Michael Rosen: Death of the bookworm

Michael Rosen: Death of the bookworm
Michael Rosen: Death of the bookworm Michael Rosen: Children are being taught to read at school – but not to love books’ complexity and depth. It’s a national disgrace

How’d You Score THAT Gig?

How’d You Score THAT Gig?
Some of my vacation reading included How’d You Score That Gig? A Guide to the Coolest Jobs [and How to Get Them] by Alexandra Levit. I’m a girl who likes clear instructions that are as exact as possible when embarking on a new experience. I’m a big fan of the informational interview, [...]

Some of my vacation reading included How’d You Score That Gig? A Guide to the Coolest Jobs [and How to Get Them] by Alexandra Levit. I’m a girl who likes clear instructions that are as exact as possible when embarking on a new experience.

I’m a big fan of the informational interview, and back when I was a student I always always always (I couldn’t not, it seemed) read every page of my textbooks. This included the copyright page, which I was never once tested on. It’s a thing: I have to know as much information in advance so I will feel properly prepared for my mission. Oddly enough, I only feel that I must do this for work or academic situations; when I travel (sans children) I am perfectly content to just go.

From the perspective of someone who appreciates having new career situations described to her, I must say I found Levit’s book extremely helpful and well-researched. She describes in detail 60 careers and how one might go about landing a job in a particular field, including the education required and how the people she interviewed came to work at their current positions.

At the beginning of the book, before you jump into reading about the specific careers, there’s a smarter-than-Cosmo test to ascertain what personality type you are, as it relates to your professional life. The list includes: Adventurer, Creator, Data Head, Entrepreneur, Investigator, Networker, and Nurturer.

I fully admit to bending the test a little; Levit instructs you to choose the single best answer for any given question. For several of the questions I could honestly have chosen three or four answers that described me exactly; there was much pondering and I couldn’t find just one.

In the end I counted up all worthy answers, and saw which columns had the most answers that pertained to me at the end. I had a ’score’ of seven in the Creator column, and eight in the Investigator column, which makes me both. I agreed with that, and with the descriptions Levit writes about both types. I had never labeled myself as either of those before, but it made sense when I thought about it. And really, are any of us just one thing?

I can recommend the book as an excellent tool for figuring yourself out, as well as researching some career options prior to jumping into a particular career pool feet first, fully clothed and blindfolded.

Posted by Alexa Harrington

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