How'd You Score That Gig?: A Guide to the Coolest Jobs-and How to Get Them (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: pet sitting business, video game designer, data head, The Creator, The Networker, The Entrepreneur (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In How’d You Score That Gig?, career expert Alexandra Levit profiles more than sixty of the coolest careers on the planet–all rated in a national survey by twenty- and thirtysomethings for twenty- and thirtysomethings. To find the jobs that are calling your name, take Levit’s short quiz and discover your “passion profile.” You may be:

• an Adventurer: You’re spontaneous, free-spirited, and you always ready for change = foreign services officer, oceanographer, news correspondent
• a Creator: You’re always looking for a way to express yourself = video game designer, book author, landscape architect
• a Data Head: You have an uncanny knack for gathering and organizing information = computational linguist, meteorologist, urban planner
• an Entrepreneur: You have business savvy and don’t want to be chained to a desk = blogger, boutique owner, inventor
• an Investigator: You excel in science, logic, and learning = futurist, classic-car restorer, field archaeologist
• a Networker: You’re a people person–outgoing and a team player = lobbyist, speechwriter, TV producer
• a Nurturer: Selfless and compassionate, you make a difference one person at a time = physical therapist, life coach, nutritionist

Engaging and practical, the book includes insider accounts of young careerists currently in these jobs and provides specific action steps for breaking in. So before you settle for a position that just isn’t you, shake it up–and land the career of your dreams!

"Alexandra Levit's new book, How'd You Score That Gig?, is chock full of research, offers a rare glimpse into the privileged world of those who hold the jobs that other people covet, and provides the roadmap for readers to pursue fields that they might have considered out of reach. Don't hop blindly from career to career looking for one that suits you. Use this book as a guide to tell you what it's like before you make a wrong turn." --Penelope Trunk, author, Brazen Careerist: The New Rules for Success
"First, Alexandra Levit broadens your imagination about what kinds of careers are possible, and then after tantalizing you, she provides specific tips for breaking into the field. Enormously valuable!"
--Ben Casnocha, author, My Start-Up Life: What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley
"This is a cool, unusual, and truly useful book. In my career coaching practice, the number one issue my younger clients face is having the strong desire to do something different work-wise with little knowledge about what jobs exist and how to find them. Alexandra Levit’s guide organizes passion into seven profiles and describes specific jobs within them. A real gem in the book is the innumerable resources listed to help readers learn more about the jobs that strike their fancy. Buy this book!”--Julie Jansen, author, I Don’t Know What I Want, But I Know It’s Not This
"Alexandra Levit has written an ideal book for all those adults who still don't know what they want to do when they grow up. The practical self-assessment that opens the book could point even the most indecisive person toward a realistic and satisfying career path. While reading about the dozens of coolest gigs that are thoroughly researched and attractively presented in this book, I almost started second-guessing my own career choices. Good thing I’ve already scored a cool gig!"--Tom Musbach, Editor, Yahoo! HotJobs
“Reading this is like having your own career counselor on call. It is, without doubt, the #1 book for anyone who’s unhappy in their job, confused about what to do next, or just wonders if they’re in the best career for them. I am giving a copy to every new college grad on my list. In fact, I’m giving one to every high school grad I know too.”--Barbara Stanny, author, Secrets of Six-Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (April 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345496299
• ISBN-13: 978-0345496294
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #95,528 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A book about 60 different occupations and how to go from unemployed to being employed in one of them., May 29, 2008

By	Marci Twain (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This book was a fun read. I liked it in a superficial kind of way. It features 60 jobs that may be worth pursuing. The author has grouped the 60 jobs in seven of the book's 8 chapters as follows:

1. Self-assessment
2. The adventurer
>>Conservationalist >>Documentary photographer >>ESL teacher
>>Foreign Serviceofficer >>News correspondent >>Oceanographer
>>Outdoor adventure guide >>Travel journalist
3. The creator
>>Actor >>Book author >>Fashion designer
>>Interior designer >>landscape architect >>movie screenwriter
>>Performance musician >>Restaurant chef >>Video game designer
4. The datahead
>>Computational linguist >>Environmental engineer >>Financial advisor
>>Information security specialist >>Meteorologist >>Pharmaceutical scientist
>>Urban planner
5. The entrepreneur
>>Bed-&-breakfast innkeeper >>Blogger >>Boutique owner
>>Event planner >>Health club owner >>Internet-based business owner
>>Inventor >>Pet sitter >>Professional organizer
6. The investigator
>>Antiques dealer >>Art curator >>Classic car restorer
>>Criminologist >>Field archeologist >>Forensic scientist
>>Futurist >>Historian >>Psychology lab assistant
7. The networker
>>Book editor >>Congressional staffer >>Image consultant
>>Lobbyist >>Marketing executive >>Pro sports team manager
>>Speech writer >>Talent agent >>Television producer
>>Wine merchant
8. The nurturer
>>Doula >>Elementary school teacher >>Life coach
>>Nonprofit administrator >>Nutritionist >>Physical therapist
>>Social services caseworker >>zoologist

Chapters 2 though 8 cover occupations that are grouped by the personality type of the person suited for them. For example, someone who is creative (a creator) might want to be a book author or movie screenwriter. See Chapter 3. And the reader is expected to use Chapter 1 to determine which personality type they have. After reading Chapter 1 they can then turn to the chapter that applies to them and skip the rest of the book. In that case, the book can be a very short read.

The author says this book was written to help the reader embark on the journey toward career fulfillment. And the target audience is really smart, ambitious, goal-directed kids. I'm sorry, but the list of jobs featured in this tome for the most part do not seem to match the target audience. And they don't seem to be entry-level jobs that will help someone get on with a career full of fulfullment.

If you are looking for a book that will give you some insight into how to land a job featured in this book, then this book is for you. It is well-written and informative. However, if you are really smart, ambitious, and goal directed, then I suspect you have already planned your career moves long before graduating from college and you will get little from this book. Generally speaking, entry-level jobs are not fulfilling. And a book that provides career advice shouldn't really be advising on particular jobs for new recruits. Instead, it should be advising on CAREER TRACKS that will lead to a fulfilling occupation that can adequately support a worthy lifestyle financially. If the author had done this latter thing, then I would have really liked the book. 4 stars!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for a college grad or anyone unsure of a career choice!, April 30, 2008

By	Sara Steinberg (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a Psychologist, I have gone through my own struggles of finding a career path that is meaningful. I was lucky enough to find my passion early on. I have known lots of people who have just majored in something or taken a certain career path because they thought they were supposed to. This book is PERFECT for any college grad, anyone struggling to find a career that fits their personality and/or their passion, or just about anyone who is curious about a different career. This book is thoughtful, well-written, and interesting! The quiz at the beginning allows the reader to identify their personality type as it relates to career choices. The vast majority of selected careers are interesting, unique, and written about in the context of each personality profile. I HIGHLY recommend this book- it is so refreshing!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dream jobs, May 6, 2008

By	A. Keats - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One of the things I loved the most about where I went to college was the freedom to form your own "major" -- you could piece together whatever classes you felt would help best educate you for the life path you wanted to pursue. That flexible curriculum planning still exists at the University of Rochester in New York and this book should be REQUIRED reading for all those who do it (and elsewhere). It's a hands-on, inspirational guide that shows you that your life's goals are only dreams with deadlines. I'll make it the defacto college graduation gift for anyone I know moving forward.