¶ … Patrick Combs
Major in Success: Make College Easier, Fire Up Your Dreams, And Get A Great Job by Patrick Combs seems to cover every aspect of college, career and life in very readable terms. His frank approach inspires and is also far more enjoyable and comprehensive than some other authors who write about career success. Combs' approach is both strong and weak but the inspirational nature of the book, plus the suggested resources, make the book very useful.
Major in Success: Make College Easier, Fire Up Your Dreams, And Get A Great Job by Patrick Combs is a pointed guide about success in college and employment. Combs stresses that success requires extraordinary determination and drive (Combs 3), with a passion as powerful as a forest fire (Combs 10). That passionate determination does not necessarily mean the highest GPA in a particular major; rather, prospective employers will want to know if a job applicant can complete work within deadlines, accomplish tasks under pressure, think analytically, work well with others in teams, write well, use a computer well, use time well, and dress suitably for the work environment (Combs 17). In sum, a successful person certainly uses college but does so in a creative way and learns marketable skills rather than a tunnel-visioned striving for high grades.
Combs also stresses a certain attitude for a successful career. In Combs' opinion, a person should pursue his/her passions because it's a waste of time to work at some job that doesn't interest him/her (Combs 21). Combs addresses the issue of money, as well, because money is certainly necessary but should not "buy" a person so he/she...
Even needing money, a person should be aware that he/she has a destiny speaking to him/her through passion and dreams (Combs 32). Combs also understands that despite passion and determination, people are stopped from pursuing their dream jobs by at least six fears, including the fear of: poverty; other people's expectations; competition; making the wrong choice; lacking the right experience; failure (Combs 39). Consequently, despite cultivating passion and determination, a person can fail to keep striving for his/her dream.
In order to help people overcome the fears that stop them from pursuing their dreams, Combs suggests a plan of action. A person should pursue his/her interests and get academic credit for them (Combs 49). he/she should also put forth great energy in both work and relaxation (Combs 56). Also, though GPAs can be important, a person should not sacrifice the development of his/her social and leadership skills in order to pursue a great GPA (Combs 64). As always, a person should be mindful of the ways he/she can fool himself/herself along the road; consequently, a person should keep using reality checks to correct his/her course to stay on the most effective path (Combs 91). A person who wishes to succeed should be an eternal student, constantly absorbing relevant material and improving skills (Combs 97). Another important aspect of success is collecting or making visible signs of a person's education, passion, creativity and productivity that help a person stand out to prospective employers (Combs 104). Finally, it is important to…
