Do What You Love & You'll Probably Starve

This provocative title is counter to the myth of the Baby Boomer generation: Do what you love and the money will follow? How many middle aged people love what they do? Money, while important, takes on less importance. We're all headed for a midlife crisis when reality conflicts with myth.

Marty Nemko takes a contrarian view of career contentment, from how to choose a career to determining if self-employment is for you. If you've been thinking about career change at 20, 40 or 60, this article is for you.

John Agno, certified executive and business coach, weighs in challenging this notion:

"Experts say many people retire only to discover that work provided key sources of psychological fulfillment, such as status or a sense of purpose, that aren't easy to replicate. How are you going to continue to engage the world after your first career ends?

"As Baby Boomers near the end of their first career, it's clear many don't have a clue of what's next or even how to answer those questions. Only after the action in the first career stops do many early retirees realize they need to replace the stimulation, the social network and the psychic rewards that come from work. Mid-life career and phased retirement planning is also about how to fill your time with worthwhile pursuits during the close to 35 years in this phase of life."