Customer Reviews

100 Bullshit Jobs...And How to Get Them CD

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Good for a couple of laughs but essentially one funny idea stretched into a hardcover. Something to page through on a plane, in the bathroom , or while waiting for the dentist but not much substance. Better yet - pick it up at your local bookstore read it over a latte and return it to the shelf 20 minutes later and you'll have the idea.

Since I work one of the so-called "BS" jobs listed in this book, let me make it clear that I can take a joke, and I don't mind being ribbed now and then about it. There is BS in my field just like in any other - including business journalism. But I've read Bing's columns in Esquire magazine over the years, and I can safely say that Bing is quite a BS artist himself, and many of his pieces haven't really deserved to see print in a national magazine. (Others have, of course). Bing's sneering dismissal of many 'alternative' career paths, while funny, tells the reader a lot more about the limits of Bing's worldview than it does about the jobs he derides.

This book is just another example of his habit of coming up with an extended magazine piece, wrapping a hardcover around it, and getting some publishing house to charge the reader $15.00-$20.00 for something no better (or funnier) than a typical mass-forwarded joke list on Usenet or a daily blog entry.

I wouldn't say "don't buy it", since Bing is still funnier and sharper than many writers who comment on commerce and business. I would say, buy it only if you have money to burn, and don't mind spending a large amount of money for a very small number of mild chuckles.

I got this book to really learn something (no laughing :)) but it was just a funny read, and not much substance to it. I could not really follow the logic in a lot of places, and I had trouble explaining exactly what the book is about, although I liked the last very last 3 pages. Funny light-reading, if you have the time....

A perfectly funny bathroom book. Enjoy it in parts, in whole, or in any order. Some of the chaptes are downright hilarious, others cute.

After you put it down, you can ask yourself the following: "I paid for this?" You could have read it while standing in the aisle at Borders.

Please don't get me wrong. Stanley Bing is brilliant and his Fortune columns are must-reads, its just that you need to accept this book for what it is. Its cute and cuddly. A potato chip of a book, not a whole meal.

I saw this in an airport and noticed my job(quantum physicist) was one of the BS jobs. Let me tell you that this is the only business book I could ever stand to read. Nothing in this book is serious of course. Tahts what makes it good. Its all a big joke. Even the formula the author uses to rank the jobs is basically total BS.

Every time I pick up this book, I burst out laughing! Maybe one day, I'll read the whole thing. It is FUNNY, and since I am a true believer in laughter as the best medicine, i think it's worth every penny! It's full of poignant observations and witty quotes, like a mini encyclopedia of the modern-day job market. This book definitely puts things into perspective and hopefully would make some people just a tad more grounded. That would be great, if not, it's still funny. I bet Bing insulted a lot of people who seriously lack in the "sense of humor" department. P.S. Who keeps deleting positive reviews for this book???

I saw this on the shelf at a now-defunct brick & mortar bookseller and thumbed through a couple pages. I took it for what it was. a business humor book. I still thumb through it and enjoy the entries. If you're looking for Homer, or Dostoyefsky, you're not going to find it in the pop-business-section of a bookstore. This was an enjoyable read with amusing views of well known job titles.

Great book. Stanley Bing has incredible insight into where BS jobs are and what a BS job entails. Again, great book.

This book is a great idea-- it shows that there are plenty of jobs out there for the taking if you have a little creativity, and preferably a good sense of humor. Also check out "Odd Jobs: 101 Ways to Make an Extra Buck." It's similar, but has practical tips and advice on getting all sorts of non-nine-to-five jobs, including the good, the bad, and the really bizarre types of employment available. Either book makes a fun graduation gift.

This book is in so many ways a gem. Someone needed to get out and talk about how so many jobs in our world today are more about image than about substance. However, Bing decided to turn a wonderful look into the inner workings of the most BS laden jobs ever and turned it into a political platform to rant against right wingers.

Full disclosure, I am a blogger and I had the rare opportunity to become a radio talk show host a few years ago. Two of the jobs in this book were "Blogger" and "Right Wing Radio Talk Show Host." I actually agree with Bing, trying to fill 3 hours of radio time a day involves a surprising amount of BS and I think all radio talk show hosts have various levels of BS in their broadcast.

But it's not just limited to right wing talk show hosts, there are plenty of left wing talk show hosts who are just as bad. I like Ed Schultz and Alan Colmes, but Janeane Garafalo and Wendy Wilde are shrill BSers of the worst sort. I accept Bing is not a right winger, but this book would have been so much more had he been fair and objective. I guess I might be a bit unfair to him but every chance he had at taking deserving shots at both right and left wingers he focused on the right.

Also, Bing wasted time on BS BS jobs. At one point he made the point that being the Yeti was a BS job. That's a little sophomoric even for me.

The book never attempted to delve deep into the subject of BS nor did it try to focus on what exactly made a job full of "it." These were quick summaries and not very insightful. I must say though, Bing is a very good writer and is naturally funny. I had a hard time putting this book down and I would sincerely encourage others to read it despite my criticisms.