Careers Books

I got this book when it first came out and I read it cover to cover... nodding with self recognition again and again. I have underlined several areas and pick it up constantly. I love Kate's examples - her writing style is very readable and gets the point across quickly. Being a Good Girl is a hard habit to break but they say self awareness is the first step.

This book is great. It focuses on what women do in the workplace that underminds thier career. It also talks about how you should act. It's a great book for women working in a corperate jungle. It's a little hard to read at times, and she focuses on her life experiences in the magazine industry. Therefore, some of the things she talks about don't relate well to my field. I'm sure reading this book will help me in my career.

This is the golden advice: people pleasing is distinct from delivering credible results. In the world of world it is being respected that wins the day. Being liked is a matter of fickleness and not based on results. Results that are measured are all that matters.

I have never believed, or wanted to believe, in the feminist views of the world. I like to believe that if we focus on results, deliverables, and excellent performance and good merit, we will indeed get ahead - man or woman - in corporate america. Reading this book however did have certain advice in handling some situations that only arise for women in the workplace. Not every bit of advice or circumstance applies to all of us, but overall, this was a very good read, I took bits and pieces of advice from Kate and really did enjoy her stories and her candid sharing of the experience she had been through. I really do recommend it to everyone - not just women. It's good to be aware of our ingrained beliefs and learn to let go of them and face life with a much more open mind.

I was just out of college when my friend's mother gave me this book. My friend and I rolled our eyes - we were *definitely* not self-help-book readers. I still am not. But many times over the past ten years I have referenced this book in conversations with friends. I have found myself applying many of the tips that Ms. White provides. You don't have to be a hyper-ambitious, ladder-climbing corporate professional to get something out of this book. Among the tenets that have stood out to me over the years are:

-Don't always need to be liked
-Don't smile too easily
-Don't apologize too quickly
-Don't clean up after other colleagues (especially men)
-Don't be a perfectionist at the expense of innovative thinking or getting things done

Simply the notion that men and women (in broad strokes, at least) behave differently and are treated differently in the workplace was a novel idea to me, coming out of a liberal arts college during the mid-1990s. Reading this book gave me an awareness that everyone needs. Obviously, no one book will apply perfectly to each of us, so you can't go looking for that. But do look to this book for many useful ways of seeing the professional world and your own role in it.

I found this book to be a great read. Anything that will make you stretch to raise your own expectations of yourself or help yourself is always worth the money.

This book gives a lot of insight on building a better you. It gives a lot of information that you can relate to and then gives you the tips, exercises, and tools you will need to live a more positive life. If you read this book and follow along with the exercises and techniques the author gives, you will start to notice a difference in your attitude fairly quickly. I reccomend this book to anyone who wants to get a start on building self-confidence and a positive attitude change.

If you want to run your own life - and who doesn't? - Cheryl Richardson will tell you how. The first step in her program is getting a clear sense of who you are and what you want. Then, tap into your inner power to develop the courage and confidence to move ahead. Richardson's examples from her personal life and from her clients' stories add lively human interest, and her comprehensive step-by-step program might intrigue many readers, particularly those who have just started reading self-help literature. Otherwise, this is a repeat of a frequently taught lesson about how to decide what you want and take steps to get it. Her exercises can help you clarify your goals as well as find and destroy any emotional barriers standing in your way. We recommend this book to readers, particularly women, who haven't already been down this path and absorbed this message; you will find that Richardson is an encouraging cheerleader.

This book came to me at a time when I was discovering ways to overcome depression. It helped me to realize that one of the causes of my depression was that I had ignored and repressed my own needs in order to take care of everyone else. Eventually, if you take care of everyone except yourself, you will run out of things to give. It's like overdrawing your bank account. You can't keep writing checks without replenishing the supply. Cheryl Richardson will always be a hero in my eyes for sharing information that helped me in creating a life I love living.

Although the subtitle reads: "Develop the Courage, Confidence and Character to Fulfill Your Greatest Potential," the book is not necessarily designed for confidence seekers who struggle with anxiety and fear.

However, reading and participating in the exercises of this book can be a great way to experience life coaching.

If you are hungry for deeper meaning and abundance in your life, you will find the coaching questions helpful for clarifying what you really stand for and what you want in your life. The questions can connect you with the dormant inspiration awaiting you beneath an everyday layer of doldrums and demands. Using this book can nurture a weary soul and might be a gateway to the inspiration you seek.

However, if you are seeking tools to overcome a strong resistance and fear of moving out of your comfort zone, you may not find what you need here. In order for the exercises to be really effective for confidence building, it is better if the reader already has a healthy edge over internal anxiety, fear and resistance.

Either way, if you do the exercises, they will experience results that have at least a subtle effect in your experience of the life and beauty around you.

For a book that is nearly 50 years old, the formula behind David J. Schwartz's "The Magic of Thinking Big" is great for any person who is struggling to get over the frustrations of being stuck in a rut and wanting to step up to the plate and take a chance.

Schwartz's words are not new. You can hear very similar themes from authors past and present, like Dale Carnegie, Brian Tracy, and Tony Robbins. But if the words aren't resonating from other authors, the delivery in "The Magic of Thinking Big" gives you simple and easy steps to follow to get you to think big things, and then do big things.

This excellent book on audio could be helpful to everybody who wants something more out of life. It's great listening in the car while commuting - I've listened to each of the 4 CDs about 5 times now, and will listen to it regularly for as long as I have it. If you REALLY want to improve yourself, you should buy it and listen to it. If you just want to be an average person, then don't buy it.

Second only to the Bible in changing my life from the inside out. Schwartz taught me how to smile- literally.

The Magic Of Thinking Big is coming up on its 50 year anniversary, but the wisdom in its pages resonates timelessly. A lot of what is contained in this book is what some would call common sense. If you were blessed with an environment that treated this information as common sense, you are lucky. For the rest of us that read this material, we will have our thinking altered drastically. I have become aware of a gap between what is taught in textbooks and a lot of what one experiences in "the real world." That information is contained in this book. In school attitude is often touted, but seldom taught. In fact, my first thought after finishing this was "why is this stuff not taught in schools?" I know of no other book that will ease the transition from awkward adolescence to the dog-eat-dog world of adulthood better than The Magic Of Thinking Big. Oh, what could have been if I'd been handed this book when I was 12 or 13. You may have to adapt some of the dated examples and tips on dress to your situation, but by and large these principles will help you live a better life. I recommend this book to anyone who is sick of the status quo, wants to move up the corporate ladder, or just wants some understanding in how the world works. One of the most helpful books I have ever read, period.

Also, a lot of people have contrasted this book to Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends... For what it's worth, I feel that each book has its place and that different personalities will relate to one book better than the other. For my part, I found Magic Of Thinking Big more helpful and easier to read than Carnegie's book. That's not to demean How To Win Friends... because I know people who have been drastically changed by that book, too. Both books have proven helpful to many people. That doesn't mean that one is better or worse than the other, they're just like vanilla and chocolate ice cream; two different flavors of the same stuff.

The Magic of Thinking BIG by David J. Schwartz is a well-respected self-development classic. Written in the 1950's it still makes good common sense today. The practical things in life don't change much with time - like the basic principles for achieving success and living up to your full potential.

My copy of The Magic of Thinking Big has yellowed pages, sticky notes all over it, pink highlighted sentences on almost every page and yet, every time I take it down from shelf it's like opening a new wealth of information. I even remember exactly when and where I bought it. To me, that says a lot about the importance this book has had on my personal and professional self-development life.

In fact, I listened to the CD last night to help get me ready for writing this review and I took four pages of notes. One thing I've found with the classic self-development materials, every time I read or listen to them for the second, fifth or even tenth time I found something new I'd never read or heard before.

A really good empowering book/tape/CD/DVD should be read, listened to, watched and appreciated more than once. Every time we revisit a classic, we are in a different emotional and physical place than the first or second time we read, listened or watched it. It's like as we grow and evolve, so do the materials in the book.

That's how I felt about listening to The Magic of Thinking BIG by David J. Schwartz last night. I heard things I swear weren't there before. The words in the book hadn't changed, I had. The human mind is a powerful success and self-development tool and that's exactly the powerful premise of this book.

According to David J. Schwartz, it's really quite simple - if you want more out of your life, than think bigger. What makes this book a self-development/success classic? The success principles that have proven workable and viable for over fifty years and, are still true today: To make it big in life, you can't settle for small thinking.

Your life today is a reflection of how BIG you're allowing yourself to think, dream and plan. Dr. Schwartz guides you through The Magic of Thinking Big but the rest is up to you.

I highly recommend this book for your success/self-development library. I wish for you that your copy becomes dog-eared and yellowed. When you take to heart the concepts in this book, your life will be BIGGER than ever.

I met Susan Strayer shortly after JibberJobber was created, in 2006. Susan was working on a book called The Right Job, Right Now and felt that JibberJobber might be a perfect complement to her book. In fact, she started to talk about JibberJobber as she marketed her book, in fliers and presentations. It was pretty flattering that someone of her stature was talking about JibberJobber, and I was gratified that she felt it complemented her stuff (which was one of my original goals - to complement career offerings).

I got a copy of The Right Job, Right Now and have been thumbing through it for quite some time. I really like what she's put together, but it has taken me longer than I expected to make progress with the book. I initially approached it as I have most other books, with the intention of reading it quickly, from beginning to start.

That was the problem... this can be a "beginning to start" book, but I find it's more like a career management user's manual than anything else. While it's subtitled "The complete tool-kit for finding your perfect career," it is more than that. Let me break it down to show why it's more than just "finding your perfect career."

Part I has five chapters, and is named "What Do You Really Want To Do? A Career Plan for the Rest of Your Life." This is where she walks you through various exercises to help you come up with your "sweet spot," helping you figure out exactly what you want to be when you grow up. I like her approach more than tests that I've seen where they say "you'd be a good mortician. Or software sales rep... either one would suit you fine!"

In these first few chapters Susan Strayer walks us through the "Kaleidoscope Career Model" where we actually figure out what our perfect job would be. What is my risk level? What kind of hours will make me happiest (and most productive)? How do I value benefits, salary, security, etc? During these chapters, and with the concept of the kaleidoscope, we can find that sweet spot, which she argues is where we really need to end up.

I can't argue with that.

Part II is named "Career Action: Getting It In Gear." This is where she breaks down the job search process, including networking, resumes, personal branding, etc. The last two chapters of Part II (which has seven chapters) are Closing the Deal (chapter 11) and Taking and Making the Job (chapter 12).

I think this is where most job search books end, right? After you find the job?

Susan Strayer put in a Part III, which is what you do after you land the job... very cool. There are six chapters in Part III: Managing Your Career: Staying Challenged, Sane, and Motivated. Here are three very cool chapters:

* Chapter 16: Making the Grade is about employee reviews/evaluations. Susan has significant HR experience, and learning about how to make the most of a review is pretty cool (most of my reviews where a joke).
* Chapter 17: Playing the Political Game is self explanatory... again, her HR (and recruiting) experience provides a great perspective on how to deal with office politics.
* Chapter 18: The Fond Farewell. Maybe I don't read enough, but I can't remember another book that talks about how to get out. Brilliant. In business, a purpose of contracts is to figure out how all parties can walk away from a deal. How come we don't read more about how to walk away from an employer the right way, with regard to our career? What a cool ending to this career management manual.

This book is not a lite read... but it is a great insight into career management from someone who has experience as an HR professional, a recruiter, and of course a job seeker. Do yourself a favor and spend the $10 to $16 on Amazon... I bet you'll find yourself referring back to this book over the years!

You have to buy this book ! Firstly because it sets your head straight into search of job and has got the right attitude to writing a proper CV. Loved it.

This applicable & empowering book has a realistic approach to career search. I am grateful for this modern & effective resource.

While I was in business school a close friend of mine gave me this book. From the beginning, the book gave me the one thing that I needed (and didn't know I needed)... direction! The author's model takes you step by step through the questions you need to be asking yourself, and the result is an easy to use methodology for filtering any job you may be looking at. What this did for me was place me in a job that was a perfect fit, at the right salary, and even prepared me for the interviews because I know what questions I needed to be asking.

I know that as I look at my career going forward, I can not only use the model for new career changes, but also jobs that I may be applying for within my company.

In short, this book should be part of every career decision you make.

The Right Job Right Now is jam-packed with practical tips and tools that are relevant for first-time job seekers and seasoned executives alike. Susan's vast experience as an HR professional, both inside organizations and as an external advisor, has given her a wealth of insight about the hiring process which she freely shares in the most comprehensive career management book I have seen to date.

I use this book with clients and regularly recommend it to friends because it is the only book that I know of that addresses the finely nuanced interplay between personal values, skills, work behaviors, organizational characteristics, rewards and long term career strategy in a systematic framework (Kaleidoscope Career Model). After laying out components of the model, Susan provides a step-by-step process for activating the insights and information at every stage of the search process. Whether you're starting a new job search, thinking about strategic career progression within your current organization, or looking to make a complete career change, this is an invaluable tool.

I really loved the examples in this book they are very powerful and down to earth. The best example was about how "your brain is more valuable than any computer could be and they earn millions of dollars for companies and it is impossible not to make that kind of money when you are already worth more than that"!!! This books help you understand that its success is truly not about what & where you are. This books shows you it what you do with what you got.

I am immensely grateful that Steven is a sincere friend and mentor. I have full confidence this method will work. The steps are simple but I need to take the steps. Simple isn't always easy but it really helps to break things down into doable steps.

Steven K. Scott has put together a no nonsense book that will help you be more successful in life, careers, relationships and more. I am so pumped by the information I ordered the companion workbook and journal to begin my transformation. Scott is part life coach, career coach, therapist and motivational speaker. The best part is he is truly successful from using the techniques he teaches. He did not just making his money writing books and tapes. Ever heard of the Total Gym? His company markets it.

This book will help you set a goal and follow through on that goal. Mr. Scott teaches the sucessful way of creating a goal and then breaking it down to the minor details of achieveing that goal. Out of this world. He could sell high dollar seminars on this very subject. If you are self employed this book has the potential to double or triple your business in the first year. Alignments are stressed in this book and have really opened my eyes to whom I am parterened with in business. Steven Scott hit a home run on this book!

This is the earlier version of another book that had more fluff plus 2 more recent projects, one which he sells for well over 100 dollars.

Learn the basics here.

I have realized that he writes his books to wet your appetite for the higher priced courses, the best value being a cd series you can buy (do a search for his name if you want it)

Having said that I think he does a better job of revealing his strategies in this version than he does in the next, more recent book, where he basically says much of the same over again.

Here you will find ways to improve your business or personal life. What I did find most profound was the fact that I actually use some of these strategies before I knew of this material, and they really do work.

You will learn such things has how to properly utilize and handle criticism (hard for many entreprenuers), as well as improve professional and personal relationships by understanding others points of view, and how to get others to listen and understand you as well. I can tell you that these strategies to translate well into the professional life of an entrepreneur.

It touches on 15 different strategies to help you change your life:
1.)Reprogramming Your On-Board Computer (getting rid of damaging self-concepts)
2.)Overcoming Fear of Failure
3.)Turning Criticism from Foe to Friend
4.)Gaining a Clear and Precise Vision
5.)Overcoming Your Lack of Know-How
6.)Overcoming Your Lack of Resources
7.)Achieving Infinitely More in a Fraction of the Time
8.)Dreaming and Achieving Impossible Dreams
9.)Recruiting the Partners and Mentors of Your Dreams
10.)Igniting the Engine of Positiveness
11.)Effectively and Persuasively Communicating
12.)Acquiring the Discipline of Winning Most of the Time
13.)Taking Control of Your Life, One Minute at a Time
14.)Acquiring the Fuel of Passion
15.)Flipping the Switch

While I do feel that there is a bit of a over self flattering in all his materials there are some valueable lessons here for those that don't want to spend 80 to hundreds of dollars for his higher priced courses

Especially at this low price point on amazon, having said all this, it really is a deal, with some great tips with actual *real* strategies (that work) to help you rather than some rah rah book designed to just pump you up.

When the author, Tammy Powley, approached me about creating a project for this book, I was very excited, but also a bit scared! I've been involved with a couple other projects with Tammy, and I already knew how much detail and effort she puts into everything that she does. I knew that this was going to be an amazing and very complete book for beginners. And I wasn't the slightest bit disappointed when I received my copy of Picture Yourself Creating Metal Clay Jewelry. Tammy's instructions are excellent and very thorough, and the DVD is just the icing on the cake!

Tammy Powley, the resident jewelry making expert at About.com, is an incredibly bright and talented woman. She's very well respected in the jewelry and craft industries and she's a college professor with a strong command of language and excellent technical writing skills. It's no surprise that her new book Picture Yourself Creating Metal Clay Jewelry is phenomenal. If you've been standing on the edge of diving into the world of metal clay, wait no longer. Ms. Powley will take your hand and guide you step by step in this extensive guide to absolutely everything you need to know to get started.

From tools, techniques, materials and sound advice, this book is in my opinion the ultimate guide for the metal clay novice and has plenty to offer for those who already dabble in this fascinating medium. Not only are the instructions clear, well written and easy to follow, the photographs guide you effortlessly through the basics so that you can be well on your way to mastering this medium. There's a DVD included with bonus projects and video footage that solidifies the information in the book beautifully.

Tammy Powley is someone whom I, as a fellow jewelry making book author, respect immensely. She's proven time and time again that she is a force with whom to be reckoned and here she does it again. She's got that rare gift of knowing how to articulate things in a way that everyone can understand and her subtle humor makes reading this book a joy.

I particularly enjoyed the wonderful photographs of artist's studios, what a treat! The fabulous projects shared by Ms. Powley along with several metal clay masters were truly inspirational. Many craft books skirt across the surface of a discipline or they are so advanced they can be daunting to the neophyte. Ms. Powley has taken all of the mystery and frustration out of learning something new and made it a true pleasure.

I highly recommend this title become an addition to your craft library. This is one you'll read from cover to cover and reference endlessly. Kudos to Ms. Powley for making the definitive beginners Metal Clay book!

Margot Potter
The Impatient Crafter(tm)
Author The Impatient Beader series

Teacher and jewelry crafter Tammy Powley presents Creating Metal Clay Jewelry, a step-by-step guide to creating one's own unique jewelry designs from metal clay components. Chapters discuss how to create original metal clay necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and more. Readers will learn how to roll, cut, fire and finish metal clay into beads and charms; 14 projects with variations will help novices get their feet wet in the joy of three-dimensional art. Full color photographs illustrate the methodical instructions, and a bonus DVD with two additional projects rounds out this great guide for jewelry hobbyists of all backgrounds and experience levels.

If you've been thinking that Precious Metal Clay might be too difficult for you to attempt, then this is definitely the book for you.
I've known Tammy for a few years now having worked with her. She is, in fact, the reason I started jewelrymaking. When I would admire a certain pair of earrings she would be wearing or maybe a necklace she had just finished, she would always say "You can do that". So I bought all of her books and because they are always so well written, directions so easy to follow, and jewelry so beautifully illustrated she's made it possible for everyone to design and create their own jewelry. So when she asked me to submit a few of my pieces for her new book on metal clay I eagerly did so knowing I would be pleased with the final results. The book, however, far exceeds my expectations.
Tammy's book helps take the fear and guesswork out of what to do with that ugly little lump of clay and she shows you that you can turn out a beautiful piece of jewelry the first time out. I've been doing metal clay for over a year, own three books on the subject, but I wish I had this one starting out. Others have left me feeling I "missed" something in the directions. It is so easy to follow, directions so clear and detailed that I firmly believe that this will be the new Metal Clay Jewelry bible. And the added DVD is really a plus! I think this is Tammy's best book yet.

I really like the positive title of this book, written by Tammy Powley: Picture Yourself Creating Metal Clay Jewelry.
When I read the title, I felt as if the daunting aspects and the confusion people might experience when confronted by metal clay were immediately whisked away and replaced with the reassurance of a voice which said "You CAN do this!"

This "Can-Do!" sort of attitude is a wonderful one which the author conveys. It runs all the way through the book!

The cover shows some of the many aspects of working with metal clay, and some finished jewelry pieces as well. Indeed, Tammy has made sure to take the reader right from the very beginning of learning what tools and equipment and safety concerns will be required, to the final aspects of super fun created pieces in a wonderfully cohesive manner. She is an experienced jewelry designer, a well known author of numerous jewelry design books, and a member of the PMC Guild. Who better to write this almost encyclopedic, yet always interesting, metal clay book?
It is fascinating as well to learn through viewing other artist's studios, and other artist's work, the incredible variety you too will be able to accomplish, once you get the basics down.

I want to stress that this book is basically a "low fire" metal clay book. This means that the projects in the book (and also in the fantastic bonus DVD, which I loved!) which are demonstrated by Tammy, use ways of firing metal clay which usually do not involve a kiln. For example, a hot pot and a butane torch are two of the ways which are utilized in the book. Both are used outdoors for proper ventilation and for safety!
If you low fire metal clay, there is a limit to the thickness of the jewelry piece you can create. A kiln is required for weightier pieces. You will discover, by reading this book, information like this. It will be presented to you in a very clear manner. Why not buy this book and see how you like metal clay before sinking a ton of money into a kiln? It is really logical to try this method first. By the way, you will LOVE metal clay! It is SO FUN!

I think Picture Yourself Creating Metal Clay Jewelry, by Tammy Powley, with its inspiring photo gallery from many artists who were kind enough to display their metal clay creations and their studios, its "down to earth manner" of how to make your own pieces, its great list of tools, tips and techniques, the inclusion of some fantastic findings you can teach yourself to make (Tammy does it all!), and finally some wonderful, accessible and very lovely low fire projects, such as "ID ME" and "Y-You are a Star", AS WELL AS (I am getting out of breath here!) gallery projects with instructions by guest artists, for those of you who do have a kiln to use in some cases, is a terrific starter book, reference book, reminder (if you already use metal clay) book, inspiration book, and get it all going on book! Yes! You can DO it with this great book, Picture Yourself Creating Metal Clay Jewelry!

Although this is a fairly short book, it is very informative and it is easy to read. Most of the information in the book, I already knew about (I've done a lot of research on the band) but, If you haven't done much research yet, this is the book to read. Or if you have family members/friends that want to know more about the band, this would be a good choice for them to read. I have had the pleasure of meeting Jessie, and she knows what she is talking about! She is no nonsense and just wants to make sure everyone succeeds and that the band is the right choice for them. This is a wonderful book, and again its not complicated and anyone would be able to understand it. If you are even considering getting the Lap Band, I would read this book.

I had lap-band at Northwest Weight Loss Surgery Center where Jessi Ahroni works. She is a no-nonsense person that tells it like it is. This book is a must read for ANYONE that is deciding if Lap-Band is for them, those who have made the decision AND for their family and friends. I am one of the lucky ones that has been able to work with Jesse as well as read her book. This gives the up front approach and gives you so much information that you want and need to know. I have had HUGE success with my lap band. I was banded 5/22/07 and am down over 100 lbs at my 6 month mark. It's do-able, it's a great decision for me and this book can help you decide if it's right for you. Leigh Bergman

This is a very good book and people who are thinking of doing the lapband should review it. Also people who are not doing lapband should also read it as it gives a lot of information about what to expect etc. This is a very good informational tool

If you are thinking about or have recently had the lap-band surgery it is very informtive. I still pick it up and read it as a reference guide and I'm 6 weeks post-op. It has helped me alot.

I didn't gain any new information or tips on dealing with the lap band. This same information I have received from my doctor and off the internet. I think it would be good for someone who didn't know anything about the procedure.

Absolutely uninteresting, I'm returning it. Did you know that you have to get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise? If not, learn it from this book.

Over the years, I've bought, oh probably like a dozen of these books (from this series, I mean) and, with the exception of Managing High-Tech Enterprise, found them completely unhelpful and uninteresting. Always self-contradictory, unintelligent, and droning, they remind me of the "self-help" book genre -- which is to say, politically-correct, vapid tripe that the publishers probably believe will sell in any quantities and no matter how bad, simply because people look forever for advice and will probably buy and keep buying. Very disappointing; I'm through with this series.

This was my first time reading the Harvard Business Review books. The book is made up of 8 topics by different authors. I'm not used to this format so the topics felt short and leaving me wanting more.

The topic on "Overloaded Circuits" is fantastic. Dr. Hallowell describes ADT or Attention Deficit Trait. Similar to ADD but entirely created from the environment, ADT is a new condition brought about recently by the new technology that is pervasive in business today. Ever feel overloaded by the constant emails, phone calls, mobile phone calls, and "crackberry" alarms? Ever multi-task to a point where you feel like your work product is rarely adequate? I could go on about this topic but don't want to steal Dr. Hallowell's thunder. It's a must read. He also wrote an article on CNet News named "Why can't you pay attention anymore?"

Other topics such as "managing your boss" and "how to play to your strengths" provide a few new tips. My hang-up with the book is that some topics felt out of place such as the first topic on how leaders move up to the CxO level and the topic on getting advice from your boss.

In this book the author states that "having a child is now the single best predictor that a woman will end up in financial collapse," and this is true for both married as well as single women. In fact, the author boldly, and correctly, suggests that people avoid having children as a financial planning technique.

The author also shows that the dual-income family of the early 2000s is no better off than the single-income family of the 1970s. The second income is eaten up by increases in housing, education, child care, health insurance, auto costs, and taxes. There are structural changes in our economy that account for this, but the author avoids this topic.

The fact that our America is not the same as our parents' America is not our fault. But we've all got to adapt and make decisions, just like our parents and grandparents did when they went through the Great Depression.

My wife and I are in our mid-fifties now (2008). When we started out, we knew there was no way we could accomplish financially what our parents did. So we decided not to have kids, we stayed together, we moved several times to find jobs, we both obtained Masters Degrees, and we both went back to school to change careers. We've never purchased a new vehicle. We've rented most of our lives, but in 2002 we bought a small condo. Looking back, we struggled, but our current financial security is due to the decisions we made, and our willingness to adapt.

Likewise, the people we know who are less financially secure also made decisions - bad decisions - and they refuse to adapt. For example, an acquaintance got divorced after fathering a child, made a career change, is not making lots of money but refuses to go back to school, tried unsuccessfully to avoid making child support payments, and lives at home with his mother. He is self-employed, and works about 20 hours a week, which is fine with him. He says he is "a second class citizen," and wants socialized health care because he fears cancer and has no insurance, yet he doesn't want to go to the county hospital when he has chest pain because of the long waiting time.

My wife and I are supposed to feel sorry for him? We're supposed to get out the crying towel and ask our Congressman to increase our taxes so Uncle Government can help him out? I think not!

The author also contends that deregulation of the banking industry has resulted in unscrupulous lenders forcing debt upon naïve borrowers. She blames lenders for the fact that many families, including middle- and upper-income families, ended up with expensive subprime mortgages. Let's see, the lenders are at fault because these buyers didn't do a little reading and comparison shopping before they locked themselves into the biggest investment of their lives? Sorry, but I'm not buying it.

The author's solution to the credit problem is re-regulation. Unfortunately, that "solution" punishes the responsible borrower. Instead, I suggest that everyone who wants credit of any kind must first obtain a borrowers license. We don't let people drive cars without a drivers license. Likewise, we shouldn't let people take on credit without a borrowers license, because they can so easily harm themselves and others through debt mismanagement.

In fact, maybe we should also make people obtain a birthing license so they become aware of the author's major premise, that "having a child is now the single best predictor" of ending up in financial ruin. Of course, most people won't listen, but at least they can't complain that they weren't informed!

In closing, this book makes some excellent points, but it minimizes the importance of personal decision making by over-blaming "the system," and some of the suggested solutions are questionable. If you are interested in this topic, I highly recommend The Fragile Middle Class: Americans in Debt, co-authored by Ms. Warren. That book points out that the huge increase in consumer debt has made Americans more vulnerable to all financial setbacks, including the top three reasons for bankruptcy: job loss, divorce, and medical problems.

There were a lot of interesting facts in this book, that really make you think about two-income families. However, while the author(s) are excellent at describing tear-inducing situations that tug at the heart, they are unfortunately unable to provide very much in the way of applicable help for the families who are struggling within the 'two income trap'. The changes that they do suggest would take monumental governmental intervention and a very large dose of time to fix.

...there are some serious problems, too.

First, the good points:

-We need our usury laws back!
It is stupid and reckless to expect an eighteen year old kid to suddenly possess a JD and be a CPA to accurately wade through the ten pages of fine print attached to a credit card application. That is where the trouble starts, on college campuses, under the guise of a free Tshirt or 2 liter of Coke if you fill out an application.

-Health care is disaster.
It is diabolically stupid to connect health care to employment. Medicare For ALL!

-Colleges are out of control.
We need to price cap state schools, point blank. The authors are dead on with this one. Not every college needs to be the best in every program, and they are all trying to be. Let them prioritize and specialize- not every college needs trades and sports and culinary arts and fine arts... blah blah blah. All the schools I know are pumping money into housing, too, which is really stupid in the midwest, where off campus is usually nicer and cheaper.

-The Financial Fire Drill.
Thinking like a family at war; protecting what you value most; acknowledging that your children are more important than your credit rating or the creditor that yells the loudest; explaining that the longest financial commitments are also the riskiest- this stuff is worth reading and worth knowing.

-Car Seats: All That Safety Comes a High Price.
When my parents were kids (in families of 7 and 8), each family had two cars: a station wagon and a pick up. The station wagons didn't have seat belts, little kids were lap riders, and you could ride as many people as could squeeze in. If the wagon went on the fritz, the family piled into the bed of the truck. No more.
Car seats themselves are expensive, they expire after five years (no, I am not making this up- look it up), and God help the family with three kids. Even if the oldest is out of his/her car seat, unless you have a third row vehicle (a minivan or a big SUV), chances are you can't all legally fit. Even in the backseat of a big sedan (or larger), there is not enough room between two car seats for a five or six year old, much less a seven or eight year old to ride. Bigger cars are more expensive cars, and it is a huge burden, especially with gas at $4 a gallon.

The Cons:

- Though the title is the Two Income Trap, the authors don't explain thouroughly enough how to live within your means either on one income or two.
For example, two full time, out of home workers are going to rely much more on meals out and packaged, more expensive groceries. This is not a failing on their part, its just the reality that cooking from scratch takes lots of time (and often, lots of time to learn). This is frequently one of the means by which couples "downshift" when they move from two incomes to one. When joined by losing extra taxes, daycare, car payments, insurance, and gas, and the other expenses associated with working, a new picture emerges for most families. They could have gone into this, and they didn't. It's too bad.

-Vouchers.
Okay, I haven't made up my mind on this concept yet. I think that tying schools to a zip code is at least as stupid as tying health care to employment, but, again, the authors don't really explore the variables here. Can kids go to school anywhere in the state under their ideal voucher program? If so, do the best schools become boarding schools, the way the schools for the blind/deaf are? What are the implications there?
Also, as a homeschool advocate, I was disappointed to not even see non-institutional education get so much as a mention.

-Housing.
Yes, housing prices throughout much of the country got out of control. Yet there remained many areas where housing prices are low enough that it is possible to own a family size home on a single income. Our 3 bedroom, 150 year old house cost $31,000 in 2005. While it needs some updating, it isn't a shack, either.
(And no, low COL areas are not neccesarily low wage areas- rather, they are low COL because the cost of real estate is low relative to wages. Our mortgage is equal to about 18 months of my husband's net salary.)
My husband's coworker bought a 5 bedroom house on 2 acres last year, and while it's in need of some pretty serious remodeling, she only paid $17,000 for it. I think that's a bargain, considering you can't buy a new Honda Civic for that price.
I think there's a certain amount of choice at play here.

At the end of this book, I was left with the words of Amy Dacyzyn ringing in my ears: "If you are willing to live like a family did in 1960, you can survive and even thrive on a single income." Is this true in every area of the U.S.? No, but if you pick a place with a lower COL, it can be done. People just don't want to think about what this means- it means a more modest home; a single car payment at a time (if any at all), very few meals out; no paper towels or disposible dishrags, napkins, diapers, wipes, plates, cups, etc.; no cable or cellphone; no dishwasher or microwave. This is how people got ahead on a single income back then, and it's how people do it now.

(Oh, and for what it's worth, I am a dyed in the wool liberal.)

Back in the mid to late 60s, average real income in the U.S., which is just economic terminology for income adjusted for inflation, started to decline for the first time. Once that trend gets started in a country, for whatever reason, it's almost impossible to reverse, as any economic historian will tell you.

Now, forty years later, the impact of that dire trend is here for all to see. The American middle class is moribund and on the verge of extinction, if it isn't already. And in the last 15 years, the middle class has suffered through the worst of it, with job flight overseas in the late 90s, and the corporate restructurings of the early 90s. What is not well known is that most of the increase in profitability that drove the great bull market of the 90s was widespread and extensive corporate downsizings, restructurings, and layoffs during that period, which made companies leaner and and meaner. It wasn't that American companies were now better managed or were producing better products, although there were a few exceptions.

That's the sad macroeconomic backstory to the current situation. In this book, Prof. Warren examines the personal toll this economic sea change has produced, and how it has affected the families themselves. And her claims are backed up with massive amounts of data. And at this point, no one, even conservatives, denies it. Liberals and conservatives just disagree on the reasons for it.

Warren provides convincing evidence that it isn't frivolous spending that is driving most Americans into debt, which is the conservative view, but needed fixed expenses such as a mortgage, medical insurance, education, and so on, all of which have climbed precipitously in recent years, much more than the level of inflation, and more importantly, of average income.

Reckoned in these terms, I can't disagree with her conclusions. My only quip is that I'm sure that the millions of people who took out piggy-back loans were only too happy to take those cash payments, without the bank twisting their arms too much. There's the old saying about when a deal sounds too good, it probably is, but apparently no one was thinking in those terms. On the other hand, it was the mortgage lenders "loan to own" strategy that backfired on them, when interest rates went up. Word to the wise--no one can predict interest rates for very long, including economists--let alone your average citizen.

Also, Prof. Warren's data notwithstanding, which is very convincing, I should add, nevertheless, we've all seen people who have come into windfalls who've just frittered it away on frivolous consumption instead of doing the wise thing and saving and investing it. In fact, at my age, I've been around a while (I'm pushing 60) and I can't count the number of people I've seen do this.

Overall, though, I agree with almost all of what Warren has to say. But the likely cure for the current situation--balancing the budget, increasing taxes, ending the war in Iraq, creating better paying jobs and not simply more low paying ones, providing affordable medical insurance, buying smaller, more economical cars, eating out less often, and spending more responsibly when necessary--is probably more than Americans can stomach. Debt has simply become a way of life here, and that isn't going to change anytime soon. Not to mention the fact that creating more and better jobs would require some real creativity and rethinking of our whole work economy. Does anyone think our current crop of leaders (whether republican or democrat) is up to this task?

On the positive side, this book offers some interesting interpretations regarding why people are going broke, most notable is their belief that it can all be changed by reforming the public education system. This was an intriguing idea. However, I could not get past the fact that they argue AGAINST the fact that Americans over-consume on everything. In short, they say "it's not their fault" for living way beyond their means. I have a huge fundamental problem with this attitude. I don't know where Warren lives or who her friends are, but within my middle class community and everywhere around me, almost everyone I know or see has a sense of entitlement to have the latest and greatest, biggest and best. People are duped into thinking that every luxury (cable TV, SUVs, cell phones, etc.) are a necessity. NONSENSE. Just a generation ago people were much better at living within their means, doing without if necessary, and making do with what they have. I get so disgusted with today's attitudes. Dave Ramsey's philosophy is much much better and more practical. Eat beans and rice, take on extra jobs if you have to, and LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS. This book was not for me.

The Complete Academic was exactly what I was looking for. It answered my questions regarding teaching as a profession, and how to get my foot in the door.

I bought this book for the job interview section primarily. However, I think it will be helpful throughout my career in psychology.

This book is a must have for anyone in or considering a career in academia as a psychologist. It offers wonderful perspectives for what you should and should not do at all stages of your academic career. As a psychology grad student, I am recommending it to all of my peers. I could not be happier with this book. It is a wonderful source of professional guidance and inspiration.

I was a little disappointed with the depth of the coverage given to the job-search process (probably because that's my main focus right now), but I still think that this book will come in very handy in the future. If you are a psychology major thinking about grad school, a psychology graduate student, or a psychology professor at the beginning of their career, this book has a lot of useful information. There are some missing data spots, but no book is perfect of course.