If you’re thinking about declaring your independence from Corporate America, check out my new interview with Devesh Dwivedi over at Breaking the 9 to 5 Jail for some advice and inspiration. Devesh is a man very passionate about helping entrepreneurs find the resources and information that they need and his site features lots of great interviews with entrepreneurs and experts.

Today, I’m working from the air-conditioned comfort of my home office. However, I spent my July 4th fighting my way through angry, overheated crowds of New Yorkers to view the spectacular Macy’s fireworks from the Circle Line pier. It was totally worth the struggle. Check out our photos.

Get a Life, Not a Job: Do What You Love and Let Your Talents Work For You is an interesting new book about how to design a career that truly aligns with your life values and priorities.

My personal career mission is to help people find more fulfilling work (whether that means escaping from Corporate America or finding a great job in the corporate world) and author Paula Caligiuri is a woman on a similar mission. As a work psychologist and Professor of Human Resources Management at Rutgers University, Caligiuri knows a thing or two about job satisfaction and how it has changed over the years.

Get a Life, Not a Job provides advice on discovering what motivates you and building a more inspiring career. For me, the most interesting aspect of the book  is the focus on structuring a career with multiple revenue streams so you will always be layoff-proof. This idea of a portfolio career composed of multiple part-time income-generating activities is appealing to many, but how do you go about constructing one?

This is a very relevant topic in today’s work world. Speaking as someone who has been able to create a very fulfilling portfolio career that incorporates running a business, teaching, consulting, coaching and writing, I know the financial and psychological benefits of this lifestyle (along with the challenges of juggling multiple careers). I work with many of my career coaching clients to address the question of how to create and balance revenue streams that may include a salary job, part-time consulting work, and a small side business (among other possibilities).

Caligiuri’s book provides some useful exercises and resources for those ready to redesign their careers to be both more fulfilling and more financially stable. She also includes tips on how to identify and develop different “career acts” (her term for simultaneous profitable activities) that will allow you to achieve more balance and financial freedom.

Get a Life, Get a Job is worth a look for anyone seeking support in developing a rewarding portfolio career.

Employaid founder Barbara Poole and I will present information and resources to help you seize control over the next phase of your career — whether you’re an employee, a job searcher, or an entrepreneur. We will also be conducting one-on-one mini career coaching sessions — so bring your questions.

Employaid is a great online resource for career advice and support. I first met Barbara Poole a few years ago when she had just launched the site and I was working on Escape from Corporate America. We found that we had a lot in common — both of us are incredibly passionate about helping people find more fulfilling work.

Find out more about the free Employaid event tonight in Chelsea. Hope to see you there!

Are you a creative soul trapped in a cubicle job? Check out this article from Metro: Let Your Office Creativity Fly Free.

I shared some tips with Metro columnist Drew Hinshaw for the article. Creativity at work is one of my favorite topics and is also the focus of my upcoming New York University course: How to Think Like an Entrepreneur at Work.

I strongly believe that knowing how to tap into your creativity and use it in a business setting is essential to superstar success in any field (and especially for entrepreneurs). More to come on that…

I know my posts have been sporadic and short lately. That’s because my business is booming and my time for blogging here is limited. Check out the blog I write for About.com if you miss me. : )  Hope to be back and posting more soon.

That doesn’t mean all of my clients are running their own businesses — many are very happy and successful in Corporate America or working for others. However, they all know that it’s important to run their careers like they would run a business.

An entrepreneurial mindset is key to success in any career path these days – whether you’re starting your own company, climbing the corporate ladder, or managing a career transition.

That’s why I’m excited about teaching a new class at New York University called How to Think Like an Entrepreneur at Work: Improve Your Results in Any Job

In three weekly evening sessions (February 10, 17, 24), students will learn the techniques and strategies that successful entrepreneurs use to identify opportunities, generate brilliant ideas,  develop and sell their “products” (including their expertise and talents), create action plans, persevere in the face of rejection and obstacles, and more. Learn more and sign up to join us.

P.S. I  am also gearing up to teach a new NYU semester  of Coaching Clients Through Professional and Personal Transitions, which provides instruction on essential transition coaching skills for managers, HR specialists, and professional coaches. It’s a valuable class for anyone working with clients or employees in transition.

To attend this show by phone, dial 347-838-9326. You can also listen via your computer by visiting www.blogtalkradio.com/thecareercatalyst and pressing the play/chat button. If you cannot participate live, visit the same URL above to either download or listen to the archive.

I was shocked and more than a little freaked out. I have always felt 100% safe in my building and my neighborhood. We have not had a break-in in the building for more than 10 years.

We have a doorman and security cameras and a very vigilant live-in super. The burglar struck in the middle of the afternoon when my husband and most of my neighbors were at work. He was wearing a suit and tie, carrying a briefcase, and hit three apartments in one afternoon.

I have lived in New York City for 20 years now and I was robbed once before. That was in the early ’90s in a sketchy building on the Lower East Side (which was still very sketchy back then and had no boutique hotels or non-dive trendy bars). We had a crappy lock on our door and a passing acquaintance with the crackheads and hookers that frequented our block (shout out to Eldridge Street back in the day).

This latest incident was more shocking. It’s not that stuff was stolen. Hopefully, insurance will cover most of it and the mess will be cleaned up (Google search of the month: How to remove fingerprint dust). It’s that our safe little haven was violated.

Our friendly local NYPD officer gave us some tips for increasing security so this never happens again. She mentioned that there have been more burglaries in New York City since the economy tanked, which makes sense. Christmas is a busy season for burglars looking for presents to steal. This particular burglar has hit a few other buildings nearby as well.

Officer C seemed confident that he would be caught eventually, though she was equally confident that he would serve his time, get out, and start burglarizing again. As she put it, “That’s their career. That’s what they know how to do. They might get put away for a while, but when they get out, they go back to their career path.”

So it seems I can find a career lesson even in the aftermath of a burglary. It’s not a very encouraging one, I know. But maybe this particular burglar leafed through one of the 14,000 books on career change in my library (mine and many others by such brilliant people as Barbara Sher and Barbara Winter and Richard Bolles) while he was ransacking my home office. Maybe he found some tips and inspiration to change his career and change his life. Maybe he’ll spend the money he makes pawning our electronics to go back to school and become an x-ray technician.

Ah well, I’m just happy that nobody was hurt and the stolen stuff can be replaced. We’ve upgraded our security to make sure we won’t be receiving any other unwanted holiday visitors. Sorry Santa, but you can’t be too careful these days.

If you’re a woman between the ages of 25 and 45 and currently searching for work, you could get a makeover from a dream team including a top NYC stylist and colorist, professional  makeup artist, and fashion stylist.

If you’re interested in this makeover opportunity,  send an e-mail to mschaberg@hearst.com by November 15th, 2009 with your name, address, e-mail, phone number, age, and dress size. Please also include two photos (one full-length and one head shot) in your e-mail. Candidates need to live in the New York City area or be willing to travel to NYC at their own expense.

The makeovers will take place in late January and be featured in a spring 2010 TV special.

I wrote about the benefits of career breaks in Escape from Corporate America and I recently had the opportunity to meet some experts on the subject of how to take a successful sabbatical.

Corporate escape artist Sherry Ott and her partners run a fantastic web site called Briefcase to Backpack — it includes valuable advice on asking for and planning a sabbatical and inspiring stories from people who have taken career breaks.

Before trekking off to Nepal on her latest jaunt, Sherry asked me to provide some advice for corporate types who are thinking about taking a career break. Check out the articles on how to know when it’s time for a career break and the very real benefits of taking a break before changing jobs.

You should also check out the Briefcase to Backpack tips on planning your career break — you’ll find everything from destination advice to packing guidelines and more.

This is a perfect example of the hidden job market at work. This position isn’t being posted on the job boards. You have to be tapped into the right network to even hear about it. And I know that someone out there in my extended circle is a perfect fit. Could it be you?

About the position: The job is Chief Business and Strategy Officer for a NYC-based technology start-up with venture financing. This company already has a fantastic product and  a significant client base. They are looking for someone to help them chart the company’s future growth and build new partnerships and revenue streams. You would be based in New York City (with some travel required) and report directly to the CEO. The compensation package is very competitive and includes bonus and stock.

Job qualifications:

• Minimum of seven to ten years of sales and business development and managerial  experience.
• Significant knowledge regarding financial companies and markets.  Some experience with healthcare would be preferred.
• Proven performance in gaining new business and growing revenue with Fortune 1000 companies.
• Visionary thinker with strong presentation skills

If this sounds like you, send a cover note and resume (no attachments) to story @ escapefromcorporate.com.