"Finally, an academic who focuses on learning rather than education."

--Richard Saul Wurman, Creator of TED

If you don't design your life, someone else will design it for you.

This much is clear: to get to the top of your field in today's dynamic and disruptive world, where underemployment is higher than ever and the future of work is ever-changing and uncertain, you need to be incredibly bold and innovative. But what about reality and its often-extreme hardships? Very few people have imagined, let alone experienced, the muzzle of a machine gun piercing their back, or survived an attempted kidnapping on the border of Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Hassan Akmal's mesmerizing, transformative, and debut story--often harrowing, frequently inspiring --will make you rethink giving up on your career and your lifelong ambitions. With intricate, powerful, and masterly career lessons on how adversity builds character, on the value of collaboration, and on steadfastly maintaining a positive mindset, his book provides new models of determination and outreach to connect you with brilliant, like-minded people in a connection economy. Above all, it is a catalyst for aligning readers and seekers with their true purpose.

How to be a Career Mastermind(TM) unveils seven secret windows to championing your own career, based on the highly successful "YOU Matter"--Design Your Career Crown program at Columbia University that has helped thousands redefine their "purpose and impact lens"--blending career and life vision with real-life narratives. Akmal audaciously redefines what it means to be a career coach--his reputation, gratitude, and powerful message of how to be your own Career Mastermind(TM), all consistent with his core beliefs, are unapologetically eye-catching.

Find your true ambition, close your eyes--are you ready to change your life?

"In a rapidly changing work environment where all generations are forced to adapt, Hassan provides timeless strategies into how to think about career and future prospects."

--BEN ROYCE, HEAD OF PERFORMANCE DATA SCIENCE, GLOBAL AGENCY, GOOGLE

"While many of us are caught up in the habit of thinking about the next job we want, if we want a truly fulfilling life, we should be thinking about what kind of life we want instead. Hassan Akmal encourages you to take control of your destiny and discover a new way to look at life and a clear approach to unearth new opportunities that maybe weren't possible. You will learn how to use your own Kantian life lenses to create value versus focusing on just a positive mindset where you look for the value in what the world is offering you."

--FRANCESCA LAZZERI, PHD, AI & MACHINE LEARNING SCIENTIST, MICROSOFT

"In this book, Hassan shares the secrets to masterminding a career in today's Gig Economy through the lens of his own personal and professional experiences.

In sharing his story, Hassan shows the reality of ambitious pursuits: that life can present challenges at any moment and learning how to move past these obstacles can be critical for developing our career.

Through the intimate details of his own challenges and his path to shaping his career, Hassan's story feels relatable and provides a real world context for understanding how to become a Career Mastermind(TM)."

--Jennifer Shin, Director, Product, NBCUniversal Media, LLC

"A true visionary, Akmal provides a necessary framework for achieving personal and professional mastery."

--Tony Arce, CEO, Red Ivy Marketing