Struggling job seekers want to know what work will give meaning to the 40-plus years they spend at it and a measure of happiness. The author suggests that career practitioners and supervisors can help if they know who we are when, what someone is in the career game for, and how we decide where next to grow. This paper will review the career stage models of Erikson, Levinson and Kegan and outline cautions about models and stages, and suggest how to work with them anyway. The author discusses the model she uses with clients and describes useful stage-of-life exercises. (Contains 14 references.) (GCP)