Book Review: Welcome to the Real World

Here's another career book review for your Friday reads!

Welcome to the Real World: Finding Your Place, Perfecting Your Work, and Turning Your Job into Your Dream Career by Lauren Berger is a great read for any young professional, especially those who are just graduating or about to.

This book is definitely more tailored towards women. Even though I have a year and a half until I enter the "real world" I have found her tips to be immensely helpful in my current internship.

I would also recommend this book to anyone who is taking a full-time internship during the summer months, because she gives helpful tips on how to balance work and life. Apart from the actual advice, Lauren gives you the most important points at the end of each chapter, making it easy to reference over and over. (Which for a Type A personality for myself is perfect!)

The most helpful part of this book was the networking section. I always feel awkward about networking because it's so out of my comfort zone. What I'm most nervous about is approaching upper level positions to ask for their advice and help. However I'm quickly learning I just need to bite the bullet.

Lauren gave great advice on how to stay connected, with holiday emails and Google News Alerts. I don't want to give too much away because I'm pushing you to go out and buy this book!

If you are going to be a freshman or sophomore in college, read her book All Work, No Pay: Finding an Internship Building Your Resume, Making Connections, and Gaining Job Experience  with me next week! (I read her books in the opposite order, whoops) 

What helpful and inspiring books have you read this summer? Let me know in the comments please!

xoxo

Book Review: Improvise: Unconventional Career Advice from an Unlikely CEO

This summer I've had a book rotation, read a fiction book, then read a non-fiction book. One of my favorite non-fiction books so far in "An Unlikely CEO" by Fred Cook.

Fred Cook is the CEO of Harris, a global public relations firm. However he has a degree in education and sailed across the ocean with a Swedish captain.

I enjoyed this book because it gave career advice from someone who didn't take the conventional path. Cook thought out each tip and even includes cute illustrations.

While reading other books you see step by step instructions on how to get to where you want to go. Cook however gives you advice on how to handle the curve balls that life throws at you. Say you didn't get a public relations internship, but a different communications one instead. Tailor your internship to what you want to do, or learn how to use the skills learned in one area of communications to another.

He places value on experiences and networking, not the "correct path".

As a public relations pre-professional Cook gave me confidence in my experiences and tools to use everyday as well as every once in awhile.

Cook's book also has funny life stories in which his lessons come from. This made the book that much more valuable to me because he explained how he had learned the skill or rule, and then how he applied it.

As a rising junior, I would recommend this book to someone as young as 16, and as wise as 55!

I read the Kindle version, but you can order it off Amazon too!

What books have inspired you recently?

xoxo

Summer Reading List

Since I am taking a commuter bus to work everyday, my summer reading list has become vital. I personally like to read historical fiction novels, as well as biographies and autobiographies.

Historical Fiction

Seduction of the Scepter: This is historical fiction, set in a made up country in Eastern Europe ( I assume) about the life of a queen there.

The Perfume Collector: A novel that switches between two women and their lives. I've seen this book on multiple other bloggers' reading lists!

The Queen's Exiles: Set in Elizabeth I reign, it's about the English Catholics who plotted to assassinate the queen.

Biographies/ Autobiographies

The Kennedy's: The Lives and Legacies of John, Jackie, Robert and Ted Kennedy: I'm really excited to read about America's "royal" family.

Decision Points: The war in Iraq is something that I grew up with, debated, and heard constant conversations about. I am really interested to see how this goes.

The Hard Things About Hard Things: A book written by a Silicon Valley entrepreneur. It comes highly recommended by several PR professionals that I follow.


What's on your reading list this summer? Please comment