WHAT CAN I DO WHEN I GROW UP?

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.