Bio for Ernie J. Zelinski

 

Ernie Zelinski is an international best-selling author who through his books helps adventurous souls live prosperous and free while making a big difference in this world. 

He is also a prosperity life coach, professional speaker, and unconventional career expert.

Ernie has helped hundreds of thousands of individuals from all walks of life in their career transitions and retirement planning through his international best-selling and life-changing books such as The Joy of Not Working and How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free. These two books together have sold a total of over 800,000 copies.

Ernie's most recent book is the 25th Anniversary Updated Edition of How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free (over 475,000 copies sold and published in 11 languages in its original edition) that is distributed by Simon and Schuster and will be released on September 30.

Purchase How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: 25th Anniversary Updated Edition on Amazon.com

Ernie is an innovative ex-corporate worker who was blessed to have been fired from his job as a professional engineer over 40 years ago and to have leveraged his many years of struggles without a real job into a lifestyle of personal and financial freedom that is the envy of the corporate world.

Ernie has dedicated his life to helping individuals create a better work/life balance in their lives and to help them pursue their dream careers.

Ernie's core message — that ordinary people can attain out-of-the ordinary results and make a difference in this world — is at the heart of his work.

Ernie lives by the mantra he first introduced in the Limited Leather Edition of his Life’s Secret Handbook:

“Be a LEARNER First; become a MASTER Second; and remain a STUDENT Forever."

Ernie recently donated $80,000 to sponsor the annual "The Ernie J. Zelinski $3,000 Award for Individual Creativity" at the University of Alberta Faculty of Engineering and another $80,000 to sponsor the annual "The Ernie J. Zelinski $3,000 Award for Individual Creativity" at the University of Alberta School of Business MBA Program, given to students who display "quirky brilliance" in their course work or extracurricular activities.

As this online article indicates, investing in student creativity has been one of the most rewarding decisions of Ernie's life.

Furthermore, Ernie donated another $80,000 in 2026 to Simon Fraser University in Vancouver for The Annual $4,000 Ernie J. Zelinski Award in Individual Creativity to be given in perpetuity each year to an innovative student.

Ernie deeply believes in the powers of creativity and well-intentioned action as the most important elements for personal prosperity and financial freedom.

To prove this, Ernie semi-retired when he was 31 years old and had a net worth of minus $30,000. As a result of his creative efforts working only 4 or 5 hours a day, however, Ernie today is financially well-off and makes a better income than 85 percent of full-time corporate workers.

Ernie Zelinski's books — with translations in 22 languages — have changed lives around the globe. Thousands of individuals have contacted Ernie Zelinski by letter and e-mail about how they have experienced renewal and personal growth as a result of reading one of Ernie's blockbuster books.

Ernie's many books have now sold over 1,125,000 copies worldwide and have been published in 29 different countries.

Ernie speaks on the topics of retirement, unconventional career success, and creativity. He recently made keynote speeches about The Joy of Not Working to over 2,000 executives and scholars at the National Turkish Congress on Quality (Kalder) in Istanbul, Turkey and to 1,200 career experts at the National Career Development Association convention in Orlando, Florida.

  Facebook Page for Ernie Zelinski 

Praise for Ernie and His Life Changing Books

"What a wonderful title: The Joy of Not Working.
Ernie Zelinski's basic message, no matter your career
stage, is get a well-balanced life and quit relying
on your job to define who you are.
It's hard to quibble with Zelinski's live-life-to-the-fullest
message. Those who have drafted a resignation letter
in their heads a thousand times may be motivated
to finally quit an unfilling job."
— Michelle Archer, USA TODAY

“Get this book [How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free]
if you look forward to a retirement with 'zing!' ”
— Nancy Paradis, St. Petersburg Times, Florida

“This Zelinski guy knows how to write prose that has the potential
to become those old proverbs everyone repeats."
—  Herb Denenberg, Philadelphia Evening Bulletin

"Career Success Without a Real Job by Ernie J. Zelinski
 reads like a conversation with an old friend.
The book is 'peppered' with quotes from people
like Henry Ford, Jerry Garcia, Mother Teresa and
Mad Magazine that give us an inspiring look into
the mindsets of all these successful people and ideas."
— Synchronicity Magazine 

Purchase the Ebook Kindle Edition of the 25th Anniversary Updated Edition of

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free on Amazon
U.S. Price $11.97

Meet Ernie Zelinski at Some of His

Other Websites and Blogs

Ernie Zelinski's highly-acclaimed philosophy about life reaches over 150,000 individuals a month on his inspirational websites and blogs.

This is one of many of Ernie's websites.

Contact Information for Ernie J. Zelinski 

Copyright 2027 by Ernie Zelinski — All Foreign Rights Reserved

Author of The World's Best Retirement Book