Customer Reviews

Do What You Are

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I'm a career counselor in private practice, working with mid-career changers and young people making these decisions for the first time. This is one of the two truly extraordinary career books I ask all of my clients to buy. It was written for people who want to choose a direction that is a perfect fit with their personality. It does a wonderful job of introducing you to the 16 types. However, personality type is only one of many important factors in making a satisfying choice of direction. I recommend that you also get yourself a copy of: "The Pathfinder: How to Choose or Change Your Career for a Lifetime of Satisfaction and Success", by Nicholas Lore. It is by far the best guide to picking your career. Whether you are thinking of changing careers in mid-life or are a student trying to figure out how to be successful and love your work, buy both of these books, and use them! Together they will guide you to putting the pieces of the puzzle together in a way that will keep you getting out of the right side of your bed for years to come.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality test based on Jungian theory. In a nutshell, it states that every person falls into one of sixteen categories, and each one of these categories or "Types" has distinct needs, ways of interacting with others, manners of processing information, etc.

"Do What You Are" attempts to help individuals plot their own careers based on their own Myers Briggs "Type." Before finding this book, the only other career-related thing I had read was "What Colour is your Parachute," which was terrific. But I loved "Do What you Are" because it stated something that is so rarely said today... that you should find a job and career that suits who you really are. I passed this book around to all my friends and family, and most (but not all) loved it, too.

Something I found particularly delightful was that it affirmed a lot of things I had been thinkingabout my own situation, but had considered "unimportant." My type is "ENFP" (I know it might sound like jibberish to you now, but it will make sense if you read the book). This is a type that thrives on creativity, feels confined by rigid rules, and needs lots of friendly social interaction on the job. But, since I have a high IQ and did well at school, others have constantly tried to push me into "status" fields like medecine and litigation. In my heart, I had always felt those kinds of careers would kill me, but I couldn't really articulate why. After reading "Do What you Are," I was better able to accept my instincts and explored PR, fundraising, and finally settled on a job in publishing. I LOVE my job, and although I think I would have arrived here eventually, I do think that it would have taken me twice as long to arrive had I not read this book.

This book is well written, fun, and a great source of ideas if you already know your Myers-Briggs type. If you don't, the section on identifying your type is weak; I recommend Kiersey's "Please Understand Me" instead (or inquire at your local educational institutions: I took the Myers-Briggs, had it professionally interpreted, and got loads of helpful reference material from a $40 seminar at a community college).
The book is most useful if you're discontented with your present career (or have qualms about the career you're preparing for, if you're a student). I was railroaded into a career that didn't suit me because of my family's expectations, although I was determined and intelligent enough to become moderately good at it. But I never felt comfortable with it, and it was only after many unhappy years that I realized I was in the wrong job and broke away to find a more congenial career path. I wish this book had existed 30 years ago!
I agree with other readers that the book is short on practical guidance as to WHICH career you should choose -- I've found Barbara Sher's books much more helpful. Nonetheless, this is a good place to start, at a reasonable price, and it's excellent as far as it goes.

The basic principle behind this book makes so much sense that you begin to wonder what all of those other career guide authors are writing about. The authors of this book believe that the starting point of a career change is internal, and that by getting a better understanding of the fundamentals of your personality before starting your job hunt, then you will be better able to select a career. The book is a fabulous read, and actually provides one of the best descriptions of Myers-Briggs typology that I've ever read. You will gain an incredible amount of knowledge from reading and using the exercises within this book. There is nothing about this book that I did not love!

The Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is obviously a more involved personality test than the introduction this book provides. 'Do What You Are' however, may be enough for most of us.I have no training in career guidance, nor was I familiar with any of the 'types' or terminology before reading this book. It gave me a good appreciation for the 16 different personality types and provided a simple step method to help me identify my personality type. For me that was sufficient, especially as along the way I have gotten insight into why certain aspects of my current job are pleasing and why others are...well, less than that. For persons contemplating or just starting their careers, the book would be very helpful. For others a little further along and not necessarily able to do a sudden career shift, or in a rut, it can be of significant use in helping adjust attitude and approaches to your job. I think the book opens up a world of possible alternative careers for all of us, you could say were hidden because we didn't know our 'type'. It's just left for us to find and seize the opportunity.

This book is a well-written and highly accessible introduction to the Meyer-Brigg's 16 personality type system.

As an INFP type, it was a relief to read in print a reflection of my own sentiments I've expressed to others about my own views (in lieu of my personality): how I can't get a job doing just ANYthing that's "hot"; that I have to feel I'm fueling something I believe is truly meaningful; etc. So, this book can help with issues like self-acceptance through this validation. But, I am another INFP among many that is a bit tired of being portrayed as the Human Resources type or that social occupations are generally a best fit.

This is may help you identify some of your general needs from your career. But, if you truly have a problem with vocational guidance then you will probably need a heck of a lot more than this book.

I had done a Kiersey & Bates' analysis of my personality type almost three years ago and found then that on a couple of aspects I was close to 50/50 so I wasn't quite sure which type I was. I was delighted to find that this book helped me clarify exactly which of the 16 personality types I am. I then encouraged my husband and two children to take the test and with this book's help, they came up with exact personality types for themselves, too. The four of us have been using the fascinating information in this book about our personality types to improve our relationships with each other, with our friends, and at work. I have also been using it to talk to my children about their school work, hobbies, and future job possibilities for them. One really neat benefit of the book in particular was that it enabled me and my husband to see that the many jobs we have held over the past 30 years were all on the list given by the authors for our personality type. All of a sudden our work history made so much more sense than ever before. I'm going to buy the rest of the authors' books. Especially the one on parenting.

This book is only good if you can be honest with yourself and what your true preferences are. It is not meant to be just a list of jobs that work perfectly for you specifically, but it gives very good information to lead you in the right direction and gives you a good starting point.

If thorough consideration is given to the information in this book it should give you insight not only to what careers you might be best suited for, but it should also grant you understanding of your motivations and many other aspects of your personality. Also, it should help you to have a broader appeciation of your fellow human beings.

Another bit of information that might be helpful too. . . if you are interested in actually taking the MBTI test, there is only one company I know of which provides one on-line, but it is not cheap ($99). The website is http://www.tradertype.com.

Good luck and happy career hunting!!

Do What You Are is an enlightening analysis of the paradoxes that exist within ourselves, and within man as a collective species. What's most facinating to me is the premise behind it's findings: the Carl Jung theory that there are only 16 personality types that represent all (roughly) 6 billion of us, and how they all work together to help us complement one another. Much as the food chain works to keep order in nature, our personality differences (it would seem by his theory) ensure the distictions, great and small, in attitudes, perceptions, skills, and interests in us all. When you ponder that, you can begin to see how vital they are to our continued success and health as a species.

On a much less conceptual note, delving deep into what drives a person to live a certain way is at the very core of why they choose to take the paths in life they do.

I found Do What You Are at a moment of great personal insecurity and indecision with regard to vocation, and it became a very close friend. I found my "type" by taking the Myers/Briggs Type Indicator Test, and the book, shortly thereafter.

I learned that there are a lot of people out there like me (in the intellective sense), and more importantly, what kind of work people of my type are most successful doing. This information wasn't shocking, but it did help me believe that there were significant scientific and psychological reasons for why I preferred the prospect of one line of work over another. In short, it confirmed what I already knew in my heart to be the right course of action to succeed. For that, I'm thankful for finding it, and for learning about typology. It's a shame we don't explore it earlier in school.

If you're thinking about reading this book, don't think. Do it! You'll be happy you did.

You will probably already know something about your personality. But there are many suprises and discoveries in this book. The book is fun and easy to read. And so very valuable for making the move to a satisfying career. You can't fit a square peg in a round hole. I made a major career change after reading this book and I'm so glad I did. I'm glad I read the book and I'm glad I changed careers. I'm so much happier now.