Book

The future of work has arrived.

Future of Work Book

Punch Doubt in the Face:
How to Upskill, Change Careers, and Beat the Robots

The days of sticking with a single career path until our golden years of retirement are gone. In the last ten years, the world of work has changed significantly. But the career advice you’ve been given since you were a kid hasn’t.



Enter Nicolle Merrill, four-time (and counting) career-changer, professional reinventor, and author. In Punch Doubt in the Face: How to Upskill, Change Careers, and Beat the Robots, Nicolle translates the future of work into a roadmap to a better career and professional empowerment.


Grounded in her belief that our careers are like a Choose Your Own Adventure book—full of possibilities, new paths, and the occasional surprise—Nicolle helps readers evaluate their careers like mini-futurists. You’ll discover a new career that fits your lifestyle, learn how to attain the skills needed to thrive in the workplace of the future, and go on a professional adventure or two—regardless of your age or your industry.


Read this book. Your future self will thank you.

Praise for Punch Doubt

At last! A book about how to prepare practically for the Future of Work we all keep hearing about. Nicolle, a former Yale career coach, gives really excellent advice and guidance about how to navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution. I read a lot of career books, and this book is so timely, as we not only need to think about how we reinvent ourselves as the world changes, but also we actually need to do something! It is time for action and Nicolle shows us how.
Jane Barrett
Co-founder of The Career Farm and co-author of Taking Charge of Your Career
Nicolle Merrill’s new book, Punch Doubt in the Face, sweeps away the confusion and last tendrils of 20th-century work hegemony, and ushers the reader into the new world of grabbing ownership of their professional life. Each chapter is written authentically with research-backed guidelines to propel current professionals to create career changes that resonate with the current and future business trends, along with specific options on how to keep learning. It is a life map that reminds each of us to, “Follow Your Curiosity.” I will definitely be using this as required reading for all our incoming students and alumni.
Elizabeth Moon
Chief Diversity Officer, Associate Director, Career Development University of California, Davis—Graduate School of Management
Punch Doubt in the Face cleverly combines trend data, story, and practical steps to help career-changers embrace the future of work and thrive in the uncertainty. If you’re struggling with a mediocre career and are looking for some novel insight, this book is a must-read.
Marie Zimenoff
CEO, Career Thought Leaders Consortium and Resume Writing Academy
Wow! I am pumped up for the first time in a long time. Everyone has experienced or is currently experiencing working a mediocre job. Sure, it pays the bills, but it does not ignite your passion or your curiosity for learning. I love the way Nicolle Merrill writes, she is candid and real, she feels like a friend who has your back. She inspires you really find out what it is you want. She doesn't provide the answers, only you can do that for yourself- she gives you practical steps and questions to get you thinking and planning for your future. Very thought provoking! I highly recommend this book!
Dawn H
Amazon Review
5/5