Instead of limiting yourself with a career choice in a field that doesn't quite qualify as your dream job, McColl encourages you to progress in small, manageable steps. Check out the scene, see where you want to be, and start sniffing around in that arena. The book smartly asserts that even the lamest 9 to whenever the boss sets me free assistant job can help you acquire the skills and confidence you need to join the party.

Part I of the book is really the meat and potatoes, covering some dos and don’ts as you embark on your career adventure. For example:

  • Live within your means. Period.
  • Avoid “grad school escapism.” You can’t afford the loans you’ve already accumulated and delaying by returning to school is futile.
  • Never burn bridges. You’d be amazed at the invisible connections hiding just under the surface of your industry.
  • Most importantly, NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK!

Part II is the dessert: Profiles of successful humans who have expended grueling hours and suffered eviscerating rejections in pursuit of success. Perhaps you're an aspiring director, comedian or chef—or any job our parents roll their eyes at as "too much fun" or "not stable enough to support a family.” These nontraditional careers are outside the scope of many guides and counselors who cater to the business and IT sector. McColl’s profiles of successful creative sorts offer an insider's view of what it takes to make it in your preferred biz. They are funny and informative, leaving the reader with at least a few tools to formulate a plan to get from mac-n-cheese to roasted black bass over Barolo risotto.

Armed with a sharp intellect and biting humor, McColl doles out real-world advice for a generation faced with unique occupational challenges and scary student debt. Fun sidebars are splashed throughout the pages, sharing pearls of equal parts wit and wisdom. Though the book is geared to an audience born in the materialistic '80s, its appeal is universal, the advice widely applicable and accessible. It’s not the end-all, be-all of career counseling self-help books, but McColl boils it all down like the Thanksgiving turkey so that everyone can take something away from the table—even if that table belongs to your parents.