Customer Reviews

What Color Is Your Parachute? 2002: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career Changers

5 star:		(76)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I though this would provide more info than the book ("What Color Is Your Parachute?") but what's inside are the same exercises... so if you have the book or are getting it, then you don't need this. On the other hand, if you don't want to read all of the insightful text of Bolles's original book, then this is a nice book of exercises! :) [I'd just recommend the original text, though.]

I am a career coach with eight years of experience working with people wanting a new career - a better fit with their talents, more meaningful, a better work environment. If you want to choose a career that will be very fulfilling as well as something you will be successful at, forget about "Parachute". It just doesn't have the depth and wisdom it takes to coach you through this most important life decision.

Another career counselor who reviewed "Parachute" recommended that you get two other books instead. I agree. They are "The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success" by Lore, and "Do What You Are" by Tieger. "The Pathfinder" is the best career decision book ever, the seminal text, the masterpiece on the subject - this is, if you are serious about having a great life and unwilling to put up with less. I also agree with the other reviewer that "Parachute" is a great job hunting book, but only if you know exactly what job you are looking for. Reading "Parachute" takes some of the fear and uncertainty out of job hunting. But if you are trying to decide what to do with your life, forget about "Parachute".

I'm a career counselor in private practice, working with mid-career changers and young people making these decisions for the first time. Over the years, an endless stream of clients have told me that they read "Parachute" and that it was not very useful. The problem is that the methods the author uses are simply inadequate to make this most important of life's decisions. "Parachute" became a best seller years ago because it was a breath of fresh air at a time when there were no other reasonably good career books. That time is long gone - and "Parachute" continues to sell mainly because everyone has heard of it. I recommend that you buy two truly extraordinary books to guide you to a highly satisfying career decision. The first is "The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success", by N. Lore. It is by far the best book on the subject. I recommend that you also buy a copy of "Do What You Are" by Tieger and use it along with "The Pathfinder" because it is the best guide to personality type. It is not my intention to denigrate "Parachute". It is an excellent guide, probably the best, if you already know exactly what you want to do and are seeking good job hunting advice. It gives courage and many excellent tips to those nervous about the job search, but for making career decisions, the books I recommended are much more useful.

As a career counselor/coach in private practice, I have met hundreds of people over the years who have tried to decide on their career direction by using "Parachute". This includes both mid-life career changers as well as younger people trying to pick a career. The vast majority say that "Parachute" was not much help. The methods the author uses are simply inadequate to make this most important of life's decisions. The author, Richard Bolles is a warm and kindly man, but the book is just too simplistic to help you if you want to be both maximally successful and personally fulfilled in your work.

On the other hand, if you know exactly what sort of job you are looking for and are looking for a book to provide good job hunting advise, "Parachute" is really excellent.

If you are trying to make a decision about what to do with your life, forget about "Parachute". I highly recommend the following two books. Get them both! The first is "The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success" by Nicholas Lore. I think it is the best book ever written on the subject, if you want to have work that suits you so well that you actually look forward to going to work. It will "coach" you all the way through the process of designing your future work, step by step. "The Pathfinder" has had a major influence on how several of my professional career coach friends work with their clients. They absolutely love this book, as do I.

Also get yourself a copy of "Do What You Are" by Tieger. It is a terrific guide to personality type and work. Use it to supplement to "The Pathfinder". With these great books, there is no reason why you cannot have a career you love, if you are willing to really dig in and invest the time and energy in figuring out what will be the best fit for you.

If you already know what job you are looking for, by all means get a copy of "Parachute".

Thinking of changing your career? Here are my suggestions. I am a professional, a former physician, who recently made a 90 degree career change after putting up with work I did not enjoy for many years. I managed to get through the two big problems career changers face : coming up with the courage to make the leap, and the BIG ONE, figuring our just what to do with my life. Now I'm in an exciting, new and different career and doing very well, thank you. I actually like going to work. I recently read this Po Bronson book to see what the experience of making a change was like for others.

If you are thinking about actually making a change, don't waste your money on this book. It is excellent for providing suggestions to job changers, but if your are seeking a more fulfilling career, forget it.

There are only two really excellent career change books. The first is called "The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success" This is the masterpiece guide to career change. It is a brilliantly written, in-depth guide to all aspects of deciding what to do with your life, and dealing with the courage question as well. I eventually decided to get further assistance designing my new career from the author's well respected career counseling organization, Rockport Institute, but I was a hard nut to crack. You may not need anything more than this book. The other book I recommend is "Do What You Are", a guide to which careers fit your personality. Though this is not really a complete "how to" book, it is very useful. Get these two books and you will be on your way to a more fulfilling life.

Buy "Parachute" only if you want a new job doing what you are doing now.

Richard Bolles has published a new version of this book every year. I read it first in college and used it extensively when I worked as a career counselour. I also used it for career seminars. I can honestly say that every edition seems to be quite different from previous versions, so it is not a waste of money at all to buy a more recent version. (the most recent editions seem to talk about online job search, appropriately enough)As a writer, I can admire his work for its readability, sense of humor and gritty realism. Bolles tells some remarkable stories and while not directly applicable to your career area, they make you aware of how similiar job searching is regardless of your field. Before reading this, you should be aware of what this book is NOT: it does not provide resume advice nor does it provide very much advice about general trends in the job market. This book is a sobering dose of reality, but the interesting thing is that the reader finds this information heartening rather than disappointing because it unmasks many of the treacherous parts of the job search process. As such, this book is a great gift for a loved one who is out of work. It will make them feel good about themselves, and that is good, because a lot of unemployed approach job searches with a chip on their shoulder.

I used the exercises in the book with clients to help them analyze what they wanted in an ideal job because clients really had little idea what was important to them. Other readers might find that part helpful. I was a little surprised to find that the 2000 edition was smaller than previous versions. Bolles decided to reduce some of the religious/spiritual stuff and to cut out some of the reference lists (with the internet, a lot of references can be put online).

Overall, I was not impressed by how Parachute covers online job searching aside from discussing generalities. People really need to learn more about job boards like monster and how freelancing opportunities are opening up that never before existed.

Another thing is that I thought it was unnecessary to deemphasize the spiritual component in the latest version of the book. I'm not superreligious, but his stuff on the spiritual element added a unique perspective to the book and was nondenominational enough not to offend anyone. In summary: this is a milestone of a book. Bolles has spent his entire life making each version of the book better than the last. His effort shows.

For those of you who have reached the point in your life when you start asking the question:"What do I really want to do with my life?", this book is for you. It does not simply contain quick-fix job hunting techniques (although I suppose it could be effectively used for that), but instead guides you through the process of thoughfully examining your previous jobs and understanding what you like to do, what skills you have that you may be unaware of, and how to use this information to get a job that is ideal for you. This book is well-written and easy to follow. The exercises can help you to develop not only insight but also more confidence about the skills you have to offer an employer. After reading this book you will never again settle for just looking through the want-ads again!

I recently read Bolles 2002 edition after finding myself unexpectedly jobless (first time for that when it wasn't my choice). Two versions of his book have been taking up shelf space on my wife's bookcase for years, but I have never had occasion to pick them up and even thumb through them. Finally, I have.

There are literally thousands of books on the market that help with the job search process, covering everything from writing the perfect resume to addressing the career prospects of the photolithography portion of the semiconductor industry. This book covers none of that. What this book does, and does extremely well, is present the job-search process as it should be done; without limiting the process by applying it solely to a single industry. It doesn't cover the intricacies of cover letters and the specific variations of your resume (there are other books to do that). It does walk you through the path of your job search, holding your hand as appropriate.

Why hold your hand? Well, if you're following the more usual job search, you probably won't want the hand-holding. However, one of the more valuable aspects of the book is clear insight into just what works and what doesn't; and once you hear that, you'll probably want some hand-holding ('cause it's really different from what we all were told and what we'd all like it to be). Furthermore, if you're really serious about your job-search, some introspection is going to be required (what is it you really want to do, and where do you really want to do it?). Most of us enjoy that about as much as a tax audit, but Bolles' book manages to make this effort, if not enjoyable, at least tolerable.

So if it's so good, why doesn't it get five stars? Two reasons. First, networking, which is arguably the most important piece of the job-search process, gets discussed as a tool, rather than a process, making its entire presentation a little on the choppy side. Second, this really needs to be two books (more accurately, a single book and a workbook). Bolles has gone back and forth from one book to two books (sold as a single volume), with this version presented as a single book. I'd find keeping a workbook open while I'm referring to the main text much more valuable than having to page back and forth through a single volume.

Regardless of these dings, it's an essential book. I'd recommend reading it even if you're not looking for a job, and not just because, in this economy, we're all likely to be looking for work shortly. Bolles' focus on what it is you'd like to do, and the ease with which he guides the reader through the process are worth the read regardless of your employment status.

I have bought several editions of "Parachute" over the years whenever my successful but unsatisfying career got under my skin more than usual. It has been the only resource I've used because it is the one everyone seems to know about. But it hasn't worked for me. Until a few months ago I was still stuck, not sure what career would be best for me. Finally I read the reviews of this new edition of "Parachute". There is a great review of "Parachute" by a career counselor dated October 24, 1999 that says "Parachute" is a great job hunting book if you know what sort of job you are looking for. He/she also says that it is pretty useless if you are trying to figure out what to do with your life. The counselor recommended two books. I bought them, used them, and finally was able to make a good decision about my future. I love my new career! The two books that helped me were " The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success" by Lore and "Do What You Are" by Tieger. If you are in the same situation as me, buy these books instead of "Parachute". Or, at least read the review I spoke of. You can find that review by clicking "Read all customer reviews" on this page.

I do a fair amount of career counseling, especially in the area of career transitions. What I have found is that most people neglect to do the introspective work that is necessary to really get down to their deepest passion around vocation. This little book, helps you to do exactly that and provides a structure to do it quickly.

While this book has some value as a standalone resource, it is best to use it as a companion to WHAT COLOR IS MY PARACHUTE. You don't necessarily need the most recent edition either.

This book is expensive in terms of what you get with respect to the number of pages and words, however,the idea behind it is excellent and the structure provided will certainly save you time and provide you with many useful insights about a career or job change.