Grindhopping: Building a Rewarding Career Without Paying Your Dues [Paperback]

Laura Vanderkam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2006

If the Corporate Grind is Keeping You Down, Skip It!

Grindhopping is the hottest career alternative for anyone who wants to skip the long hours, low pay, and lackluster rewards of entry-level corporate jobs. Join the wave of young professionals who are starting their own companies, freelancing, consulting, job-hopping, and networking their way to success.

Discovering Grindhopping will help you

get up and go after your dreams.

get off the corporate treadmill.

get out of the job you hate.

get paid for the work you love.

get better at negotiating.

get savvy about networking.

get smart about taking risks.

get in on the biggest opportunities.

get hopping and make it happen!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

If the Corporate Grind is Keeping You Down, Skip It!

Grindhopping is the hottest career alternative for anyone who wants to skip the long hours, low pay, and lackluster rewards of entry-level corporate jobs. Join the wave of young professionals who are starting their own companies, freelancing, consulting, job-hopping, and networking their way to success.

Discovering Grindhopping will help you

get up and go after your dreams.

get off the corporate treadmill.

get out of the job you hate.

get paid for the work you love.

get better at negotiating.

get savvy about networking.

get smart about taking risks.

get in on the biggest opportunities.

get hopping and make it happen!

About the Author

Laura Vanderkam, a full-time writer and Grindhopper, is a member of USA TODAY's board of contributors, and a contributing editor at Reader's Digest. Visit www.Grindhopping.com for more information.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071479333
• ISBN-13: 978-0071479332
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Vanderkam is the author of All The Money In The World: What The Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending (Portfolio, March 1, 2012), 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think (Portfolio, 2010), and Grindhopping: Build a Rewarding Career Without Paying Your Dues (McGraw-Hill, 2007).

She is a member of USA Today's Board of Contributors, writes the "168 Hours" blog for CBS MoneyWatch, and her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, City Journal, Scientific American, Reader's Digest, Prevention, Fortune.com, and other publications. She has appeared on numerous television programs, including The Today Show and Fox & Friends, hundreds of radio segments, and has spoken about time, money and productivity to audiences ranging from the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association to MTV's employees to graduating seniors at her high school, the Indiana Academy, who brought her back as their commencement speaker in 2006.

A 2001 graduate of Princeton, she enjoys running, writing fiction, and serving as president of the Board of Trustees for The Young New Yorkers' Chorus, an organization which specializes in commissioning new music from composers under age 35. She lives outside Philadelphia with her husband, two young sons and baby daughter.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#93 in Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing

#93 in Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hopping around your career options March 9, 2007

By Armchair Interviews

Format:Paperback

Grindhopping:

1. Hopping out of the corporate grind and into the work you want.

2. Building a rewarding career without paying your dues.

For the most part, the author is talking about developing skills that will allow you to "hop" into the corporate world at the point YOU want to without putting in all those years of meaningless drudgery and traditional corporate ladder climbing.

The author lays out the characteristics essential to successful Grindhopping, urging her readers to follow their dream and get someone else to pay you to do it. She offers as much 'sage' advice as a 29-year-old can, and gives illustrative examples of her points, shoring them up with statistics. But, I wonder if the 'reader' is hearing what she is saying.

While the external environment and internal motivation may differ between the true Grindhopper and the corporate ladder climber, many of the character traits and advice for success apply to both.

Grindhoppers are people who either by desire to be their own boss or lack of options, have a combined fiscal acumen, the ability to long-range plan and set goals, with a lot of self-control to succeed at controlling their own career destiny, much like the corporate climber.

The advice offered for potential Grindhoppers--know where you're going, work hard, network, get experience, stay ahead of the curve, pay attention to detail--has a vague business school ring to it.

The difference is that the Grindhopper IS the boss - either of her one-woman operation or of others who desire to climb her company's ladder!

While I'm not convinced Grindhopping is as revolutionary as the author wants you to believe, the book is worth a read, especially if you allow it to provoke questions about your own career choices.

Armchair Interviews says: A look at transitions written by a New York City-based freelance writer who is a contributing editor at Reader's Digest and is a member of USA Today's Board of Contributors. She reports and writes on a variety of topics including careers, education, health and pop culture trends.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable and Comprehensive January 12, 2007

By Timothy C. Ferriss

Format:Paperback

Grindhopping is the answer for anyone who asks "is this as good as it gets?" or anyone looking for more out of life than 9-5 until retirement. It is packed full of real case studies, my favorite part, which gives you both the practical steps and confidence to take action. Too many career books are big on inspiration but lacking in detailed how-to. Vanderkam, by contrast, leaves no question unanswered in what will surely be looked back upon as a classic. Highly recommended!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Eh, I've read better... be broke and happy August 20, 2011

By Daniel-Son

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Well, I must say, there are alot of 5 star reviews. I read this book several times over and over. Vanderkam certainly has a convincing argument for why the corporate ladder is broken, and how employment (by others) is no guarantee for happiness. However, I am not 100% sold on her prescription: "spoiler alert" follow your childhood dream and live like a pauper for awhile until you make it work.

The problem with this, is that not everybody has that dream that they've kept inside as a little kid. I certainly didn't, and this book was a painful read in that respect. And besides, if you're dream is to be a doctor, well, sorry, you're going to have to pay your dues. This book is either not helpful to people who don't know what they want to do with their life, or just a blank check to those who need permission to follow their dreams, which probably they were just waiting for a push in the right direction!

The other problem I have with her book, is that she presents these ideas as if they are totally new to the world. I'm pretty sure people have been following their dreams for a long time before this. The internet makes their dreams more a reality, but that's thanks to Wired.com and others doing the hard research, not Vanderkam.

I'm sorry, I might suggest worth a cheap read from your local library, I wouldn't pay your hard-earned cash for it! Then again I might suggest you be suspicious of books with only 5 star ratings :)