10 Must-Read Books to Change Your Career in 2025

1. What Color Is Your Parachute?

Subtitle: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers

Author: Richard N. Bolles

Key Points:

• Offers a timeless guide updated annually for modern job markets.

• Includes the "Flower Exercise" to identify strengths, passions, and transferable skills.

• Provides practical advice on networking, resume crafting, and salary negotiation.

• Emphasizes aligning career choices with personal values for long-term fulfillment.

This classic, with over 10 million copies sold, remains a cornerstone for career changers, offering actionable tools to navigate today’s dynamic job landscape.

2. Designing Your Life

Subtitle: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

Authors: Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

Key Points:

• Applies design thinking to career planning, encouraging experimentation.

• Introduces "life prototyping" to test career paths with minimal risk.

• Encourages reframing failure as learning to build resilience.

• Features exercises like mind mapping to explore diverse career possibilities.

Based on a popular Stanford course, this book helps you design a career that aligns with your aspirations, making it ideal for those feeling directionless.

3. Pivot

Subtitle: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One

Author: Jenny Blake

Key Points:

• Introduces the "Pivot Method," a four-step process for strategic career shifts.

• Encourages leveraging existing strengths to explore new opportunities.

• Offers practical advice for running small experiments to test career ideas.

• Focuses on minimizing risk while transitioning to a new role or industry.

Written by a former Google career coach, Pivot is perfect for professionals seeking a structured yet flexible approach to career change.

4. Switchers

Subtitle: How Smart Professionals Change Careers - and Seize Success

Author: Dr. Dawn Graham

Key Points:

• Provides tactics for transitioning to new industries or roles.

• Teaches how to reframe transferable skills to appeal to hiring managers.

• Offers strategies for overcoming employer risk-aversion during career shifts.

• Includes tips for rebranding your professional identity.

Dr. Graham’s expertise as a career coach makes this a must-read for those looking to break into a new field with confidence.

5. The Pathfinder

Subtitle: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success

Author: Nicholas Lore

Key Points:

• Features a step-by-step program to discover your ideal career path.

• Includes self-assessment tools to align careers with values and strengths.

• Emphasizes informed decision-making for long-term satisfaction.

• Offers exercises to clarify priorities and avoid external pressures.

A comprehensive guide, The Pathfinder is ideal for those seeking a fulfilling career aligned with their true self.

6. The Squiggly Career

Subtitle: Ditch the Ladder, Embrace Opportunity

Authors: Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis

Key Points:

• Promotes a non-linear approach to career development.

• Encourages identifying personal strengths and values to unlock potential.

• Includes inspiring stories of non-traditional career paths.

• Offers exercises to navigate an unpredictable job market.

This modern guide is perfect for embracing flexibility in today’s evolving workplace.

7. You Turn

Subtitle: Get Unstuck, Discover Your Direction, Design Your Dream Career

Author: Ashley Stahl

Key Points:

• Focuses on self-discovery through personal anecdotes and exercises.

• Helps readers overcome self-doubt to pursue fulfilling careers.

• Offers strategies for aligning career choices with personal goals.

• Provides practical tools for job searches and salary negotiations.

Stahl’s firsthand experience makes this an inspiring read for those feeling stuck.

8. Invaluable

Subtitle: Master the 10 Skills You Need to Skyrocket Your Career

Author: Maya Grossman

Key Points:

• Shares 10 skills to advance or pivot in your career.

• Includes real-world examples and actionable exercises.

• Focuses on overcoming stagnation and achieving career goals.

• Offers insights from Grossman’s journey at Google and Microsoft.

This concise guide is ideal for professionals seeking rapid career growth or change.

9. Ikigai

Subtitle: How to Choose Your Career Path and Discover Your Strengths

Author: Clement Harrison

Key Points:

• Combines Japanese philosophy with practical career advice.

• Helps readers find their "reason for being" to align work with purpose.

• Includes exercises to identify strengths and passions.

• Emphasizes creating a fulfilling career over a lifetime.

Perfect for those seeking meaning in their work, Ikigai offers a unique perspective.

10. The Big Leap

Subtitle: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level

Author: Gay Hendricks

Key Points:

• Explores psychological barriers to career success, like fear of failure.

• Offers exercises to identify talents suited to your personality.

• Encourages embracing your "Zone of Genius" for career fulfillment.

• Provides a positive, motivational tone to inspire action.

Hendricks’ psychological insights make this a transformative read for career changers.

These 10 books offer a blend of practical strategies, self-discovery tools, and inspirational stories to guide your career change in 2025.