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There was a clear career model of success in the mid-20th century.

The five core pillars of that model may no longer be valid.

Henry David Thoreau, philosopher-poet of the 19th century, may be a useful career model in the 21st cntury.

What comes to mind when you think of Henry David Thoreau? Thanks to Ken Lizotte’s book Walden for Hire (2026), we will make the case that this 19th Century poet from Concord, Massachusetts, is a useful model for your early to mid 21st century career.

Mid 20th Century Career Models

From the end of World War II (1945) onwards, there was a clear career model based on America’s global economic supremacy: (1) Your goal is to achieve the American Dream: a better financial situation than your parents. (2) Rising financial opportunities meant getting into the knowledge-worker class. This class included people who work primarily with their minds rather than with their hands. (3) Education was the critical passport to the knowledge worker class. (4) Knowledge workers could climb the technical or managerial ladder. (5) Stability of employment with one company could help provide retirement security.

We do not yet have a defined 21st century career model. We do have a sense that the five........

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