What Can I Do When I Grow Up?

April 1, 2020

Gr 4-9-The School of Life, a global organization founded by author and editor de Botton, aims to provide people with tools and techniques to gain knowledge and lead more fulfilled lives. This volume focuses on careers and finding a satisfying way to answer the question, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" The book begins with a historical look at careers, including tracing the increasing specialization in jobs. There are chapters on concepts that are seldom addressed in the typical career guide, including why it is hard to do, visible vs. invisible jobs, and how professional work is different from school. Some chapters discuss the role of money in career choice and why some people get paid more than others, as well as what it means to have meaningful work. The easy-to-read text is entertaining and contains examples and analogies that are both creative and relatable. Mason's colorful cartoon-style illustrations greatly enhance the text. Most chapters end with an activity to reinforce and apply the concepts presented, a feature that would be especially useful for teachers and guidance counselors. VERDICT Recommended as an entertaining and thoughtful volume on careers and the many factors that influence career choice.-Theresa Muraski, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Library

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2020
This British import helps young people consider the factors that go into discovering work that is right for them. Aimed at any young person who has been flummoxed by the question, "What do you want to do when you grow up?" this book deconstructs the absurdity of aiming this question at a child, then helps readers see the many considerations that go into choosing a career and lifestyle. The short chapters answer questions such as "What is a job?" and "How do jobs get invented?" and "How important is money?" Many chapters end with an exercise for readers to think and write about as they consider their futures. Readers will learn how work is and is not like school as well as the difference between competitive business-to-consumer jobs versus business-to-business jobs that are less "visible." While readers will not close this book knowing what specific job they want to aim for, they will have a broader sense of the world of work and a head start in understanding the concepts that make it hard to know what one wants to do. Unfortunately, the book does not acknowledge the roles that class, race, and globalization often play in career outcomes, which detracts somewhat from the volume's stand-alone value. The easy-to-read type and clean, colorful illustrations of diverse people at work make for pleasurable reading. Broadens horizons and provokes critical thought about an essential issue. (Nonfiction. 8-16)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.