The Career Mystique examines taken-for-granted rules of the career game-that continuous, full-time, hard work 'pays off'-deeply embedded in the American Dream. Possibilities of fulfilling the career mystique are dwindling, given insecurities and risks of a global economy, strains and double demands on the job and at home, uncertainties and ambiguities around retirement. This outdated myth stands in the way of fashioning innovative policies more in keeping with life in 21st century America.