Real People Working in Science (edition 1998)

Title: Real People Working in Science
Author(s): Jan Goldberg
Year Published: 1998
As the title suggests, this book draws on the real life experiences of people pursuing careers in engineering and the sciences and makes it relatable. Students who are interested in a certain scientific field, be it materials science or agricultural science can read the accounts of people in these fields and form an idea of what the job actually entails. The descriptions of the careers themselves are rather short and overly simplified; however, the interviews are very informative. It lists resources and contacts at the end of every chapter as well as starting salaries and possible areas where one could work. Unfortunately this book is outdated and all its projections for job opportunities are focuses around 2005 - before the financial crisis. Hence, its advice on career opportunities may not be able to be trusted. The sections on electrical engineering and computer science in particular are not up to date with advances in technology since it was written so even the interviews are a bit irrelevant to what a computer scientist today would be expected to do. ( )