Customer Reviews

Major in Success: Make College Easier, Beat the System and Get a Very Cool Job

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

College students need more guidance in how to turn their talents, curiosity, and passions into successful careers. Most guidance offices and books on the subject will be inadequate for these purposes. While this book has some weaknesses in helping you select the direction you should go in, it is superb in helping you pursue your goals once they are set. The book could use more material on how to learn from other students, and more on financial planning (especially now that so many students leave college with enormous debt loads). The writing style is witty and engaging, and the examples are interesting and relevant. Repetition does occur in using the examples, but it's not too bad. I recommend this book to any college student who wants to lead a more meaningful, enjoyable life during and after college. This book would be most helpful if read before the freshman year, and reread occasionally thereafter.

The book's main flaw is that it urges you to select a career direction based on your passions. That's good as far as it goes, but isn't sufficient. I remember a graduate school classmate who was passionate about dating young women. He found out that this was easiest to do as an airline executive, and that's the career he chose. He had no inherent interest in the industry, and after he married, I could see how this career and passion could lead to problems in a marriage. On the other hand, he was very curious about how people made decisions, and was very talented in that area. There are a number of careers that would have made use of those talents, and also helped him meet a reasonable number of young women to date. That's my example of why passion isn't enough for choosing a career.

You also have to think about curiousity and what the rest of your life will be like. What would you like to learn more about every day for the rest of your life? That curiousity is what will drive you to accomplish and enjoy your work the most. Even if you aren't particularly talented in that area now, curiosity will help you develop talent beyond those who have more innate ability. Most innovations come from people who do things in new ways because of limitations (in part, Jackson Pollock did drip paintings because he did not draw very well).

The book's strengths are the many useful and appropriate suggestions for how to develop the experience, knowledge, and credentials to attract a shot at developing a career you want. What he describes are the best ways to do this, based on my experience in having hired lots of college graduates over the years.

There are also lists of places to get even more information, depending on what you want to learn more about. These sources will encourage you to look around more than you otherwise would. Summer is a good time to do this kind of research.

Parents, unless your daughter or son always happily does what you suggest, I would not encourage giving this book as a gift. This book needs to be discovered by the student to do the most good. Hopefully, college students will share the book with one another. If you think your student's roommate would read it, give the book to the roommate. Then, let nature take its course.

By the way, the book is good at pointing out the trade-offs between higher grades and more activities. As a hirer, I always ask people basic questions about the subjects they have studied and test their knowledge and skill that way. I don't care whether it was learned in class or in an activity. Be prepared!

After you finish reading this book, think about how you could apply its principles to the activities you would like to do as hobbies throughout the rest of your life. You never know, those hobbies might also develop into career opportunities. In any event, you will live a richer, more enjoyable life.

Make the most out of your curiosity, your passion and your energy!

This book is the single most inspiring work I have EVER encountered! After reading Major in Success, an energy and excitement was sparked inside of me to follow my dreams no matter how far fetched or how great the odds. Not only that, but I now HAVE the knowledge to take all my hopes and dreams for success and make them into a fulfilling reality! Patrick Combs, this is a thank-you ten years in advance, because at that time I will be at the top of my career and owe at least 50% of my success to your insurmountable advice!!

If you have already made it, then pass it on. Fed up at my possibilities at age 50 and fed up with the system I was introduced in my college years, I have spent thousands of dollars in the past couple of years for the information in this book. This is an absolute MUST READ for every person stuck in a dead end rut, as well as the young person thinking about life after high school. All the answers are here for the proper mind set, which is tantamount for harnessing passion for life after high school. This author has it all together in terms of offering proper advice speaking to passion and not academics!! I can't say enough about how refreshing this read is.........Go for all he has to share. So many websites and phone referrals..get your highlighter out. You will have plenty of action to follow up on.......FABULOUS book for the young person and reiteration for the already entrepreneur......GREAT BOOK! It will not disappoint!

I see the same word appearing in many of these reviews: FLUFF.

True. It's "fluffy." A lot of gunk. Many paragraphs could have been omitted entirely. Actually, perhaps a chapter or two didn't help me AT ALL and I can't imagine them helping anyone. Those are the BAD points.

The good points: Interesting quotes and "hot tips" in the margins, inspirational and fascinating success stories, funny anecdotes, an interesting author, and little bits you can interest people with in dinner conversations: for instance, the many publishers who are now kicking themselves for having turned down the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books when it fell into their laps.

This book will do the most for people who are actually BUMMED to be going to college: it will be a pick-me-up and really inspire you to a point where you jump headfirst into the entire college/internship/career scene and follow almost all the advice in the book. If you already have a good college philosophy and are a motivated person, there's not much this book can tell you--save your money.

Major in Success is the ultimate resource. It not only tells you what incredible things you can do to get your dream job, but it also gives you the nuts and bolts you need to make your dreams come true. It gives you phone numbers and web sites and addresses to get you closer to your dreams. Best of all, Major in Success kept me entertained, interested, and even laughing, the whole way through.

Major in Success is different than anything I'd read before because it is written for college students and is practical, helpful. And I love the way it is laid out with fun things like, entertaining cartoons, inspirational quotes, and hot tips. This book was written by a young guy who's very successful and knows what he is talking about- he knows what works and what doesn't work because he's experienced it. Patrick loaded it full of stories about college students who got great jobs. All these stories made me realize that ordinary people do extraordinary things. It truly gave me a whole new level of belief in myself and in what I could do. This book changed my life- it could change your life too!

Wow! I don't know where to start about this book. Major in Success is such a power tool to help ANYONE (not only college students!) to look for their dream job. I don't know where else I would be without these helpful tips, practical reasonings, and great feedback from people who ALREADY made it! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who are chasing after their dreams but are too shy too. It made a difference in me and I think it would definitely make a difference in you! Here's the big plus: The author is donating 100% of the profits to charities. Not only are you helping yourself, you are helping the world too!

This is an awesome book, good for any college student or anyone who is searching for their purpose in life. I had the opportunity to see the author speak and he knocked me off my feet. Powerful ingformation for anyone who wants to assist themselves.

I do recommend this book to anyone who is unsure of college or what college can do for their future. I found it to be highly helpful; it is not the usual motivational stuff, but contained helpful facts and insights that you may not have thought about. For example, the author mentions that if possible, do not get good grades. Why? Well, you have to read the book to find out.

This book is a valuable aid in finding a wonderful job. I believe the author does a great job of providing the reader with the information needed to succeed in today's challenging job market. As a fellow author on the topic, "How to find your dream job and make it a reality: solutions for a rewarding and meaningful career," I think this book is great and would be a wonderful complementing resource.
This book is a must-read for anyone who is serious about finding a new job.

When Patrick spoke at Big Bend Community College back in 1996 in Moses Lake, WA, I was very lucky to get to see him in action. I bought his book and set out to see my dreams come true. I even interned for him. I put his book to the test... Now I run my own Internet Training and Marketing business and because of the power of his book and the motovational things he told me, I'm achieving my goals and then some... This book should be standard issue for ALL graduating Junior High Students so they can set a goal for college and spend high school summers making a killer resume, like I did.