I have already been strongly recommending YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
by George Anders. I think that our post high school counselors, many parents
and some students (as well as their older siblings!) will definitely find this
new book interesting. It offers valuable perspective on “how the job market is
quietly creating thousands of openings a week for people who can bring a
humanist’s grace to our rapidly evolving high-tech future.” Anders tone is
conversational and he directs his comments primarily to soon-to-be graduates, commenting
on a variety of companies and using the success stories of actual grads with liberal
arts degrees to highlight strengths and possible career options. While the
subtitle, “The Surprising Power of a "Useless" Liberal Arts Education,”
seems to almost invite negative comments, Anders makes a strong argument for the degree's value with a text divided into four “can do”
and action oriented parts: Your Strengths; Your Opportunities; Your Allies; and
Your Toolkit. YOU CAN DO ANYTHING
offers plenty of information and encouragement; Anders concludes with even
more, offering a list of suggested references including websites, twitter, TedTalks
and books. Definitely worth a look!
Another career-related book which is updated annually and is
always fun to explore is WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE from Richard
Bolles. Once again, this title (now in 2018 version) is filled with valuable advice
in an easy to use format. There are so many helpful lists such as the ways
job-hunting has changed; factors important from the employer’s perspective, and
a starter kit for writing your resume. Bolles lays out key principles,
discusses interviewing tips and provides two chapters dealing with an extensive
self-inventory exercise. And he includes a separate section on “how to start
your own business.” Although WHAT COLOR IS YOUR PARACHUTE 2018 can
certainly be used to help narrow choices for a college major or in looking for
a part-time or summer position, we will also have a version written
specifically for teens available at the library.
With all of the news regarding the upcoming eclipse, readers
may want to spend some time with the newly released ZAPPED by Bob
Berman. Its subtitle is “from Infrared to X-rays, the Curious History of
Invisible Light” and the author, currently a columnist for Astronomy
magazine, discusses those topics in an informative and relatively accessible
way. Although there are moments when
there is too much scientific jargon and information, Berman balances that with
stories of inventors and references to current applications like GPS, microwave
ovens, x-rays and more. Student readers
will likely be skimming ZAPPED and looking for a section to
support a research project. Others, however, may turn to this book in order to simply
learn interesting facts about ultraviolet light, gamma rays or cellphone
radiation. Those curious about science
will enjoy ZAPPED or a wider overview such as The Canon by
Natalie Angier or A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson; here
is another list of 100 Popular Science books with even more ideas!
