Many of you will probably be heading out this New Year to buy the latest career book; spend more time checking out job websites and blogs; maybe even considering hiring a career coach.

But I wanted to start off the New Year with some straight talk. There is no one like you!

You are nuts if you only take the advice of a career writer, your best buddy, or some spiritual guru when it comes to looking for a new job or trying to make sure you survive and thrive at your present gig.

You have to figure out what’s right for your particular situation, for you.

I say this because I often get emails from readers about how they bought some book, or followed a certain career model to the tee, and still ended up unemployed. Many of you are mad because a certain theory did not work out for you when it seemed to work for someone else.

Silliness alert!

I’m not saying you shouldn’t listen to people or read books, but this should only be a small part of your overall strategy.

Lots of the career advice out there right now is for Gen Y…you know the kids still in college or just getting out. This is what drives a lot of traffic to websites and lots of experts, and so-called experts, on getting in on the act. The advice is geared toward someone that doesn’t have a lot of financial responsibilities and can say “F” you to a hiring manager, or take a job traveling around the globe because they aren’t as worried as a 50-something when it comes to a secure job.

That said, a lot of the advice for 30-plus workers can sometimes play it too safe and keep an individual stuck in something they hate. The flip side of the safe advice is the get-surgery-now advice. There is nothing that gets under my skin more than people telling other people they need to look young to make it in the work world today. This is just bullshit.

Aside from age, the bulk of career advice today is skewed toward certain geographic areas, typically big cities on either coast. There’s also a bias towards office jobs and climbing the corporate ladder, disregarding people who want alternative lifestyles, or maybe are slowing down career aspirations while they care for kids or ailing parents. And there is little focus on blue-collar work, especially manufacturing.

So, if you’re 35 years old, living in Topeka, caring for a sick mother, and have aspirations to go into blue collar work, good luck finding anyone that can really talk to your experience or your future career options.

See what I mean?

That said, the best place to find advice for any individual is from someone who is doing what you want to do. A person like that has first-hand knowledge of the job you’re interested in, the training required, etc. But even this person won’t know what your financial situation is, what you’re family obligations are. That’s all information you have to include in the career plan you craft on your own.

You can read the books, read the blogs, hire a coach, but you have to do most of the work yourself to really reap the rewards.

Today, I write about the jobs outlook for 2009 on MSNBC.com, and you know what, it doesn’t look very good. But again, this year will hold different challenges and different rewards for different people.

I’ve decided to ask the Magic 8-Ball about the jobs outlook for this year.

I came to this conclusion after spending days talking to economists, academics and a host of career experts about the employment picture in 2009.

I got a lot of very different opinions — everything from “doom and gloom” to “encouraging,” depending on whom I asked. The prognostications also vary depending on the geographic area and industries involved. And many experts are brushing aside dire predictions in hopes the incoming Obama administration will create infrastructure and “green” jobs.

It’s liberating when you accept the fact that you are an individual with individual needs and desires. I know, it’s scary too, because there is no handbook that can tell you how to navigate your career.

But the only career New Year’s resolution that will get you want you want and need is: “I resolve to take control of my career and come up with my own game plan.”

(OK, the irony of me advising you not to rely on advice is not lost on me.)

Good luck folks. And have a great New Year.