Book Review: You Don’t Have To Learn the Hard Way by J. R. Parrish

by Catey Gonzalez

Congratulations to the class of 2010! For most of you, the beginning of June will bring the freedom you’ve been waiting for since fall 2006: your high school or college days are behind you and it’s time to join the fabulous “real world” – almost. Graduating seniors have no doubt been told by now that it’s not quite all smooth sailing from here and yes, unfortunately, that is the case. However, there are lots of people who have been through it all before and who are more than willing to offer their insights and advice for the upcoming challenges.

One of these people is J. R. Parrish, author of “You Don’t Have to Learn the Hard Way: Making it in the Real World.” In his book, which he calls a “guide for graduates,” Parrish tackles many of the issues that arise after graduation. By combining stories from personal experience with general advice that could be applied to any life, Parrish offers a valuable resource for any graduate hoping to survive in the real world without, as he says, learning the hard way.

One of the first topics Parrish discusses in his book is how to achieve success or, as he puts it, how to “make your dreams come true.” Parrish relates a story about one of his first jobs and the struggle he went through to attain it. Because he did not graduate from college, Parrish was at first turned down for a job he wanted at Xerox. After that position was denied him, he went to Xerox’s main competitor, where he was given a job and enjoyed not a small amount of success. After some time at that job, Xerox got back in touch with him and offered him the job he had wanted originally, which he gladly took.

There are several lessons to be learned from Parrish’s experience with Xerox. The first is that it is highly unlikely that you will get the first job you inquire about; the second is that it is crucial not to give up. It is all too easy to experience a failure, such as Parrish’s with Xerox, and to decide that it would be pointless to keep trying. However, Parrish is right when he insists that you not give up so easily! Whether you choose to seek another route to your desired job, the way Parrish did, or to try a completely different job opportunity, the most important thing to remember is not to give up. As a graduate, you’ve put in a lot of hard work to this point and you deserve to land in a job that’s right for you.

Another main point in “You Don’t Have to Learn the Hard Way” is Parrish’s belief that marriage (or a serious dating relationship) is something best avoided at this stage of your life. Parrish shares his own experience in getting married early on: though his parents and other respected figures advised against it, he was sure at the age of nineteen that he was ready, and ignored their advice. His marriage lasted for seven years, during which time he and his wife grew increasingly distant from each other due to Parrish’s personal goals and ambition. At the end of those seven years, Parrish decided that his individual journey needed and deserved more time and attention than did his marriage.

Parrish’s includes a list of suggestions with his personal advice, to include “have at least a year-long engagement” and “take plenty of time before having children.” Though Parrish would certainly have benefited from his own advice, based on the outcome of his own experience with marriage, his counsel should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt. Some people are truly ready to get married at a young age and take great joy in facing this difficult stage of life with a spouse as a partner. It is important to keep in mind that what works for Parrish may not work for you, and what he counts as personal failures may be the brightest spots in your own life.

One piece of extremely valuable advice in this book is to “solicit, listen to, and weigh your parents’ advice carefully because they have your best interests at heart and can help you avoid costly mistakes.” For Parrish, that mistake was marriage; for you, it might be the wrong graduate program, the wrong career path, etc. Though it might feel great to finally be an adult and not have to listen to your parents anymore, it is important to realize that they have been a huge part of your life for the last however many years, and therefore are likely to be able to offer insights that you might not see for yourself.

J. R. Parrish’s “You Don’t Have to Learn the Hard Way” is ultimately a practical, concise guide for recent graduates who seek some advice on how to best reach the next stage of life. Find it in your local bookstore, and consider it as a gift for yourself or for a graduating loved one!

Book Review: If You Have To Cry, Go Outside

by Katherine J. Chen

When Kelly Cutrone found out that a People’s Revolution intern had blogged about her working experience online (equating her internship with a “Devil Wears Prada”-type ordeal), Cutrone did not hesitate to pick up the phone, call the intern, and fire her on the spot—but not before threatening to sue her and her parents for every penny they owned. All interns who work at People’s Revolution are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which meant that this particular intern had breached her contract. Cutrone recalls how ten feet away from her office, the remaining interns sat frozen in their seats with their mouths hanging open, shocked at what had happened.

In Cutrone’s own words, “I believe in an occasional public firing (when deserved, of course) for exactly this reason. Usually, we hide consequences away, in prisons or in rehab. But telling seventh-graders that crime doesn’t pay is probably less effective than taking them to a prison to let them see for themselves…” This episode, which comes about three-quarters into the book, exemplifies Cutrone’s trademark no-nonsense attitude.

What makes If You Have to Cry, Go Outside an especially compelling read is the heartfelt advice Cutrone offers her readers. Young women especially have a lot to learn from this book. All too often, we second-guess ourselves and end up allowing others to make decisions for us. Even when these decisions are based in good intentions, they may not be the plan of action we need to move forward in the right direction. Cutrone recalls how even when her heart was set on her career, her parents were determined to pressure her into a domestic lifestyle, replete with marriage and children.

Cutrone devotes a solid amount of her book to lamenting the state of women in modern society. She is appalled by the way women treat each other, by how women seem to take every opportunity possible to criticize their female friends and colleagues with overused words like “bitch” and “slut.” What sets this book apart from so many of the other self-help books out there is the realization that career advancement means nothing if an individual is not also prepared body and spirit for the greater responsibility and hard work that lies ahead.

Cutrone understands that to be successful is first and foremost an inner battle with oneself. As one of the most powerful women in the fashion industry Cutrone is, of course, a shining example of this kind of spiritual awakening. In a few years’ time, she went from being a country bumpkin to a homeless, carless drug addict living in New York. She partied in New York’s most risqué clubs until 4 in the morning, drinking, taking on multiple lovers, and enjoying life in the Big Apple. There were essentially two turning points in Cutrone’s tumultuous rise to fame. The first was Cutrone’s accidental run-in with heroin, which led to her waking up unexpectedly in someone else’s bed. The second was Cutrone’s painful detox and the spiritual enlightenment that followed, in which she saw the Universal Mother floating above her body. However, these experiences constitute a small part of Cutrone’s larger message: that people should always listen to their inner voice, to their gut. We young women should not allow this instinct to be subdued by what we hear from friends, colleagues, coworkers, and family – no matter how much we love them.

The book, beyond being a celebration of women, is also a practical guide for recent grads still on the lookout for a job. Cutrone offers tips on what to wear, how to act in front of one’s superiors, and how lower-level employees can make the most of their job, even when all they seem to do is drudge work. Readers are guaranteed to take away an assortment of lessons and experiences from this book, among the most important of which is extracted right from the title: If you have to cry, go outside.

Mitigating Money Mishaps

By Marie Reda

Those of us in our twenties don’t always fully understand money mishaps before jumping head first into the “real world,” so it’s a good idea to figure out how to manage our money now.  One of the smartest things you can do is to start saving for retirement as early as you can afford to do so (enter: disgruntled sighs).  Retirement sounds a long way away, and this may seem difficult since many of us are already on tight budgets.  However, the more time your money has to grow, the more money you’ll have when you’re older.  This is because of the power of compound interest, or the interest that is added to your principal, so you earn interest on the interest in addition to your contribution.  Not too shabby, but if you need a bit more motivation to start saving for your future now, many companies even match your retirement contribution.

Another area to look into is an investment that many people overlook: health insurance.  Even though it isn’t a tangible purchase, it will prevent financial troubles if you end up in the hospital. If you’re not covered by your school or employer, look into purchasing a health plan for yourself.  Also consider an emergency savings fund to prepare for unexpected expenses, but don’t confuse this with your retirement savings.

If you’re more focused on the present moment, one thing you can do is build your credit now.  Stick with one card, so it’s easier to pay your bills on time and in full. Although those “10 percent off your purchase” offers that retailers incessantly entice you with seem like a great deal, they’re also throwing in high interest rates and fees with the card.  If you carry a balance on your credit card and are tempted by zero percent offers if you transfer your balance to a new card, be careful.  Credit card transfer offers usually carry fees once the promotion period is over.  On a similar note, avoid getting bogged down with debt by only charging items on your credit card that you can pay back immediately. Steer clear of only paying the minimum.  This way, you won’t be in debt for a long period of time.  It’s also important to only borrow what you need.  Just because you may qualify for a large student or auto loan doesn’t mean you should borrow the full amount.

The bottom line is that living modestly will help you save more money for the future.  In the words of British politician, James Burgh, “In prosperity prepare for a change; in adversity hope for one.”

Tips for studying abroad

By Emily Yeh

There are those moments in college when things fall into a rut or get boring, or you just need a fresh perspective on things. Studying abroad is one way of taking a break from your current life and people; You’ll be thrown into a new environment, perhaps with people you’ve rarely talked to or never met before, and limited contact with your life at home…

I went abroad the fall quarter of my second year in college; a rare case, but I had specific reasons related to course scheduling and activity conflicts. I came back from that experience a happier college student, and with a broader perspective on the world overall.

These are some of the lessons I learned from the experience:

-       I had a lot of time to explore Paris and the surrounding areas, visiting museums, strolling through parks, sitting at cafes sipping away at chocolat chauds, and watching elegant French people gracefully glide along the historical sidewalks built by Haussmann. And one day I realized that I knew Paris better than the school at which I had spent an entire year. I have visited perhaps two or three areas of Chicago, whereas I had visited almost every arrondissement in Paris. Why couldn’t I leave the sheltered confines of my college campus and explore other areas? I resolved to do just that on my return.

-       I was forced to make new friends during the few months I was in Paris, because I knew no one in the program. Because of the core requirement nature of the course I was taking, there were a variety of people from different majors- philosophy, economics, political science, physics, math, etc. At school, I was often limited to the classes that I was taking. Many of the subjects were centered on topics that I found interesting, but that were also related to my major. I saw the same groups of people in every class, and usually our extracurricular activities overlapped as well. It was so fresh to hear some new perspectives and learn new things from academic areas I had never considered before.

-       I spent the large majority of my time on the trip talking to older students, people who had experience on campus. I learned new facets of my college that I previously didn’t know anything about, and gained new knowledge of activities, talks, and various other services that the university provides that I was previously unaware of. Coming back to campus for the next three years, I had new things to experience and to reach out to, rather than being limited to the small social groups that I had established in my first year. Now I am testing new things, eating at new places, meeting new groups of people, and taking advantage of more opportunities beyond the classroom.

Given my own experiences, here are some tips for studying abroad:

-       Throw yourself into absolutely everything you do, and don’t hold back. I lived by one principle while I was in Paris: “When am I ever going to get another chance to spend 3 months in Paris with almost zero concerns?”

-       Love where you are and appreciate it. Many of the students on the program spent a lot of the time complaining about the oddity of French behavior, of how they missed the customs of home, and their discomfort in being somewhere new. I find that the fastest way to learn is by putting myself in an uncomfortable position, like being forced to speak French. I became far more comfortable speaking French after 10 weeks in the country than I had been after 7 whole years of classroom studying. And French behavior is, of course, what makes people French. Could you imagine a whole world made up of Americans living by the same principles? How boring would that world be? Learn from those little cultural nuances that make foreign countries and foreigners different, and take the parts you like and adapt them to yourself; it’s time we all became global citizens.

-       Force yourself to go out as often as possible. There are very few reasons why a person in a foreign country should be sitting at home staring at a ceiling. Why watch another episode of Grey’s Anatomy when you could be staring at the Mona Lisa? Even in simply the terms of monetary consideration, the free episode will still be free after you return home, whereas another ticket to Paris to see the Mona Lisa may cost another $1500.

-       Open your eyes. Always stop to observe what people around you are doing, and perhaps even speculate on why they’re doing what they’re doing. Learn from other people. The easy confidence, the nonchalant behavior, the happy attitude—who are they? What qualities can you take from their behavior? I always wondered why French women all seemed to having style and dressing down pat, and exude sexiness and elegance. It’s all in their casual confidence, their “je ne sais quoi” attitude… But perhaps it would take more than 10 weeks to find the key. **Nikki, I’m not sure about this sentence. What do you think? -Catey

-       Don’t be afraid to try something new. I had a week off during my 10 week quarter, and I went to Italy with a few friends. While one of my friends stuck to her pizza and pasta every meal, I made sure to try at least one dish that was a local specialty. Despite the hits and misses, I can now confidently brag that I’ve tried it, and perhaps be able to advise others towards and against certain things.

All in all, I must encourage students who have the opportunity to go on study abroad programs to do so. Secure in a university environment, and surrounded by other people who are as enthusiastic as you are, study abroad programs are one of the best opportunities to explore a brand new place. You don’t have to worry about your work occupying the majority of your time, because study abroad programs are generally a little lighter on the course load to provide opportunities to learn from the location itself. It’s also far more fun learning about Versailles in class, and then being able to hop on a train and actually see it. There’s so much in the world to see and learn, and studying abroad offers a perfect opportunity to be bold and take chances. Living in a detached bubble from your “normal” life offers a new perspective, on both your own life and the wide world in which we live.

Notes from Art School: Paying the Bills Before You’re Famous

By Christine Stoddard

A certificate in art or writing? Two years. A Bachelor’s in art or writing? Four years. A Master’s in art or writing? Five to six years. Whatever your goal as an artist or writer, you’re likely going to go to school for quite a while. And while you’re studying, you likely won’t have much time to work, at least not at a high-paying job. Cue pictures of an empty wallet, a crying piggy bank, and an art student with a clean plate but no evidence that there was ever food there. Homelessness and starvation are scary things. Of course, it is possible to escape those frightening realities, dear creative genius. Here’s how you can survive before you become famous for your creative endeavors:

*Get your materials for less: The costs of paper, pens, paint, film, and other supplies can add up to some pretty ugly numbers. That’s where the Internet comes in. Go to websites like Craigslist and Freecycle. You’d be surprised what people are selling for cheap or even giving away! My school even has a student exchange section on the website, so we can swap materials with students in any department simply by emailing them. Your school might have a similar forum. Be on the look-out for coupons online and in your local paper, as well. The art supply store closest to my school regularly advertises sales and even offers a discount card for students and frequent buyers. Whenever possible, try sharing supplies with friends and classmates, especially in circumstances where it’s more economical to buy in bulk.

*Entertain yourself for nothing: You can still get your dose of culture without spending too many pennies. Most art galleries and bookshops charge nothing for you to come in and browse. You might even make good connections while you’re hanging out there. You can also get into plays and film festivals by ushering. Always look for student discounts on museum, theatre, festival and cinema admission. Check out movies from your campus library instead of renting from Blockbuster. Spend drinkin’-and-clubbin’ money on what you really need: art supplies, business cards, resumes, mailing materials, models/actors, books, etc. Last but not least, plan outings with friends the art school way. Going to jam sessions, poetry readings, and ‘zine swaps are all examples of fun, imaginative ways to spend a Saturday night.

*Hit the thrift shop: If you aren’t wearing secondhand clothes already, you will be soon. It’s your duty as an artist to challenge the status quo. You don’t have to look like a walking acid trip, but don’t be afraid to create your own look. Say bye-bye to $100 jeans, or even $50 and $30 ones. Bonus: if you stain your clothes, you can cheaply replace them! My favorite thrift shop sells duds for as low as $0.50. It’s worth looking for furniture, utensils, and other household goods there, too.

*Hunt for quick gigs: As a full-time student, your main focus should be your studies and the work you produce from those studies. Dedicate yourself as fully as you can before you hit the “real world.” If you do that, you won’t have the time and energy to work a regular job. With student loans on your back, this thought might terrorize you. Don’t fret. There are still ways to practice your art AND make money on the side. Keep your eyes open for short-term gigs. Maybe a small business needs someone to design a logo for them. Another drawing student might need to hire a figure model at the last minute. Perhaps a local lawyer or businessman has written a novel and wants feedback on his work. There are all kinds of one-time gigs out there waiting for smart, talented young people to snatch them up! Scour websites and bulletin boards whenever you have a chance. You might be surprised how much you can make for doing what you love. P.S. You’re more likely to score gigs if you have a blog or website with art and writing samples for potential clients to preview.

*Apply for grants and scholarships:

Step 1) Keep an updated resume, essay, and academic transcript at hand.

Step 2) Maintain good relationships with your professors and mentors so they’ll be happy to write recommendation letters on your behalf.

Step 3) Meet with your advisor to find out what scholarships and grants your school offers.

Step 4) Check out websites and books with scholarship and grant listings.

Step 5) Apply to the opportunities for which you qualify.

Step 6) Wait anxiously for a reply.

Step 7) Cheer and scream when you win; accept the fact when you don’t.

Reuse these tips until you never have to spend your own money on tuition or materials again!

After College, What’s Next (for the English Major)?

By Kaitlin Meilert

Ah, senior year of college…After two more semesters, you will finally be free of all those tests you crammed for, papers you pulled all-nighters to write, boring jobs you had to juggle with packed school schedules, and the constant stress you swore would never be relieved.  But you keep your head in the game because it’s not over yet.

Freedom begins to tug at you by the end of fall semester…as does adulthood and the pressure of real life waiting just around the corner.  But you put it out of your mind because senioritis is kicking in.

Then, your last semester spins by, and it hits you: You have an English degree…what now?

What are you going to do with your life?  Where are you going to work?  Should you go to grad school like all of the other English majors seem to do after graduating, even if it purely means buying more time before entering the real world?  Are you ready to jump straight from one exhaustive life to the next?  Why did you ever major in English Writing and Rhetoric?

The worst part is feeling like everyone around you knows exactly what they want to do.  But here’s the reality check: You’re not alone.  And you want to know what else?  It’s ok to feel lost.  It’s ok to want to take a short break after graduating to not only figure out what you want to do but to recharge your drained batteries.  I was recently reassured of this by someone whose advice I don’t take lightly: my dad.

His advice? Take the time to figure out what you really want to do before jumping into something you’re not sure about or feel too drained to successfully take on…or spending thousands of dollars on getting an MFA in an area you’re not positive you want to pursue.  He told me that it’s ok to take a break, relax, and pull myself together.

However, I did reassure my dad that I would use my time off wisely, which brings me to my advice to you.  From one soon to be graduating English major to another: Don’t worry if you’re feeling lost.  Take that time off to find your way.  But in the meantime, make that time useful:

Get an internship.

No, you probably won’t get paid.  But it’s a start and an opportunity; a chance to get some experience in the field of writing (not to mention it’s a great way to network and make connections.)  Find an internship with a publishing company, a magazine, or a newspaper.  Be their slave if you have to (filing, making phone calls, fact checking…you get the idea) and work your way up.  If you do well, your boss just might offer you a part or full time position when the internship is up.  I know, I know.  You’re still thinking about that “unpaid” part…

Get a job.

Hello!  You’ve graduated!  Imagine how much easier it will be to take on an internship AND a paying job without having to juggle them with school.  Trust me, you can do both.  Just think about how much time school alone takes up (exhausting just thinking about it, isn’t it?)  Work in retail, waitress, bar tend, house sit…I know it doesn’t sound too glamorous, but just think of it this way: it’s only temporary; it pays the bills; it gets you out of the house and interacting with other people.  And, at their worst, crappy jobs just might give you some material for that novel you’re working on.

Volunteer.

Perhaps your time off isn’t intentional.  It may be that you’re having trouble landing a writing-related job or internship.  Just keep sending out those resumes and writing samples, and in the meantime, volunteer in your community.  Find volunteer work that offers you experience in the writing, editing, publishing world.  Or at least find work that lets you put all that grammar and editing knowledge to use, such as volunteering to tutor high school students in English.  And if not for any of those reasons, simply volunteer to get out of the house and give back to the community, whether through your writing skills or not.  Helping out others also might snap you out of that self-pity you may be feeling.

Learn something new.

Take a peek around your community.  You’re bound to find a few writing classes and workshops (yes, professional writers offer workshops for a small fee…take advantage of their knowledge!)  Or maybe you want to enhance your computer skills.  As you’ll find out, or probably already know, a variety of jobs (even writing-related gigs) prefer, or require, that applicants have certain computer skills.  So find a workshop around town that will help you brush up on those skills or teach you how to use advanced software and applications, such as Dreamweaver or Photoshop (both are useful for publishing, by the way…)  Other ideas?  Cooking, photography, salsa dancing, kickboxing…ok, maybe you can’t put some of those on your writing resume, but at least you’ll be learning and doing something with your time (and yes, gathering more material for all the writing you’re going to have published some day.)

The point here is to do something.  Don’t sleep in until noon and laze around all day in your PJs, watching The Tyra Show, moping about how crappy your life is.  I’m sorry, you can’t produce any writing out of that (if you could, you’d probably have a bestseller out, and you wouldn’t be reading this.)  Listen up!  A career isn’t just going to fall into your lap.  You have to work toward it.  Send out your resume to any and every possibility you can find.  And in the meantime do something worthwhile, like writing, English major.  Better yet, at least submit your work to editors as a freelance writer.

So, my fellow graduating English majors who are at a loss about what to do after graduation, don’t worry.  You’re not alone.  Take a year off and figure out what you really want to do with your English degree.  But keep learning and embarking on new experiences.  And stay positive: all the answers (and the career) will come.  And last, but never least, keep writing!

Oh, and one more thing…Congratulations!  You’ve just spent four years working hard (and losing sleep) to earn your degree.  You deserve a short break.  And my graduation gift to you?  Reassurance.  Ignore all of the people who said, “Oh, you’re an English major?  What are you going to do with that?”  The writing, the jobs, and the bestsellers will come.  But for now, take a break (I know you need it.)

How to Make Your Résumé Work for You

By Valerie Patruno

Whether or not you’re actively seeking a new job, an updated résumé is always great to have on-hand. Your résumé is the first impression a potential employer will have of you, so making sure your résumé puts you in the best light possible is a must.

But how do you sum up your entire career and accomplishments on one sheet of paper and catch the attention of the reader to keep them from tossing it in the “No” pile? Below are some helpful tips to get your résumé in tip-top shape.

1. 1. About that one sheet of paper…
   A résumé should always be limited to one page. It takes a potential employer about 20 seconds before deciding if the applicant will be a candidate for the position, meaning that a second page will most likely never be read.

1. 2. Don’t go crazy on the design or font
   Your résumé should be in a simple, easy to read format. Microsoft Word contains many templates to follow; as well as many templates being available for free download on the Internet. Times New Roman is the most common font, although you can play around with some of the other basic font types. Do not go any larger than a 12-point font or any smaller than a 9-point font. Larger fonts indicate that you’re just trying to cover up white space.

2. 3. An objective is not entirely necessary
   While this may depend on the industry you’re in, having a job objective on your résumé just takes up space that can be used for more interesting information. If you’re applying for a position that you saw posted online, there is no need to state that is the position you’re interested in on your résumé in an objective.

1. 4. Everyone knows Microsoft Office
   While the “skills” section of a résumé is great for mentioning any special skills you may have, such as knowledge of HTML, it’s not so great for mentioning that you’re proficient in all of the Microsoft Office programs. This is especially important if you’re already working beyond an entry-level position, since it’s a given that you use one or more of these programs on a daily basis. If the skills you are listing are basic and should be common knowledge, take them off the résumé.

1. 5. Organize
   Your résumé should begin with your most recent experience and conclude with your education. In my opinion, a bullet point list looks the most appealing. List your accomplishments and duties (in that order) for the position, with the most important duties at the top of the list. The “education” section of your résumé should contain your university/college name, your major and the year you graduated. List your GPA only if necessary.

1. Keep it relevant
   If you have experience from a college waitressing gig, you can leave that off your résumé. But if you worked in a library during college and are applying for a position at a book publishing company, that would be a great way to show your love for books to the prospective hirer. Just make sure what you include in your résumé will add strength to your qualifications.
2. Keywords and phrases
   Look through the job posting and see what skills and qualifications are required for the position. Make sure that your résumé contains certain words or phrases listed in the posting. Many companies use a filter to pick out the résumés with the qualifications they’re looking for. You don’t want your résumé to be overlooked because the filter did not pick it up, even if you’re more than qualified for the position

Of course, while these tips are good to keep in mind when writing your résumé, they are not rules set in stone. Seek out a professional in your industry to see what the average résumé looks like in that field. And always make sure to keep your résumé updated; you never know when the perfect opportunity will jump out at you!

Book Review: The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide by Debra Shigley

By Katherine J. Chen

What, you may ask, is a Go-Getter Girl? Well, a Go-Getter Girl is no single person. She can be your ambitious and terrifyingly organized cubicle mate. She can also be your boss, or the person your boss roots for at all the important meetings. She is typically on the receiving end of everything you dream of at work: fast promotions, pay raises, and high-profile projects. And to top it all off, she is always cheerful and upbeat, and converses well with interns, secretaries, colleagues, and managers alike.

Every office has a Go-Getter Girl, and we all have a good idea of what she looks like. Her heels are immaculately polished, her nails are well manicured, and even first thing in the morning she appears as though she just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren catalogue, designer handbag in tow. As this woman’s colleague or employee, you may feel intimidated, jealous, angry, or any combination of these feelings. Why is this girl so perfect? How did she become this way? Why am I not doing what she is doing?

Thankfully, there is a book devoted entirely to the art of becoming a Go-Getter Girl versus, as author Debra Shigley calls it, a Get-Along Girl. The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide: Get What You Want in Work and Life (and Look Great While You’re At It) is divided into three sections, each covering one component of the Go-Getter Girl and what it will take to get out of your Get-Along Girl slump. While Shigley’s encouraging tone just might get some readers pumped for a life-changing transformation, the book covers no new ground. Most of us know that it is unprofessional to cry at work or to break down in front of bosses and colleagues. Readers may assume, just from using common sense, that coworkers will be more likely to betray you when their own butt is on the line than to help you out. While many of the stories in Shigley’s book are quite inspiring (like those of Spanx founder Sara Blakely and bestselling novelist Emily Griffin), the actual career advice Shigley offers feels more redundant than innovative, even at times bordering on the nonsensical. At one point, for instance, Shigley tells readers that when faced with the dilemma of choosing between a pantsuit and a skirt suit, go for the skirt, as most employers still expect women to wear dresses and the like to work over their “masculine” counterpart. This advice is ridiculous, and what is even more disappointing is that such a mind-boggling tip is briefly glossed over without any supporting statistics, facts, polls, or research.

It figures that in a book written for women there would be an entire middle section devoted to just beauty and fashion tips, which is certainly appropriate given Shigley’s belief that the way you present yourself is half the battle to getting where you want to be in life. But Shigley, by no means a beauty or fashion expert, can’t seem to distinguish for herself what qualifies as inappropriate attire in the office, condemning black stockings as suggestive of prostitution, another baffling conclusion unsupported by hard facts and real evidence. There are other strange, if not unnecessary, sections of the book which describe at length different exercise positions, including a protracted step-by-step guide on how to do a pushup. Shigley would have been much better off providing diagrams or pictorials of these exercise moves rather than undertaking the nearly impossible task of explaining how to do a standing lunge. Her beauty tips and glossary of beauty-related terms are equally ridiculous. At one point, the reader might be tempted to just pause and wonder, “Who in this day and age doesn’t know what dyeing your hair means? Who doesn’t know how to do a pushup?”

Though the beauty and fashion section of the book proved the most exhausting part to get through, the rest of the work was unfortunately no better. More often than not, Shigley seems totally unaware of the insulting nature of her advice. She claims that she is against the use of feminine sexuality to win over what remain largely testosterone-dominated offices, but her tips would suggest otherwise. In the third section of the book, Shigley suggests that suppressing your feminine side does include “using your sweet nature to cajole a better deal,” a phrase that could be worded infinitely better with less emphasis on the “sweet nature” that she assumes all women, simply by being female, must possess. The Go-Getter Girl’s Guide is in more ways than one a step back for career books aimed specifically at a female audience.

While the book does encourage women to negotiate better deals for themselves (in terms of maternity leave, salary, and benefits), the messages Shigley’s book sends are far too mixed and muddled to effectively encourage women to become the movers and shakers of their office. Readers may be left with the same question they began with: “What is a Go-Getter Girl?” The Go-Getter Girl, according to Shigley, is bright, talented, and strategic about her career. Perhaps inadvertently, Shigley also suggests that a Go-Getter Girl is manipulative, fake, and unafraid to use her femininity to get what she wants, making this book more a setback for hard-working women in the office than the tool for career advancement it desperately wants to be.

The Enormous Successes of an Accidental Businesswoman

By Amy Marturana

As a journalist graduating from Brandice University with plans to go to Yale to study law and public policy, Christie Hefner never imagined she would be a businesswoman.  But a summer vacation when she was 22 to Los Angeles to visit her father, Hugh Hefner, changed all of her plans.  Hefner’s father suggested that she come to visit and work with him for just a year, so that she could learn about his company, Playboy Enterprises.

“It seemed like an offer maybe that I couldn’t refuse,” she said of her father’s suggestion, “and both of us thought this would be short term.”  But a few years quickly passed, and Yale became a distant thought.  In 1982, when she was only 26, Hefner became the president of Playboy Enterprises.  The company had begun to lose a lot of money, and Hefner believed that she could step in as president and really turn things around.

“It got into trouble, and I sort of stood up and said ‘I think I can help,’” Hefner said.

And so a woman with no formal training and limited business experience found herself in charge.  Hefner said that she just had to pursue what she thought was right, and she learned as she went.  Hefner successfully restructured the company and did what she referred to as to “dumping the losers.”

Hefner stayed president of Playboy Enterprises until 1988, when father Hugh had a stroke. He recovered completely, but decided that he needed to make some changes. Namely, he did not want to be CEO of the company any longer—he wanted his daughter to take over.

As CEO, Christie began by thinking about the future of Playboy.  After doing some research on the company’s brand, Hefner found that it had a deep resonance with consumers.  This made her see the possibility of a destination television channel.  From there, Hefner began to focus on making the company more electronic and interactive.

Playboy employees who were interested in technology were given a little bit of money to play around with the idea of a website, and in 1994, Playboy became the first national magazine to go on the web. From that point on the brand continued to expand, grow and succeed as it moved across media platforms.

In 2008, after serving as CEO of Playboy for four times longer than the average CEO serves a company, and making her the longest serving CEO of any public company, Hefner stepped down.  She decided to go back to her original passions: journalism, law and public policy.  Hefner is now engaged in a variety of activities, including the Progressive Think Tank and helping Columbia work on its Journalism Review magazine.

Hefner gives students advice on how to be successful based on her own experiences.  The most important thing, she says, is to never stop learning.

“I don’t think you should ever stop meeting people.  I don’t think you should ever stop wanting to learn,” she teaches.  “Be open to transforming yourself, a few times.”  She stresses the importance of learning how to learn, and that intellectual agility was one of the most important things she looked for in hiring new employees for Playboy Enterprises.

There are three basic chapters to life, according to Hefner: working, learning and playing. But they should be intertwined.

“I’m not willing to defer the fun until I’m 65,” she says, “but I also always want to be engaged.”  According to Hefner, the best course is to always do a little bit of both.

When asked what her personal opinion is of the way women are portrayed in Playboy, Hefner stands up for the liberating quality of the magazine.  The magazine was a huge part of the sexual revolution, where women began to feel liberated from the sexually conservative society and more in control of their bodies.  According to Hefner, there is something wrong with the fact that women cannot be taken seriously and be sexy at the same time.

“Women should be able to be both respected and desired,” she says in defense of her stance, “and Playboy stands for that.”

Editor’s Note: REALITY Check Girl supports women in leadership positions and believes that learning about different perspectives is an important part of creating a more understanding society.

Notes from Art School: Surviving Critiques

By Christine Stoddard

Art students absolutely must thrive on criticism. After all, if you can’t survive the terror of presenting your creative babies to your fellow classmates, how will you fare before gallery owners, magazine editors, theatre managers, and book publishers? Answer: Poorly. Maybe even miserably. So go into that Studio Critique or Writer’s Workshop proud and come out feeling more informed, not degraded.

You’ve presumably worked hard on your painting or play. Feel rewarded that someone has the chance to witness the fruits of your labor. Otherwise your poetry or illustrations might just rot under your bed. Accept that your piece won’t be perfect–no piece, even an award-winning one, ever is. Accept that experiencing art is a subjective process, and that your classmates will respond to your work in different ways. While some may applaud it, others might sneer. In the best of situations, everyone will congratulate you on a job well done. In the worst of situations, expect the proverbial tomatoes.

Bring an open mind to every workshop or critique. Don’t get defensive. Listen carefully to your classmates’ opinions and really consider what they’re saying (at least the constructive comments. Hopefully you have a professor who’s able to keep the conversation intelligent and respectful.) You might not have thought about an aspect of your work that comes up during the critique. Maybe you should develop that character further. Maybe that isn’t the most appropriate shade of red in regards to the color scheme as a whole. You don’t have to change everything your class advises you change, but do weigh what they say. The majority of the time, you’ll realize that at least a couple of their suggestions really would benefit your piece and that it makes sense, according to your vision, to tweak this or that. You might even transform a piece entirely–and for the better.

Apart from bringing your maturity to critiques, bring questions. Are you stuck with your piece? How can your classmates help answer some of your questions? Sometimes your questions will be pretty vague, and other times they’ll be more developed. You might have just started writing a short story and not yet begun to really concentrate on forming a complete story arch; your classmates can give you ideas for your plot and characters. You might wonder whether the soundtrack for your film should draw on glam rock or punk rock influences; have your classmates vote. New insight can be good. It provides you with an opportunity to view your work from somebody else’s perspective so you can truly bring you what you want to put in relief.

Some artists take critiques very personally. It can be an emotional process, especially if your classmates make comments with which you don’t agree. Know that what ultimately matters is what you think. How do you feel about your work? What does it communicate? Are you satisfied with its message? How can you improve upon the piece? As the creator, you have the right to determine the best direction for your piece, but that doesn’t mean discounting outside opinions altogether, either.

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