With all of the competition of post-grad students, getting a good job requires more than just a degree. David Rosen's new book What's That Job and How The Hell Do I Get It? hopes to give readers a leg up on their job-seeking journey.
Rosen's book offers an interesting take on exploring the post-college job market. Rather than looking at the routine jobs that "the path to employment" often centers around, the book deals mostly with jobs of the obscure kind.
"I went really all across the board in the book. I tried to include jobs where what you do to get the job was not obvious," said Rosen.
Some of the included jobs certainly steer away from the norm. The book covers 50 jobs, ranging from professional blogger to chef positions; occupations Rosen felt were particularly interesting.
"Everyone's definition of a cool job is different," Rosen said. "It really comes down to doing what's true to yourself."
What keeps the book captivating is that it consists of more than Rosen's own research into the fields; every job is supported by the words and advice of someone currently employed in that field.
"My aides and I interviewed over 120 different people in different jobs, and chose the 50 that we thought were the most interesting. The ones that we chose aren't just jobs, they're lifestyles," Rosen said.
While Rosen held that all 50 careers in the book were interesting, he admitted that certain occupations were particularly fun to write about.
"I found all of the careers interesting, but one of the coolest is probably the Private Investigator. It's kind of strange, but the busiest time of year for a P.I. is right around Valentine's Day," Rosen said. "It's things like that, the day-to-day affairs of some of the jobs that you wouldn't necessarily hear about, that makes the book more interesting."
While a college degree is not mandatory for every job in the book, it's definitely something that most jobs require. According to Rosen, college students or alumni will find the book most interesting and helpful.
"[The book] is, to be honest, specifically written for people in college, or fresh out. College people would look at it and find things more interesting than in most career books," Rosen said.
For those who don't have the time to read Rosen's book, there are some trends that Rosen and his aids noticed are required for getting each job.
"Interning -- everyone will say to get these internships. You really get to know whether or not you like the job, and you also get to know a lot of people in the field," Rosen said. "I never really thought too much into the old saying, but it really seemed to make a big deal who you knew."
Going out and getting real experience in the field is something that many students recognize as important, but may not know exactly how to go about getting.
"Some places don't offer official internships, or don't call it that, but you can just ask them to work for free, or what you can do to help," Rosen explained.
Rosen wants people who read the book to take more than just formal job descriptions and employment opportunities.
"The interviews with the people were very enlightening. They give all kinds of advice in the book, like what to do and say during an interview for their job."
Rosen knows how overwhelming getting a good job can seem at times, which was the inspiration for the book.
"I was actually inspired to write a book like this because I used to get calls all the time from kids, from where I was an alumnus, about how to do what I did. I didn't really know myself what I was going to do after college, I just kind of lucked out. I thought it would be cool to give people insight into what to do after college."
Almost every student in college aspires to get their dream job some day, and Rosen's book attempts to reassure the college-aged collective with advice to help jumpstart their forays into the foreign world of the nine-to-five. What's That Job and How The Hell Do I Get It? will be released later this March.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
