Date: Tue, 31 Jan 1995 15:10:50 EST From: "Rob Slade, Social Convener to the Net" Subject: "The Technical Career Navigator" by Weiss [For those in the *.technical groups who may complain that this is insufficiently technical, I must say that I agree with you. I can only plead the title. - rms] BKTCCRNV.RVW 941129 "The Technical Career Navigator", Weiss, 1995, 0-13-148396-X, U$19.95 %A Ray Weiss rweisscd@aol.com %C 113 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 %D 1995 %G 0-13-148396-X %I Prentice Hall Reference %O U$19.95 (515) 284-6751 FAX (515) 284-2607 %P 312 %T "The Technical Career Navigator" This book is promoted as a guide for technical workers, to protect and advance their own careers. There are 138 mini-essays, readable and short. (Most are less than a full page, and they are printed in large type.) The whole book can be read in an hour or two, and it is generally easy and entertaining. Whether or not it is helpful is open to question. Little of the material is particularly applicable to the technical arena, and what is, tends to lean towards technical writing. The bulk of the material is general management advice--and would most appropriately be aimed at management. Of the remainder, much is very true. It is also obvious and surprisingly unhelpful. Several chapters talk about the inevitability of change--but not *how* to deal with it. Much of the material, as is almost universal with "career" books, is contradictory. Back your own decision!--but not more than management does. Go for the best!--but don't expect too much. Be creative!-- but creativity isn't enough. As always, there is no attempt to address the need for balance. The author likes quotations: each item begins with a couple. The final piece in the book is a bibliography of quotation sources. "Career" books tend to have a lot of "received wisdom" and pithy aphorisms. Maybe you should just stick with Bartlett's. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994 BKTCCRNV.RVW 941129 ====================== DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters Editor and/or reviewer ROBERTS@decus.ca, RSlade@sfu.ca, Rob Slade at 1:153/733 Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" 0-387-94311-0/3-540-94311-0