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Several years ago, Kristin Cardinale, PhD, was working in a demanding job and on the brink of burn-out when her company announced, on the day she was leaving for her honeymoon, that it would be undergoing a reorganization.

Unsettled and frustrated by the announcement, Cardinale said what happened in that moment was life-changing.

“I decided for myself that it was no longer a match,” she said in a recent interview. Corporate organizations are “just a big political machine, and we subject ourselves to that.”

Instead of working for somebody else, now Cardinale calls the shots and wears many hats.

She is a career coach, consultant, technology instructor, adjunct college professor, seminar speaker, the owner of a small technical support business, and the author of the recently-released book entitled, The 9-to-5 Cure: Work on Your Own Terms and Reinvent Your Life (JIST Publishing).

Her ‘all-consuming’ dream job

“I had spent 12 years in college full-time pursuing what I thought was my dream job,” she said. “I obtained the dream job and completely threw myself into it and it became my life . . . It was all-consuming.”

Many professionals have experienced that moment of frustration and on-the-job stress in one way or another. I have been there.   What about you?

Knowing that, Cardinale is on a mission to teach other professionals who are considering striking out on their how to transition seamlessly from a full-time job working for somebody else, to a full-time solo gig and work from home.

In a recent interview with TheCareerPioneer.com, for example, she addressed some critical questions regarding solo entrepreneurship and consulting.

Solo-entrepeneurship: Is it for you?

During our chat (check out the podcast below for the full 28-minute interview), she shared what she calls the 9-to-5 cure.

At a time when unemployment figures are dismal and job dissatisfaction is soaring, people are hungry for a solution that will revive their career and invigorate their passion, she said.

But Cardinale argues that there is a problematic mindset preventing people from achieving these goals: They’re too dependent on traditional nine-to-five jobs.

Does this describe you? Do you want to break free from your 9-to-5 and launch a business, but you don’t know where to begin and lack the confidence to follow through?

Whether fear or habitual thinking is to blame, people often assume that another j-o-b is the only remedy for unemployment or unhappiness, Cardinale suggested.

Are you addicted to your 9-to-5?

According to Cardinale, “A nine-to-five job isn’t the answer. It’s an addiction. In reality, these jobs may end at any time and reignite the cycle of job loss that people work so hard to overcome.”

The question is are you ready to launch your own business or consulting practice?

Cardinale suggests you ask yourself some key questions to determine your readiness to hang your shingle out:

Are you ready for the journey ahead?  “When you move from the perceived security of a 9-to-5 job into the world of entrepreneurship, it seems like you’re leaping into the unknown,” she said. “That requires courage.”

Do you feel unable to escape the rat race?

Is your career spinning out of control?

Are you emotionally ready for the experience?

Are you burnt or do you have the energy to pour into a small business? Perhaps you should consider a side-gig rather than leaping in with two feet right away, she said.