| | Hi Adam,
In reverse order:
Solid Dharma book: "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha", online here in the wiki, available as PDF on Daniel's page interactivebuddha.com, or as a bound volume in your favorite bookstore. Another really good one, though its language is so pleasant and almost fluffy, is "A Path with Heart". Oh, and if you can stomach two millennia old oral tradition, read the Pali Suttas, starting with the Majjhima Nikaya. Many of the important ones are online at accesstoinsight.org.
Right Livelihood: hm. In the Pali suttas, it's defined for lay persons as keeping up with your social duties, you know, being a good citizen. Wrong livelihood is also descibed: dealing in drugs, in slaves, in weapons etc - see how this fits in with the "good citizen" or "plays nice with others"? I don't really see a big issue here, but then, I might come from a different understanding of the term "Right Livelihood". So for me, it comes down to paying my bills, earning money in a way that is not against my moral convictions fundamentally, that kind of thing.
The Noble Eightfold Path: there is a simpler formula, which gathers the eight factors into three categories: Sila (morality), Samadhi (mental exercises), Panna (wisdom). In "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha" (often abbreviated MCTB in this forum), there are chapters devoted to each of these three categories, framing them as three different training areas, discussing what they are about, how to measure up to each, and so on. Very good material. I recommend giving at least those three chapters a careful read (or two), because you'll be able to see more clearly how the noble eightfold path can be applied to your question.
Finally, what to do with your life? Can Buddhism help? Well, Buddhism offers many options here - you could adopt it as a religion, perform its practices and rituals, as a lay or ordained Buddist, and that can be very fulfilling to many people (as with any religion). You could go for awakening in this lifetime, using Buddhist techniques and conceptual frameworks, and that seems to work for the people attracted to this forum (note that there are other enlightenment traditions as well). You could make an academic study of Buddhism and extend the body of knowledge about this set of religions, and many people find that fulfilling. And so on.
Since you've made it here, I'd suggest you give "awaken in this lifetime" a try, since that's what this site is dedicated to. At the very least, the gains in clarity and wisdom and understanding will give you much improved ways to work on the question of what to do with your life.
Hope that clarified things a little.
Cheers, Florian |