Patrick Combs Self-Help Guide for Needful College Freshmen

If there is a recipe for self-help records, two of the necessary ingredients are an endorsement from a name self-help or need guru/author and trotting out the old Teddy Roosevelt man in the theatre mantra. Combs has both Tom Peters kudus on the cover and The Roughrider on rogue 28. Whats missing is a touch of truth and reality.Nowhere does Mr. Combs describe his sustain achiever (perhaps I knew Id never be halcyon until I got a self-help sacred scripture published) or many savants real world (perhaps a chapter on major(ip)ing in the success of your dysfunctional family, lack of specie for traffic fines, broken or stolen individualised property, drugged-out roommate and boy/girl friend issues). Instead, Mr. Combs supplies his refs with 154 pages detailing and expanding on a single maxim figure out what you want to do it smell, and do it. study in Success has some major flaws as closely as some colossal advice. Nonetheless there is a great deal to be gathered from Ma jor in Success, but plausibly not in the manner Mr. Combs planned. Some great lessons can be catch outed from understanding not just what is in the book, but what it is that makes the book successful, despite its shortcomings.There are several flaws in Mr. Combs advice. First and foremost, the textbookual matter is replete with anecdotal evidence and devoid of meaningful, quantifiable facts and statistics, and those employ are rather disingenuous. In the chapter Never Mind the Grades he cites a young study by the College Review Board indicating GPA is below decennium otherwise factors considered by employers (47). He uses this fact to buttress his argument to never mind the grades. He fails to mention that in a very warring job market when ALL of the applicants have those first ten factors, it get out same(p)ly be factor 11GPAthat makes the difference.The countenance blazing discrepancy relates not only to grades but also his contradictory bearing towards the significa nce of grades. His theory college is for developing your talents to learn and do, so that you can learn and do anything you like (20) begs the oppugn then how is that measured? Most people, including employers, entrust use grades as the yardstick for learning ability. Mr. Combs fails to address the significance of a students focus or major in college.He claims if time spent on extracurricular activities is having a negative pertain on your grades, dont panic (50). He advises telling the prospective employer to the effect sure my grades were mediocre, but various club memberships and internships were my priority. Ask yourself if you would like to say that on a job interview, or I managed to joint down a 3.7 GPA with a major in maths and a minor in history while working 25 hours a week to help pay tuition and board? end-to-end the text Mr. Combs offers a comprise your inner voice, go for happiness, not money philosophy. Goals change, life blushts come unexpected and being prepa red to shift gears pronto is a key asset. A student may regret having used his college time to develop his knowledge and skills in an area of particular affaire only to be caught short later when his pursuance, income needs, or location changes.The follow your passion regardless of income theory works well for those without monetary needs, retirees, and even second or third career adults capable of turning a hobby into a profitable business. However, the practicality of the theory may come into question years later, when either a more fundamental education (liberal arts) gives tractability or a mainstream certificate program (nursing, teaching) provides job security.There are no less than three very good reasons to read this book. Mr. Combs has alter the margins with hundreds of hot tips and quotations. Included are a large number of references to other texts and sources. He also provides an excellent chapter entitled Classes Worth Their Weight in Gold, detailing almost a dozen courses with universal value. A concentration on these classes will do wonders for marketplace flexibility. The chapter Really bump Into It provides a detailed list of seventeen items designed to turn interest into expertise.There are less obvious lessons to be learned from Major in Success that are arguably just as weighty as the ideas expressed in the text. Mr. Combs has a Special Thanks page listing probably a hundred or more persons who aid him. Success is usually a team sport, and the value of associating with mentors and goal-oriented people is invaluable. The book is very well organized the Table of Contents lists three major sections divided into twenty-nine succinct chapters. If there is ever a life lesson to be learned, particularly for a college student, it is the value of organization.Additionally the text is make full with lists. Making lists is essential for planning, organizing, and tracking in college and throughout life, for anyone. Finally, the format of the t ext is very effective, with graphics, margin notes, and lists in a unique and out of the incase manner. Individuality cannot be overemphasized. Today there is no typical college student, and whether the reader is an eighteen-year-old freshman or an older adult returning for a second career they will find something in Major for Success applicable to their specific situation.Works CitedCombs, Patrick. Major in Success. California Ten stronghold Press, 1998.