A great basic tool (perfect for recent grads!)
356388
I got this book right after I graduated from college (actually at a seminar with the author put on by our alumni association), and it's helped me a bunch of times.

With it I learned the basics about paycheck deductions, and how if you are contributing to a pretax retirement account and are OK with having a $20 deduction from your paycheck, you can actually increase it by the amount you're being taxed, and the net amount going into your account will be more than $20 (but you'll only see a $20 net decrease in pay).

It also convinced me of the power of saving early, and encouraged me to do a lot of retirement saving before age 30 (since compounding interest really adds up over the long term).

It does a great job of explaining things like mutual funds, and because of it I looked to see the load fee I'd be charged when selecting mutual funds for my retirement plan.

The conversational style gets a little annoying at times, but this book has been a great overview on the basics that you need to know when first taking a job-- insurance, retirement, savings, and debt.  I've given it as a gift and recommend it wholeheartedly, especially if you are still learning the basics.
4169807
I bought this book as a just passed out student from university who is seeking for a better job or career than the ones which are offered to my field. I know it requires a lot than what we learn at the university and I don't want to be that ordinary person who is having some ordinary job. This little guide is just what I was looking for.
Ben Green presents a clear insight of what is the situation of the current job market, what are the new trending jobs and what skills you need to develop to get those jobs and achieve a career you dream of. I just wish that I had this book growing up as it provides great advice to parents on how to make your child a Superstar. I'm sure going to keep this book to help out my child one day. For example students these days tend to use calculators from early ages where it's the period that your brain develops. This will affect the basic maths skills of your child something that the modern jobs will seek of.
Still for me this book was really helpful. Some references Green had given really helped me to develop the skills I was lacking. I have already gone to few interviews and 2 companies offered me the job that I was dreaming of. I decided to write this review as it showed me the path to success.
1119245
I recently graduated from college, and this book was absolutely amazing. It was fun to read, and incredibly informative. Especially for someone who's taking their first stab at setting up the foundation for the rest of their lives :)
3532076
This worked well enough for me, as a recent college graduate filing taxes from my part-time job during school, and my big girl job following graduation. I paid the extra to file my state taxes digitally, and I thought it was well worth it. The program is pretty intuitive, although there were some portions where I was unclear and had to do a bit of Googling. All in all, solid product, and much cheaper/faster than hiring someone/trying to do it on my own. I will be buying this again next year!
4270579
I really enjoyed this book. Being a recent college grad and entering into the work force, this book really opened my about following my passion. This book allowed me to reflect on past decisions I've made and also allowed me to plan for the future. The activities at the of each "key" were helpful as well!
44464
The typical college curriculum includes classes like literature, history, and philosophy, but is missing far more practical topics that come up again and again once college or grad school are over. This leaves many young people struggling to learn simple lessons the hard way in the first years of their career.

This book does a great job covering the basics that are key to getting ahead in the workforce. Areas like understanding and serving customers, networking, and managing your career are covered in clear, short chapters, with funny and insightful anecdotes from the author's career at AT&T. Makes a great gift for "young professional" relatives.
2325706
I purchased this book because I am currently precepting a new graduate nurse, and I remember what it was like to be a new graduate nurse and I wanted to make the transition to professional nursing as easy as possible for her. This book is quick, to the point, and hits on many of the key topics that would have made me feel better when I started my career. Ms. Mazzella definitely captures the feelings you have when you are a new graduate nurse and I think this is a must read for all new graduate nurses, and nurses training new grads.
3220972
If you read the literature about new grads unable to find jobs except at McD's, one exception is a new category of job and profession called "Data Scientist" which started being used as late as 2009/2010. There now even is a CDSO--Chief Data Science Officer-- in some data intensive firms! IF your team doesn't yet have a CDSO, tell them to create the position and give it to you, especially if you're reading this review and considering purchasing this book. Entry data science: $90K range; Manager: $165K; CDSO: $220K including options, etc. (Source: DS assn.).

This little gem won't turn you into a data wonk overnight, but it IS a "condensed" Data/ MBA course (especially quantitative analysis in IT) showing the most current aspects of analysis from a big data vantage point. To be brutally honest, folks who got their MBAs even as recently as four years ago, and studied linear programming etc., are now having to once again reinvent themselves with the much more heavily statistical nature of mining, machine learning, Web X.o, etc.

My premise is: to be successful, we ALL need to be data scientists today, whether or not it fits our current job description! If you see any truth in that at all, this book is a must read. It avoids the deep math and algorithms behind the analysis, but gives very clear analogies, examples, and techniques in English to help with the most important steps: interpretation, relevance and use.

A recent trend in big data is "ala carte" dashboards, where users configure Sharepoint and other tools via Excel etc. LOCALLY. If you're not a quant, you ARE a quant CUSTOMER, and deserve to maximize the tools you have in front of you. Asking the right questions is 75% of getting that benefit. This book covers an excellent level of both overview and detail-- a nice and readable balance of why, when and how. It fits very sweetly in the vacant spot between Excel data manuals and 30,000 foot strategic tomes on the value of big data systems that frankly aren't really helpful unless you're a CTO.

3 bears again: the former can be TOO detailed, the latter not detailed enough, and this book just right-- Davenport figured out just the right missing balance between the power user, the user wannabe and us-- the practical users! Highly recommended. Oh, and if you DO want to get into this field, this text is a must have for a different reason--to see the balanced perspective of trenches users who need just the RELEVANT details in the midst of a very busy day.

Special tip: if you TEACH business or quant, you'd be doing your students a really big favor by incorporating many of this fine text's associations in your courses, as you'd be preparing them for many more of the real applications and issues they will see, with the practical knowledge of how they work and what they are and aren't suited for. Enough is covered to organize further reading and study for specialization and more depth in, say, the math, Excel, algorithms, systems, mining, software, etc.

Library Picks reviews only for the benefit of Amazon shoppers and has nothing to do with Amazon, the authors, manufacturers or publishers of the items we review. We always buy the items we review for the sake of objectivity, and although we search for gems, are not shy about trashing an item if it's a waste of time or money for Amazon shoppers. If the reviewer identifies herself, her job or her field, it is only as a point of reference to help you gauge the background and any biases.
4198629
This book is a great graduation gift!  I ordered this for an employee of mine who was graduating from high school.  She was able to clean out her shoe boxes of pictures and report cards and put them in the album according  to each year.  Her friends loved the book and were envious!  This is a book  that is a great gift for someone entering high school, someone graduating,  or someone in between!
2957886
I received this as a gift a few weeks ago and it's been an essential part of my apartment ever since. Besides some of the expected basics--a hammer, scissors, pliers, etc--there's also picture hangers, a leveler, and a measuring tape. They've all come in handy and it's great to not have to scramble to find those items at a crucial moment.

What's more, the set is compact, durable, and has an easy no-nonsense organization. If you need a simple toolkit that gives you the basics (and more!) than this is the one for you. I recommend it without reservation.
2287359
This book was enormously helpful to me after I graduated and was looking to begin my career.  At my University I had utilized the career center, they taught me how to draft a resume and some basic interview skills, but I didn't have any real world experience.  I spent countless hours applying for jobs online, spinning my wheels, and never hearing back from the companies.  Mathies book highlights how to be effective in your job search and the biggest component of being effective I found was networking.  Using Mathies techniques for tracking contact information and recording follow up action items I started to gain traction in my job search.  One main concept from the book that rang especially true for me was that it is often someone in your secondary network that is able to help you get a job.  It may not be your mothers, friends, brother who doesnt work in your field of work that can help you get a job but he may know someone (now in your secondary network) that has an open position.  It is so important to network with everyone you can because you never know where their connections may lead you.
4203951
Although this period of change is intimidating to many students, Pitts-Kysers guide has brief, easy-to-read chapters that encompass everything that a woman may need to launch her career and sustain it. She has compiled personal experience, researched material and advice from other professionals to create a guide for every graduatea guide she wished she had after her graduation herself. I definitely recommend this for not only for recent graduates, but students in general. From starting the job application process to managing difficulties that may arise in a field, Pitts-Kyser highlights the highs and lows of becoming the ultimate Careeranista.
1806398
I graduated college in 1981 and started to work for IBM two weeks later. I was not prepared. While where the potholes are placed may have changed in transition from college to the corporate world, all college graduates are totally unprepared for the next step. This guide is a quick study on how to make that transition less painful and more fulfilling. I especially liked the "Take Home Points" at the end if each chapter. Bravo!
2210428
Computer Literacy BASICS: A Comprehensive Guide to IC3 5th Edition

My fiance needed this book for a class that she in taking in her new career studies.  They sold this book for over 100 dollars at her local school bookstore and I figured that was ridiculous!!  So we turned to what amazons foundations is. BOOKS!!

We decided to rent this book because it was cheaper and she nor will I even need this book again!  The book arrived very quickly and in pristine shape!!!  There were no makings, bend edges, or pages!

This is a really useful book of youve been out of high school for a while of if you're not too familiar with computers and how to use simple applications.  I looked at the book and its well written with plenty of helpful instructions and ideas.  However, for someone who is fresh out of high school or is modern, this book is going to be boring and most likely you already know about most of the information in this book.

Overall its good and easy to use and follow I would recommend to a beginner but not like a really old person lol.

Bring your computer literacy course back to the BASICS. COMPUTER LITERACY BASICS: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO IC3 provides an introduction to computer concepts and skills, which maps to the newest Computing Core Certification (IC3) standards. Designed with new learners in mind, this text covers Computing Fundamentals, Key Applications, and Living Online - everything students need to pass the IC3 exam, and finish the course as confident computer users.
3454749
I taught the second semester of multivariate statistics to graduate students at our school of social work. Although graduate level, most of our students have very rudimentary at best statistical skills so the second semester began with linear regressions. I decided to introduce them to Stata so that they would have experience with at least a second statistical package - most know SPSS - and learn about the usefulness of this program. I selected Dr. Acock's book as a good way of getting them to learn how to use Stata in as painless a way as possible. The book fit the bill perfectly. It is written very clearly and walks you through many of the basics of Stata and provides good tips on post-estimation, a few tricks here and there, and a bit of humor.

Students who already know Stata or who have an advanced knowledge of statistics would not find this book that useful but for beginning courses and students, it is pitched just right. Now, if I only had a companion volume that walked through more advanced regression models in a similar way, I would have my texts for the class and could put to rest the venerable Tabachnick and Fidell text, which was perfect in its day but has become dated. I understand Dr. Acock is at work on such a volume and I will definitely have a look before launching into the course again in 2012.
2203520
This is definitely a great read! If you are a recent college graduate, looking to advance in your career, or someone going through a career change, I would highly recommend this book. Looking for employment and/or advancing in your career can be a very daunting task, however having a book such as this can most certainly make a world of a difference. In fact, this book was given to me as a gift and it couldn't have come at a better time. My feelings of pure frustration and discouragement quickly changed after reading this book. The author does a great job at giving valuable information while also sharing her own story. Overall, this is a great book and I look forward to more work from this author!
2290735
I bought this book as a gift for my son who recently graduated from college. I not only feel it offers invaluable real-world guidance for someone launching their career, but also felt The Graduate Handbook revitalized a few techniques and approaches to workplace relations that this old grizzled veteran had let lapse (or maybe needed to learn...). It hit another aspect I look for in a book of this type -- that it's a read I can digest completely on a cross-country flight.