The folks at Bootstrapper called our attention to an excellent post providing links to tools, advice and resources for individuals who are looking to change careers. There are more than 50 links (52, to be exact), so check it out.

Bootstrapper, by the way, debuts at No. 8 on the Career 100. If you haven’t added your blog yet to our ranking of more than 150 (166, to be exact) career-related blogs, please join the fun.

Slow Leadership has an interesting post today about what it calls “Ya-Ya Management,” a term for crack-the-whip business cultures run on fear. I’m sure most have us have experienced this at some point in our careers, although I think they were more common a generation ago than they are today.

Karen Senteio makes the very good point that whip-cracking is often a sign of desperation, brought on by a lack of “challenge, excitement or innovation” where “the fear of not getting it done is worse than producing the wrong thing.”

Are you in an environment like this?  If so, why do you stay?  Is it because your own fears about being unemployed are scarier than the fear instilled at work? If so, the only way to solve that problem is to look for the job you want while you’re still employed in the one you don’t.

And don’t say you don’t have time to do this; we created RiseSmart to make the time for you. And if you don’t want RiseSmart’s help, you still need to find a way. It’s just not worth it to stay in a job you don’t like.

Bob Sutton has a great new book out called The No Asshole Rule.  Sutton defines “assholes,” in this context, as

those who deliberately make co-workers feel bad about themselves and who focus their aggression on the less powerful—poison the work environment, decrease productivity, induce qualified employees to quit and therefore are detrimental to businesses, regardless of their individual effectiveness.

“Ya-Ya Management” environments invariably become beset with this problem. It’s another reason to find the exit door — before it’s too late.

What do I mean by “too late”? I mean that ultimately your work environment can change who you are. If you’re worried that your Ya-Ya culture has done just that, take Bob’s 24-question online quiz, “Are You a Certified Asshole?,” to find out.

Penelope Trunk at Brazen Careerist has an excellent column on the decision to quit a job.  Penelope warns that it’s important to know if the problem is your job or something else in your life. But when it is time to leave, she writes:

The days of stable jobs and corporate loyalty are over. Today, people change jobs constantly. So the best way to create stability in your career is to depend on your ability to get a new job when you need to.

That is so true. Unfortunately, while many people develop marketable skills in their jobs, they often don’t devote the necessary time to networking for their next job — which is just as important.

Why not? For a number of reasons.

Often, people get trapped in jobs that are unsatisfying — but that keep them too busy to actively search for a better opportunity. When they finally get fed up and quit, they have to start their job search from scratch.

When we’re in a job we like, the problem can even be worse. We’re so dedicated to what we’re doing from day to day, we don’t devote enough time to the future — and that next great career opportunity.

I know about these problems because I’ve encountered them myself.  It’s a big reason I started RiseSmart — to create an avenue for jobseekers to stay abreast of the very best career opportunities, even when they don’t have time to do the searching themselves.

Remember to keep at least one eye out for your future, and the idea of quitting a job you dislike isn’t nearly as scary.