Nemko - Careers For Dummies

Careers For Dummies

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Copyright 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2018940765

ISBN: 978-1-119-48233-8; 978-1-119-48234-5 (ebk); 978-1-119-48238-3 (ebk)

A new career book. Hmm Do we really need another career book? A quick Amazon search of books related to careers brings up 100,000 titles. Job hunting books? 40,000 titles.

The category of career books is crowded with superficial, repetitive, and uninspiring advice often from individuals whose only expertise seems to be that they themselves were once hired by someone. Or those who think they have the latest out-of-the-box wild idea like dont write a resume.

And then I was given the opportunity to read Marty Nemkos latest book, Careers For Dummies. I read it cover-to-cover because, despite managing Career Centers at Dickinson College, The University of Texas at Austin, Wake Forest University, and Vanderbilt University, I know theres always something new to learn, particularly when Marty Nemko is involved.

I first encountered Martys work in 1998 when he published Cool Careers For Dummies. I had been working in the field of career services for over ten years at that point, specializing in helping liberal arts students articulate the value of their education to potential employers. Most career books at that time were written with the assumption that the job seeker had a traditional degree (business or engineering) and sought a job in those fields. Not Cool Careers. It opened up a world of ideas for my liberal arts students: they didnt have to become bankers, lawyers, or professors. There were plenty of other cool careers: interesting careers that would benefit from their knowledge and skills. Over the years, I have purchased copies for all my career coaching staffs so they could use it in their work with students.

I personally met Marty in 2009 when the first edition of my book, You Majored in What?, was published. Marty asked me to appear as a call-in guest on his radio show, a San Francisco-based National Public Radio program, Work with Marty Nemko. We had an engaging conversation around chaos theory as it relates to careers of liberal arts students, and it was a pleasure to meet the author behind one of my favorite career books.

So what does Martys latest career book have to offer? Aside from being well-organized and packed with new ideas and information, this is a book which clears through the clutter. It harnesses the best of the ever-expanding information about career exploration and development. It will help you organize every aspect of your career: from uncovering your strengths to succeeding on the job. It is truly a soup-to-nuts guide to the career search and the career development process.

Career seekers have to consider three main questions: Who am I?; Where can I work?; and How do I get there? Many career books focus on the first and third questions, and Careers For Dummies is no exception. Those topics are covered thoroughly.

But when it comes to the second question, there is a dearth of good information about whats out there. Its a tough topic to handle because its at once vast and yet highly specific. Career counselors are often stuck using the less than scintillating Dictionary of Occupational Titles or the Occupational Outlook Handbook. This is where Careers For Dummies shines. In : The Careers Catalog you will be introduced to over 300 interesting and intriguing careers.

Two chapters in particular caught my attention: , STEM + People or Word Careers. Few career books tackle these important areas of employment, and myths abound about these fields, including the myth that STEM jobs are readily available. After all, arent we always hearing about the lack of people to fill STEM positions? Doesnt Yahoo regularly let us know that the highest paid jobs are in STEM fields?

The truth is, these jobs are highly specialized, often require advanced degrees, and do not fit neatly into one package despite the appealing acronym of STEM. Jobs for a bachelors level biology major are quite different from jobs for a PhD in physics or a masters degree in math. These two chapters illuminate the variety of careers for individuals with differing STEM backgrounds, describing the typical careers in each field, and then adding what Marty calls neat niches: interesting lesser-known specialties that might be worth investigating. Careers like cancer registrar, packaging engineer, or virtual reality programmer might not be on Yahoos top career list but probably should be. And this section doesnt just list job opportunities; it delves into the mindsets STEM majors will need to develop to succeed, including an interdisciplinary mindset and high emotional intelligence.