Using this site

This blog was set up after the previous site was lost to a changing host service. The first few posts, in April 2012, were effectively pages of that site rewritten for the blog format. They can be found in the Blog Archive menu at the left of this page and include the results of a questionnaire given to people who have their own dream jobs.

The aim of that site, and of this blog is to collate information and resources for anyone searching for a job or career with meaning, getting out of the rat race, working away from the cubicle and not tied to the clock.

The idea is to gather together as much of the available knowledge and advice that is out there and to offer it up for the reader to take and use as required. Not all of it is unique to escaping the rat race but is generic and applies to all job hunts. Some is about what the recruiters, HR managers and employers are doing on the other side of the job hunt. Some is about finding a way to break out and take flight on a unique career. Some is about work in the news.

Between posts we Tweet links which you can see on the Twitter feed to the left. Those links might be from other Tweeters or sites found during research, some are from America but many are UK sites. They may be about careers advice, the world of work or the process of recruitment. Some may be about personal development, skills, entrepreneurship or about people who are living the dream already.

Some of the advice in the links contradicts advice in other links. Some sites offer great advice with poor proofreading or graphics, some offer a slick site with less useful information.  All the reader can do is read, learn, assess and make their own mind up about the best course of action for their own next steps. The more sites and advice the reader investigates the better their feel for the good and bad content will be.

The writer is not an expert in any of these areas but is just a job hunter trying to find all the best information and advice that others have offered up.

Please remember our motto - No Link Is An Island - when you visit a site have a clickabout to find what else is on offer there.

Are you considering quitting?

When thinking about leaving a job there are a few things to consider. Many of which probably run through your mind night and day. But there are a few things you may not have thought through, and some you don't know how to resolve.

Get your wings

First up, are you sure leaving is the right option? Think clearly about your job. Are there any ways to make your current job more enjoyable or to change your role in ways that benefit both you and your company? That's not always possible in a small company or a huge company with clearly defined departments so maybe it is time to weigh up the risks?


Perhaps you can use your current job to fund a future change in your life. Maybe you can find some time outside work to prepare yourself for a change. You can prepare a home office space ready for when you make the change. At the very least you can dream.


If you are feeling that leaving is the best option, make sure you have considered what quitting would really mean for you. Then when you've made the decision think about how to approach your boss.


If it's just the office and commute you want to quit, here are some tops home based jobs (from the USA).


Take a leaf out of the books of people who have already made the switch, even under difficult circumstances.




Finally, on a personal note, my biggest regret is that many years ago I thought my job was going nowhere and applied for some other jobs. I was offered a job in a company that wasn't really in my industry, but paying a bit more so I accepted. I told me boss and he was a bit upset that I was leaving, and told me had hoped I would stay and move through the company. I hated the new job and a few months later a former colleague moved from my old company and I subsequently learned my old boss had been hoping I would take on that role. My new boss was a bully and was later done for embezzlement. I ended up with smashed confidence and phobia of new jobs! I just wish I had talked to my boss before quitting, he might have been able to help me prepare for taking on that other role. So don't be shy, approach your boss or a sympathetic senior colleague before you start sending applications out.


And don't forget, no link is an island. If you  clicked one of our links, look around that site for more info and advice.

Setting up on your own

Leaving the rat race by setting up on your own is a move that is increasingly appealing to people across Britain, as well as many countries around the world. Increasingly, happiness at work is being valued as much as the other benefits of a job.


When your work, or lack of it, doesn't align with your passions and values it can seem that the obvious way out is to find a way to make your own livelihood. Even if you have never worked before you probably have valuable transferable skills.


The first step to this career path is to find inspiration. Do you have a great idea for a business or an invention that you believe can change people's lives? 


Next you need a plan. This might include making samples, testing them out and costing production, or it may consider what admin, accounting and other paperwork you are going to need on a regular basis, and whether you need to outsource that work. Will you need insurance of any sort? Are there licences or certificates for the sort of work you plan to do? 

Then a business plan is vital. There are lots of sites on the web that give advice and templates for business plans, and most banks offer advice as well in the hope you will go to them for a start up loan.


There is also a lot of advice about the whole process of setting up a business, including advice from BusinessLink and HMRC set up by the government.


This American site can help put you in touch with a mentor in your field and The Guardian offers some advice about finding a mentor.


If you have items for sale one place to market them is a market. Find stalls available in markets around the country at Stallfinder. Also try a blog to market your business, the basics are laid out here but there are lots of advice sites for new bloggers. If you are selling online make sure your social media presence does you justice.


Have a look at the post Starting Your Own Business on this blog for more ideas, and this link for tips on success.


And finally, if you are working from home try this design for making a room divider to keep your office separate from the rest of your home.


Don't forget, there is a lot of free information out there, make sure you do your research before you consider paying someone to help you.

Starting your own business

An alternative to finding a job is to set up on your own, there are numerous resources around the web, here are a few of them

Running Your Own Business

• West London Business Network For small businesses.
• Startups For starting your own business.
• Hounslow Chamber For local businesses in West London, provides networking opportunities.
• Articles on own businesses from a site in Canada.
• Find an accountant - find charted and certified accountants from ACCA.
• Invention Intelligence - a blog about developing your ideas
• Achieving your dreams - a lecture on YouTube
• Mums quit work to start businesses - an article from the BBC
• Live Wire -  a resource from Shell aimed at under 30s, but with free advice pages

Under 24 years old? You can now apply for a loan from the Governments Start up Loans fund if you have a business idea.

Once you are in business, networking is a vital tool. Business Connections organises events for SMEs.


But don't assume that advertised Homeworking jobs are as good as they might sound. Bogus homeworking jobs Guidance from BERR (formerly the DTI)