Book review
'What Colour is Your Parachute? for Teens: Discovering Yourself, Defining Your Future'
by Richard Nelson Bolles, Carol Christen and Jean M Blomquist
This addition to the 'Parachute' stable is aimed specifically at teens. The book's goal is to give young people "the skills necessary to find out what it is you love to do and to find a job where you can do just that" (p3).
The book is divided into three parts – discovering your dream job; on the way to your future; and landing your dream job...and more.
Section 1: Discovering your dream job
This section has a number of self-awareness discovery exercises such as "naming your interests", and "my ideal work environment". There are also several worksheets to help teens work out what skills they have in particular areas.
That trusted favourite "The Party Game" is here, but also has some helpful examples of people in each corner, such as "Darin volunteers as a trainer for the school football team". I also like the quick Holland RIASEC Code checker:
- Realistic: Do it!
- Investigative: Explore it!
- Artistic: Invent or create it!
- Social: Share it!
- Enterprising: Start (or sell) it!
- Conventional: Keep it going!
Section 2: On the way to your future
This section contains three chapters that focus on tools for researching options, and factors to take into consideration while at high school and university. It finishes up with a section on goal setting.
Throughout the section are windows containing reality checks and other pieces of information such as notes on debt, career patterns and the importance of options. There are also sections on ways to gain experience and information, such as internships and job shadowing.
Section 3: Landing your dream job...and more
The first two of the three chapters in this section cover job searching and interview preparation, and the mistakes job hunters make. The final chapter is about creating an ideal life.
The job search section has a thorough, step-by-step guide, with sections on informational interviewing, the best ways to look for a job, and an introduction to happenstance – the role of luck in job hunting. Also included are tips on interviewing, and appropriate behaviour before, during and after the interview. The top 10 mistakes of job hunters is relevant reading for any age!
The final chapter has several discovery exercises designed to create a picture and philosophy for the ideal life. Rather than focusing on the question “What do you want to do?", it asks “Who do you want to be?” and “How do you want your life to look?”
General comments
Each chapter ends with a section listing useful books and websites. The second half of the book contains a number of profiles and finishes with an appendix of eight profiles. These informational interviews give a brief overview of the person’s job; what they like and don’t like about their role; and pay information.
The book is written in the same informal and conversational style of all the 'Parachute' books. I found it easy to read and imagine this style would appeal to teenagers. There are fewer pictures than in the annual, adult version, but that’s fine; the book is well laid out, the sections are broken up into small chunks and it is shorter, so would be less daunting for a young person to tackle.
Although it is US-based, I did not see that being an impediment for New Zealand readers. Overall, it offers guidelines for developing lifelong career planning skills, rather than focusing solely on that one time period of transition from school to work or study.
Reviewed by Astrid van Holten, Career Consultant, Career Services
