Cool Careers For Dummies

By Marty Nemko, Sarah Edwards, Paul Edwards

Book Overview

Sure, some people enter preschool knowing what they want to be when they grow up. But most of us aren't so lucky, and we don't get much help. Some parents say things like, "It's your life, you decide." Other parents go to the other extreme, expecting you to follow in their footsteps. In high school, you take a career test, but many high school students laugh at their test results: the utterly useless, "You could pursue a wide range of careers." This revised edition of Cool Careers For Dummies provides insight into landing a job for anyone who doesn't know where to look, doesn't have time to look, or doesn't want to suffer through a long back-to-school stint. It's designed for people of all walks of life to uncover rewarding, viable careers or get in on the ground floor of the next Big Things. What's more, this guide even offers tips to make even a humdrum job much better. Clearly organized by specific topic areas, you can easily find the topics that appeal to you. You'll uncover information like Finding the right career for you, whether you've never had a career before or want to dump your old career for a new and improved one Getting smart about choosing, and making the most of, a career Landing the job you want even if the thought of networking gives you the creeps and you don't have a 500-name Rolodex Customizing your career to make any job better by tailoring it to your strengths and using wise approaches to your boss and co-workers And, you'll find a fast yet substantive introduction to more than 500 good careers, including many unlikely suspects Despite taking career tests, plowing through fat career guides, and spending hours of reflecting, many people end up falling into their careers more by chance than by choice. Not a good way to ensure career happiness. There is a better way. Read all about it, in Cool Careers For Dummies .

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764553453
• ISBN13: 9780764553455
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: For Dummies
• Length: 456 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 1.0" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Thorough and Accessible

Cool Careers is written in a very user-friendly way, and can be applied to most career paths and considerations. There is a lot of very practical advice that can help clear up any clouds of job confusion. I enjoyed reading it as if it were a novel. I recommend it to anyone thinking about a big career shift, and also to those just entertaining the idea of finding an alternate way to pay the bills.

A gift that kept giving

For a little while in college I was queen of career guides and resume books. But that wasn't helping me figure out what I wanted to do. And it certainly wasn't helping me find a post-college job. An arbitrary cousin sent me this book for graduation, and 2 years later I still use it. I threw out all the other books. "Cool Careers" outlines new approaches to finding both careers and jobs, and walks you through interviews and salary negotiations with simulations. The authors also pay special attention to shaping your job to suit your needs once you have it... a section that distinguishes it from other books in this category. Most importantly, the book leads you on a job search that balances the short-term panic with the long-term perspective needed to secure the RIGHT job for you.Using this book, I found an unadvertised entry-level job without a resume in a field I didn't know existed. A year later I found a managerial position in the same field. The friends who graduated with me work meaningless jobs in cubicles, and they still don't know what they want to do when they "grow up". I have a career, making real decisions, and the confidence that I can find a new one whenever I want.

The only general career guide you'll ever need.

"Cool Careers for Dummies" is the best general career guide I've read. No pie-in-the-sky promises in this book; Marty Nemko delivers step-by-step practical instructions with contagious enthusiasm and a healthy dose of humor.I found Marty Nemko on his San Francisco radio show (Sundays, 11 AM, KALW-FM 91.7, don't miss it) and made an appointment for career counseling. As preparation, he sent me a copy of his book. While working through his exercises, I found the answers on my own. Although I postponed my appointment, someday I want to meet Marty to thank him.

This book did change my life in more ways than one.

I first looked through the books' 404 pages and found many more options than I had thought. Then I answered the "20 most revealing questions" and learned useful information about whom I am. What makes the book really great is that it goes beyond insight - it helped me develop a step-by-step plan towards achieving my dreams. I did end up with a cool career. Who can ask for anything more?

This book was both entertaining and informational!

For Dummies has done it again! I had a need for information and was able to get through the entire book in a matter of days because of the down to earth approach all their books take. It has inspired me to search for my career harder than ever and it is great to reference again and again because of how entertaining it is!