Questions

Q&A

Is this another “What Color is your Parachute?”

I always get asked “Is Careers By the People like “What Color is your Parachute?”” What Color is Your Parachute is the top selling career guide and it focuses on some subjects that Careers By the People does and others that Careers By the People does not. They are more supplemental than a competitor.

Careers By the People reviews 101 occupations from the people that worked them. They each get asked 20+ questions about their career and the majority have 5+ years in that occupation so you can read if they acquired their dream career or not.

Then I review what I would have done differently in college in hopes to find that dream job or better yet great career. I review internships, career choice career planning for college, career advancement so you have career options in the hopes of career success.

I hope with my career advice that one can choose the best career path for themselves so they can acquire an occupation that offers some type of joy and purpose.

When should career preparation/career planning start?

So many ask when should career planning start? Is this a good book for career planning in high school, is this career planning for teens, or is this a career book for college students only? I think career books for teens should target 10th grade and above. Others want to target elementary etc…..so for readers, I would go with 13 to adult. It’s great to inform young people about occupations but in more of a fun way prior to the serious topics that Careers By the People handles. Some look at this as a career counseling workbook whereas I look at it as a tool to help you narrow down one of the most important decisions in your life.

Can this book help with Career Change?

When I set out to publish Careers By the People my thought was the confused college student, basically myself at 20. Since the book has been available, I receive a lot of feedback from people looking for a career change. They review all the job books and notice that it is difficult to find real world information on jobs people do. I always mention “Gig” by John Bowe and “Working” by Studs Terkel. Other than that, it’s vague information or someone informing about a specific career. “Best job” books only take into account how much one will make and the need for the occupation. If your miserable, money can only buy temporary happiness.

This book can help with career planning for adults. I would recommend career counseling as well. Since you have probably had a few good jobs but have not found a profession and a purpose it will take time. It’s best to view as many careers in the book as possible and then narrow it down. From there, go to Linkedin, trade shows, network, meet with as many as possible to help you determine the correct path.