Radical Careering: 100 Truths to Jumpstart Your Job, Your Career, and Your Life

by Sally Hogshead

Do you have a career worth loving?

Do you want to become the most powerful, valuable, fulfilled version of yourself? If so, you're a careerist. Advertising and entrepreneurial rockstar Sally Hogshead reveals 100 Radical Truths for closing the gap between your current reality and your utmost potential, including:
# 15: Aspire to be the dumbest person in the room
# 31: You can be comfortable, or outstanding, but not both
# 67: Mistakes are tuition
# 96: Expressing your truest self is the ultimate competitive advantage
# 100: Make your memoirs worth reading

With groundbreaking research and startling new ideas for success, Radical Careering will become the indispensable owner’s manual to your future. Get ready to turbocharge your career with smarter goals, higher market value, and killer results.

"Radical Careering is a jolt to the old way of thinking about careers; a handbook of new thinking that will help you survive, strive and thrive in the radically new world of work."
--Jeff Taylor, founder and Chief Monster, Monster.com

“An innovative how-to-manual for anyone wanting to be more successful and satisfied in their career.”
--Andy Spade, CEO and co-founder, Kate Spade

“Take inventory of your strengths, identify your passions, then do everything in your power to carve your career toward them. Only then will you, and everyone else, see the best of you. Want to know how? Read this book.”
-- Marcus Buckingham, author of The One Thing You Need to Know, and Now, Discover Your Strengths

“Hogshead’s powerful strategies will teach you how to drive your own success, by having the fearlessness, daily courage, and curiosity to jump in the deep end and swim with real purpose.”
--Lee Ann Daly, Executive VP of Marketing, ESPN

“This book is so genius. It’s amazing to read on the page what I’ve always believed to be true. The ideas in this book will save your ass again and again. Drive is a radical careerist’s best friend.”
--Liz Phair

Genres: Business, Self Help, Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 2005

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was something of an odd read. The format made reading it easy and the ideas came across clearly enough ... but in some respects it was like reading a children's book ... from the presentation and simplicity vantage point ... it was almost TOO simple and (at least from my vantage point) it was easy to lose interest in the point that Ms. Hogshead was trying to make. I understand that that may be her "style of writing" but, for me, it just didn't transfer that well.

From an overall content standpoint, I was fairly pleased with the information and the additional resources offered (of which there are plenty). I wish she would have included some advice for some of us "old coggers" who may be in the second half of life and unsure of how to proceed with our careers ... but maybe that is asking too much. It seems to me that most of these types of books are written for a younger generation or workforce ... and us "old farts" are left to our own devises.

Overall ... I'll be re-reading this book ... I think it is worth the price of admission.

[Loy Machedo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loy Machedo’s Book Review – Radical Careering by Sally Hogshead.

How can you criticize a woman who is not shy of being called a Hogshead? Or for that matter does not mind flaunting a ‘Hogshead’? Sometimes I wonder what were the hogshead family line thinking when they accepted this surname?

So here is a book from the world’s most celebrated creative directors or ‘the Oracle of Venice Beach’ as she was called (at least that is what the author stated in her introduction). Since it’s a small book, let me keep my book review small.

The YES! Bits
Small, Short, Sexy book with very creative design and great ideas
Entertaining, Enlightening & Effective
An Interesting Read with great visual appeal

The NO! Bits
Not one of those ‘life-changing’ books
Creative in design & approach however, not creative in providing solutions
Too many clues left for the reader to approach too many websites by the same author

Overall Review
Grand Idea, Good Read, Great Creativity – however, just a book you may read once and never again.

Overall Rating
6.5 out of 10.

Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little book. It gave me some inspiration to help me make sure I don't settle in my jobs, to make sure I am always working at my best potential! As a person in her early 20s, it is easy to get depressed about career choices so this book definitely gave me some good ideas to think about when I feel I am languishing. I think I will get a copy of this for my own personal use and to share with friends who are in a similar position! My biggest complaint about the book is that the little websites listed throughout the book aren't up and just link you to the Radical Careering website which doesn't have much stuff on it yet.

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The advice contained in this quick read would likely work well in the advertising world or various business settings, but I'd hesitate to recommend it to everyone across the career spectrum. Also, much of the guidance is vague and repetitive. Sally could have easily condensed this into 50 truths, making her message more pithy and powerful.

However, if you are seeking possible solutions to a less-than-optimal work situation, this little book may spur positive thinking and new ideas to get you out of a career rut. The author claims this is her main purpose.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually did copyediting work on this one, so my view is biased, but Sally does a great job of tapping into the Fast Company mindset of taking charge of your professional direction and setting your own agenda for working within the system. Short and snappy, with a visual layout meant to command your attention, Tom-Peters-style (only with less choppy prose).

[Jules · Rating 2 out of 5]

a couple little snippets of pseudo-pop advice crap. I liked the "have a mantra" idea. And though it was trite and over-marketing blase, there were a couple of sentences I needed to read. It was more about picking up this book than reading it.

[jeffpontes · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Many times the line between success and failure can easily be crossed simply by altering one's perspective. This book provides quick and easy "kick in the butt" reality sound bites that provide the perspective required to lean towards (and stay on) the success side of the line..."

[James Pritchert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book while looking for another job. I may not remember the specifics about this book, but I did get a great job a year after reading it. If someone is stuck in a job and not in a career, they may want to consider reading this and get on with life.

[Jim Serger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sally did an outstanding job on this book-- the flow, the design, the quotes, the themes, the tales, the stories and of course her personal input really nailed how we can jump start a job, career and our lives. Great job to the author; bringing her passion and her zest for making work enjoyable to the forefront.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sally is my heeeeeero. Read it even if you're not in advertising.

[Lori Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

An optional-read book on career management and development.

[Alexandra Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye- opening and sound advice. Short read.Worth it!

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book had a lot of great ideas and motivators for finding a career and making the one you have better.

[Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For one thing, this is not your run–of–the–mill career development book. Given how the content is structured, the bold, straight-to-the-point style of writing, and the fresh, non-conventional graphic design, the whole book is more like a compilation of thought-provoking flip cards intended to be reviewed from time to time, rather than read once and cast away. Each of the messages highlights a specific perspective, insight, or actionable tip related to the careerist approach towards life's work, and many of them have become even more relevant in this age where job security and guaranteed annual raised are long gone. After working long enough, many of us get increasingly frustrated and even dragged down by bureaucracy, corporate infighting, office politics, and outdated company rules, losing sight of whether our careers are headed towards any meaningful goals. Therefore, this book serves as a nice kick in the butt, shouting in our ears why we should not resign ourselves to such depressing reality, but rather take our career development into our own hands.

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some points of this book is quite dated. But overall, I think it gives really good advice, such as learning to switch off and never being conceited. Overall I enjoyed reading and getting myself psyched up for work again.