Maggie Debelius

If you're in the target market for this -- overeducated, acculturated into academe but seeking a career outside of it -- this is a fabulous book.

For me, one of the central issues it crystallized is that people inside of academe feel simultaneously overqualified and underqualified -- tremendously educated and in need of challenge to be happy, but not actually clear on what transferable skills they have or what they can do outside the academic world. (Hey, that's me! A professor's daughter show more with a master's degree and a half -- go figure.) The book does a good job of walking you through ways to clarify your interests, articulate your skills, and frame your resume. I feel hugely more optimistic about job searching than I did a week ago, and I think my resume is improved to match.

Four stars because it's really excellent, but probably only for a limited audience. show less

A very helpful book for those feeling ambivalent about academia. It's helpful in two ways: strategically and psychologically. First of all, it offers pretty useful strategies for a nonacademic job search, including ways to update your resume for the "real world" and how academic job searches are different from non-academic. Secondly, and probably more importantly, it offers an almost self-help angle for those of us who still feel guilty about being less-than-in-love-with academic life. The show more message of this book is: it's OK to quit; you're not alone; you're still smart; and you might be happier doing something else! A good message to hear. show less

It seems more geared to current grad students than to people who've already finished grad school. Most of the advice is pretty helpful, though. I found the tips on how to transform an academic CV to a resumé very useful.

It seems more geared to current grad students than to people who've already finished grad school. Most of the advice is pretty helpful, though. I found the tips on how to transform an academic CV to a resumé very useful.