Cool Careers for Dummies [Paperback]

Marty Nemko PhD (Author), Paul Edwards (Author), Sarah Edwards (Author)

Book Description

Series: For Dummies (Computer/Tech) | Publication Date: August 6, 1998

"From finding the well-suited job to customizing it, this book is full of smart advice." USA Today "A career guide that really works — thorough, reliable, and amazingly helpful." James C. Gonyea, Gonyea Online Career Center, AOL Praise for Cool Careers For Dummies "Something for everyone….Not only do the authors provide a comprehensive listing of jobs you never thought of, but they also devote space to … figuring out your dream job, and making your current job better." —Men's Fitness "Anyone who dreads the 9-to-5 rut will embrace Cool Careers For Dummies."—Dave Murphy, Career Search Editor, San Francisco Examiner

512 cool careers profiled in the special yellow page section

Savvy tips for locating and landing unusual, intriguing jobs

Is your career path unclear? This breakthrough book is the culmination of years of successfully helping career searchers, including many people who tried other approaches and failed. Cool Careers For Dummies^® is like having your very own dream team of career coaches, all dedicated to helping you find a job you actually like.

Discover how to: Find the right career for you Get the training you need Locate jobs, even if you hate networking Become an employer's #1 job candidate Make a humdrum job better

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Looking for a job? Thinking about a career change? Dreading it? Well, Cool Careers for Dummies promises not only to help you find jobs you never knew existed, but to make it fun! From enologist (that's winemaker, dummy) to attorney specializing in outer-space issues, career specialists Marty Nemko and Paul and Sarah Edwards have compiled over 500 interesting, offbeat, and just plain cool jobs. But that's just the first step.

After the short descriptions of cool careers--thoughtfully separated in their own yellow-pages section--the authors present a smart, funny, well-organized guide to choosing and nabbing the perfect job, even jobs that don't make the "cool" list. Filled with practical advice such as using e-mail to reach potential employers (it's more likely to get answered), Cool Careers for Dummies is a sure cure for the interview jitters. Important tips and pitfalls are highlighted with bold icons, making this useful as a handy reference as well as a career guide.

Sections on résumés, interviews, and salary negotiation round out the package, making this the perfect companion for the first-time job hunter or the seasoned professional looking for a change--after all, you don't have to be a dummy to need a little help. A word of warning: if you think you're satisfied with your career, be careful with this book--you might find yourself longing to be a newborn photographer or a dating coach! --Rob Lightner

From the Back Cover

Features more than 500 profiles of cool careers

The fun and easy way® to find the career and job that's right for you!

Want to love your work? Need a new job but are stuck? No worries! This friendly guide shows you great careers you may not have thought of and helps you land a rewarding job with a 30-day search that really works. You'll also get proven ideas for making the most of any job. Whether you're a recent grad or a Baby Boomer, this is the ultimate career guide for you.

• Locate terrific jobs — even if you hate networking

• Get the training you need

• Create a winning resume

• Ace your interview

• Make any career cooler

• Become your own boss

Praise for Cool Careers For Dummies

"From finding the well-suited job to customizing it, this book is full of smart advice."
— USA Today

"A career guide that really works — thorough, reliable, and amazingly helpful."
— James C. Gonyea, host, Gonyea Online Career Center on AOL

"Anyone who dreads the 9-to-5 rut will embrace Cool Careers For Dummies."
— Dave Murphy, Career Editor, San Francisco Chronicle --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (August 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764550950
• ISBN-13: 978-0764550959
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #515,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

91 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gift that kept giving, December 29, 2000

By 

artemis w (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cool Careers for Dummies (Paperback)

For a little while in college I was queen of career guides and resume books. But that wasn't helping me figure out what I wanted to do. And it certainly wasn't helping me find a post-college job. An arbitrary cousin sent me this book for graduation, and 2 years later I still use it. I threw out all the other books. "Cool Careers" outlines new approaches to finding both careers and jobs, and walks you through interviews and salary negotiations with simulations. The authors also pay special attention to shaping your job to suit your needs once you have it... a section that distinguishes it from other books in this category. Most importantly, the book leads you on a job search that balances the short-term panic with the long-term perspective needed to secure the RIGHT job for you.

Using this book, I found an unadvertised entry-level job without a resume in a field I didn't know existed. A year later I found a managerial position in the same field. The friends who graduated with me work meaningless jobs in cubicles, and they still don't know what they want to do when they "grow up". I have a career, making real decisions, and the confidence that I can find a new one whenever I want.

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad....But Not Great, February 10, 2004

By 

M. Katayama-Lee (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cool Careers for Dummies (Paperback)

I was somewhat disappointed with this book. Although it was organized very well, had a nice index, which made it easy to find things, and was written in a simple, right-to-the-point, easy to read way, the book was a little innacurate when it came to some job descriptions. For example there are many jobs which 5 years ago may not have required a college degree but due to the ultra-competitive world we live in now, they may now require a college degree. This was overlooked on a few of the careers listed. Take for instance becoming a foreign language/interpreting. This has become a highly competitive sought after job and the minimum requirement is not only being fluent in another language but to also have at least a Bachelor's Degree. Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, I know how cut throat the job market is so I was hoping that the author of this book was more aware of things like that. Even careers like becoming a police officer has changed quite a bit. Now many police departments require police recruits to have a college degrees, which was definitely NOT the case 5 or 10 years ago. But overall this book was fairly good. I recommend it just as long as you are aware that there may be a few flaws. I also think it depends on where you live. If you are from a super competitive urbanized part of the United States, like the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, or New York, remember that the standard for getting a decent jobs is completely different than anywhere else in the country. In fact I'm hoping oneday a book called "Cool Careers for People Living in California" will be published! Lol!

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally . . . a career book that works!, August 27, 1998

By 

Judith Grutter, M.S., NCCC (South Lake Tahoe, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cool Careers for Dummies (Paperback)

I've been a career counselor for over 30 years and referenced every self-help book there is. This one MOTIVATES clients to DO something. The others all start with what the COUNSELOR wants to do -- this one starts with what clients want -- information about the cool jobs! And it doesn't force the usual program of testing, more testing, and even more testing down their throats. In fact, if clients don't know the answers to the assessment questions, they're told to "skip it" and move on. That's the key -- users aren't stuck in the hard stuff that keeps them from acting. This book is wonderful -- what looks like just a fun surface approach to a very complex subject is actually very thorough. But it doesn't hurt! It makes you want to really take a look at your career.