved the sound of it, and I jumped at the opportunity to contribute.
I used my research and 20 years of experience with leadership to write my chapter.
—
I would just add that, similar to how my view about work has changed over the years, what it means to publish a book has evolved as well. For some reason, we are all raised to believe that work, education, family, and even publishing a book have to look a certain way.
They don’t.
We can all customize our paths and choose our own adventures. When it comes to book publishing, I’ve studied traditional publishing, self-publishing, and hybrid publishing. However, until the opportunity to contribute to Luminary Leadership presented itself, I had never considered being part of an anthology. Frankly, I did not even know it was a thing.
Having gone through this experience, I’m now working on another anthology. This time, I’m the one who is curating other people’s stories. I’m excited about the next book and, hopefully, the one after that.
Article
How does Gen Z see its place in the working world? With trepidation
Jessica and I want Walnut to focus on Generation Z (Gen Z). These are young people between the ages of 18 and 24. We want to help them launch successful and fulfilling careers. My daughter and my nieces are in that demographic, and I feel particularly connected to Gen Z.
The article highlights unique challenges this age group faces. Starting a career is never easy, but I think this generation has it especially tough. The study by McKinsey has found that:
Unlike previous generations, nearly 25% of Gen Z respondents do not expect to retire, and only 41% expect to own a home one day.
26% say their pay does not allow them a good quality of life.
55% report having either been diagnosed with or received treatment for mental illness.
On a more positive note:
“Despite reporting higher levels of job insecurity and financial instability and higher rates of emotional distress and obstacles to working effectively, Gen Z’s view of economic opportunity is more optimistic than that of Gen X and baby boomers.”
Tweet
Such a great reminder for all the Gen Zers out there.
Thank you for reading!
Alina