Most people would love to have 20/20 hindsight on their careers. In Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads, college career experts Sheila Curran and Suzanne Greenwald have assembled the next best thing: the collective wisdom of a diverse and inspiring cast of success stories—twenty-three liberal arts graduates who have gone on to all manner of fascinating and satisfying professions. The authors have combined lessons from the stories with their own hands-on experience with thousands of students and graduates to outline a framework for finding a perfect career. What makes Smart Moves different is that it provides essential career advice while being fun to read. Readers will be struck by the frankness of the biographies of real graduates whose careers have taken twists and turns. Todd turned his passion into a living as the founder and CEO of several small businesses and a professional cellist; Thad's path took him from English major to a dream job in the front office of a major league baseball team; and a subway ride helped Sharon speed her intended career leap from a luxury department store to journalism. What binds them together is that they have all made smart moves on the way to career success—both during their liberal arts education and in the real world.Smart Moves not only champions the value of a liberal arts education, it also embraces the complexity of careers, and the notion that many different factors contribute to success: education, experience, attitude, personal characteristics, and a good dose of luck. Smart Moves is an inspiration to all those who are seeking proven strategies to follow their passion—no matter what their age.The quarter million liberal arts students who receive diplomas each year will truly benefit from the insights of Smart Moves. But this book is equally helpful for high school students (and their guidance counselors) looking at colleges, for graduates still looking for their life's work, and for parents who want to understand career realities for their children. An innovative career guide for our stressful, fast-paced world, Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads illuminates valuable career lessons with sharp advice and an unparalleled framework for success.
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Editorial Reviews
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“Smart Moves is a marvelous book. Marvelous! It stands head and shoulders above most other books for college students, recent graduates, and their families.”—Richard Nelson Bolles, author of What Color Is Your Parachute?". . . [a] terrific book. . . advice is both encouraging and down-to-earth."—Fortune Read a Washington Post review of Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads
From the Publisher
* Career advice for current and future liberal arts majors and graduates from two career counselors, featuring both straightforward job-searching advice and real-life stories from grads who have taken unique paths to their dream careers. * Sidebars and distill the "smart moves" that turned liberal arts degrees into career success. * Debunks the top four myths for liberal arts majors: a liberal arts degree is a lousy investment, you have to go to grad school, your major equals your career, and GPA is everything.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By D. Warshay
Format:Paperback
Smart Moves is a fantastic resource, which I recommend to all my students, especially to the ones who approach me bewildered and anxious about internship, job, career, life mission issues. I worry about the official and unofficial messages they are receiving from a variety of sources inside and outside the university (e.g., advisors, peers, parents, recruiters, employers).
I frequently lend out my two copies of Smart Moves, and believe it should be required reading for any student seriously considering career issues.
Thanks for writing it!
Danny Warshay
Professor and Entrepreneur, Brown University
I frequently lend out my two copies of Smart Moves, and believe it should be required reading for any student seriously considering career issues.
Thanks for writing it!
Danny Warshay
Professor and Entrepreneur, Brown University
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Peter Vogt
Format:Paperback
Unlike the nuts-and-bolts approach you find in the typical career book, Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads taps into the detailed stories of real job seekers--namely, 23 relatively recent college graduates who share their career journeys with the reader.
As they do, authors Sheila Curran (executive director of the career center at Duke University) and Suzanne Greenwald (an educational advisor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) point out the "smart moves" the graduates have made along the way, so that you can easily pick up on both the attitudes and behaviors that lead to career success--even when you don't have a plan mapped out ahead of time (which describes the vast majority of those profiled in the book).
The authors also devote the first 40 or so pages of the book to the universal "smart moves" made by liberal arts graduates who go on to career success. The most critical is No. 5: "Find Your Hook"--i.e., "a way to differentiate [yourself] from other job seekers"--whether it's a special skill you have or a unique experiential background that you bring to the table.
If you love stories--especially stories that will illustrate important career concepts you need to know as a college student or recent grad--buying Smart Moves is, well, a smart move.
As they do, authors Sheila Curran (executive director of the career center at Duke University) and Suzanne Greenwald (an educational advisor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) point out the "smart moves" the graduates have made along the way, so that you can easily pick up on both the attitudes and behaviors that lead to career success--even when you don't have a plan mapped out ahead of time (which describes the vast majority of those profiled in the book).
The authors also devote the first 40 or so pages of the book to the universal "smart moves" made by liberal arts graduates who go on to career success. The most critical is No. 5: "Find Your Hook"--i.e., "a way to differentiate [yourself] from other job seekers"--whether it's a special skill you have or a unique experiential background that you bring to the table.
If you love stories--especially stories that will illustrate important career concepts you need to know as a college student or recent grad--buying Smart Moves is, well, a smart move.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By K. Mohan
Format:Paperback
This text is excellent, and really gives students an eye-opening perspective on what else is out there. I think this book would be especially useful to students at top universities - students who often assume that the only choices after college are investment banking, consulting, or professional school.
The book is very simply an excellent example of calculated risks - a series of stories of graduates who weren't afraid to take their own paths after college. The lessons resonate across wide demographics.
The book is very simply an excellent example of calculated risks - a series of stories of graduates who weren't afraid to take their own paths after college. The lessons resonate across wide demographics.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Smart Move to Read Smart Moves
I am an Academic Advisor at Texas State University and have been in higher education in a variety of other roles supporting students and their families since 1993. Read more
Published 1 month ago by B
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not much here
I was looking for something to help me guide my students as they considered their futures. There isn't much here beyond common sense advice - and precious little of that.
Published 2 months ago by Ralph L. Wahlstrom
4.0 out of 5 stars
A book that showed me what I didn't know I was looking for
I purchased this book because I was graduating college with a Liberal Arts degree. I purchased this book in hopes of finding real advice that I could quickly apply to my life to... Read more
Published on September 7, 2010 by J. Costa
5.0 out of 5 stars
Written by pros
There are so many books out there giving advice to college grads - but few written by pros with the years of experience and wisdom under their belts as these authors. Read more
Published on April 7, 2010 by Kate Kavanagh
5.0 out of 5 stars
Always helpful to learn from others
If you're coming to the end of your college career and wondering, "Where the heck do I go from here?" this book is for you. Read more
Published on July 16, 2009 by Kelly Giles
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very readable with a different approach
Others have written good reviews so I'll keep mine short. This is an excellent book, in part because it's very readable (you don't feel you're being lectured). Read more
Published on February 10, 2008 by VidReview
5.0 out of 5 stars
Extremely useful!
I wish all college students would read this book. Provides insights and truths about the real world of work. Read more
Published on January 11, 2008 by L. Choy
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Whole Family Loved It
As a sophomore in college, I'm almost to the point of entering the "real world." But instead of feeling unprepared and anxious about this process, I am actually looking forward to... Read more
Published on October 1, 2007 by B. Zarian
5.0 out of 5 stars
A necessary read for every liberal arts grad...
A refreshing and timely read for every recent college graduate. Curran helps job-seekers (and their parents! Read more
Published on September 11, 2007 by B. Sands
5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly an eye-opener
A college sophomore at Duke University, NC, I received a copy of 'Smart Moves' over the summer, at a time when I was extremely confused over which major I should choose, which... Read more
Published on September 4, 2007 by K. Advani
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 7
books:
See all 7 books this book cites
- Sex and the City: Kiss and Tell by Amy Sohn on page 91
- Geisha: Beyond the Painted Smile by Peabody Essex Museum on page 175
- Keith Haring by Elisabeth Sussman on page 172
- Blue Man & Other Stories (Teachers Book) by Christine (ed Evans on page 297
- Oprah Winfrey (People to Know) by Jonatha A. Brown on page 187
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