Book Review - How'd You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them by Alexandra Levit
Category Book Review Alexandra Levit How'd You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them
One of the toughest times in life is getting to that stage where you're expected to go out on your own and make a living, but yet you don't have a clue as to what your dream job would be (or at least a *realistic* dream job). Alexandra Levit helps to cut through some of that confusion in her book How'd You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them. Using this book as a guide, you can start to move in a particular direction where your passion and personality meshes with your occupation.
Contents:
Self-Assessment
The Adventurer: Conservationist; Documentary Photographer; ESL Teacher; Foreign Service Officer; News Correspondent; Oceanographer; Outdoor Adventure Guide; Travel Journalist
The Creator: Actor; Book Author; Fashion Designer; Interior Designer; Landscape Architect; Movie Screenwriter; Performance Musician; Restaurant Chef; Video Game Designer
The Data Head: Computational Linguist; Environmental Engineer; Financial Adviser; Information Security Specialist; Meteorologist; Pharmaceutical Scientist; Urban Planner
The Entrepreneur: Bed-and-Breakfast Innkeeper; Blogger; Boutique Owner; Event Planner; Health Club Owner; Internet-based Business Owner; Inventor; Pet Sitter; Professional Organizer
The Investigator: Antiques Dealer; Art Curator; Classic Car Restorer; Criminologist; Field Archaeologist; Forensic Scientist; Futurist; Historian; Psychology Lab Assistant
The Networker: Book Editor; Congressional Staffer; Image Consultant; Lobbyist; Marketing Executive; Pro Sports Team Manager; Speechwriter; Talent Agent; Television Producer; Wine Merchant
The Nurturer: Doula; Elementary School Teacher; Life Coach; Nonprofit Administrator; Nutritionist; Physical Therapist; Social Services Caseworker; Zoologist
Afterword; Acknowledgments; Bibliography
Levit starts out with a short self-assessment test. It's designed to root out your likes and dislikes, with the goal towards placing you in one (or more) of the main categories listed above. After you score the test and determine your type(s), there's a brief description of the personality attributes for those types, along with a list of jobs that they would quite often do well in. Once finished, you can start exploring the job write-ups in your particular area of interest.
Each job write-up gives a realistic sense of what to expect. There are quotes from people who currently do that job, explaining what they like and don't like about it. She explains the general requirements of the job, the type of work to expect, resources to get more information, and most important (for many), how much one could expect in terms of pay. As you'll quickly learn, it may be that the money you want to be able to earn doesn't normally come to those in a particular occupation. Don't expect to be pulling down $100K a year as a social services caseworker, for example. But to some, the emotional and psychological pay-offs of the job offer far greater compensation than the actual paycheck. Figuring this out beforehand can save you some time and effort (and heartache) when picking a career path.
I would expect that most people reading this would be the 20-somethings who are trying to figure out their place in the world. But, if you're approaching retirement or looking to make a career switch, this book will also serve you well in terms of decision-making for the Career 2.0 phase of your life.
One of the toughest times in life is getting to that stage where you're expected to go out on your own and make a living, but yet you don't have a clue as to what your dream job would be (or at least a *realistic* dream job). Alexandra Levit helps to cut through some of that confusion in her book How'd You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them. Using this book as a guide, you can start to move in a particular direction where your passion and personality meshes with your occupation.
Contents:
Self-Assessment
The Adventurer: Conservationist; Documentary Photographer; ESL Teacher; Foreign Service Officer; News Correspondent; Oceanographer; Outdoor Adventure Guide; Travel Journalist
The Creator: Actor; Book Author; Fashion Designer; Interior Designer; Landscape Architect; Movie Screenwriter; Performance Musician; Restaurant Chef; Video Game Designer
The Data Head: Computational Linguist; Environmental Engineer; Financial Adviser; Information Security Specialist; Meteorologist; Pharmaceutical Scientist; Urban Planner
The Entrepreneur: Bed-and-Breakfast Innkeeper; Blogger; Boutique Owner; Event Planner; Health Club Owner; Internet-based Business Owner; Inventor; Pet Sitter; Professional Organizer
The Investigator: Antiques Dealer; Art Curator; Classic Car Restorer; Criminologist; Field Archaeologist; Forensic Scientist; Futurist; Historian; Psychology Lab Assistant
The Networker: Book Editor; Congressional Staffer; Image Consultant; Lobbyist; Marketing Executive; Pro Sports Team Manager; Speechwriter; Talent Agent; Television Producer; Wine Merchant
The Nurturer: Doula; Elementary School Teacher; Life Coach; Nonprofit Administrator; Nutritionist; Physical Therapist; Social Services Caseworker; Zoologist
Afterword; Acknowledgments; Bibliography
Levit starts out with a short self-assessment test. It's designed to root out your likes and dislikes, with the goal towards placing you in one (or more) of the main categories listed above. After you score the test and determine your type(s), there's a brief description of the personality attributes for those types, along with a list of jobs that they would quite often do well in. Once finished, you can start exploring the job write-ups in your particular area of interest.
Each job write-up gives a realistic sense of what to expect. There are quotes from people who currently do that job, explaining what they like and don't like about it. She explains the general requirements of the job, the type of work to expect, resources to get more information, and most important (for many), how much one could expect in terms of pay. As you'll quickly learn, it may be that the money you want to be able to earn doesn't normally come to those in a particular occupation. Don't expect to be pulling down $100K a year as a social services caseworker, for example. But to some, the emotional and psychological pay-offs of the job offer far greater compensation than the actual paycheck. Figuring this out beforehand can save you some time and effort (and heartache) when picking a career path.
I would expect that most people reading this would be the 20-somethings who are trying to figure out their place in the world. But, if you're approaching retirement or looking to make a career switch, this book will also serve you well in terms of decision-making for the Career 2.0 phase of your life.