ROADTRIP NATION: A Guide to Discovering Your Path In Life
Mike Marriner and Nathan Gebhard, with Joanne Gordon
Ballantine
Careers
ISBN: 0345460138
272 pages

What do you want to be when you grow up?

It doesn't matter whether you're four, fourteen, or twenty-four years old --- the question never goes away. People say that you should be a lawyer, or a doctor, or a stockbroker, but they don't always consider that the goals and aspirations they've laid out for you may not quite match your own.

Authors Mike Marriner and Nathan Gebhard graduated from Pepperdine University in California, and realized that they were unhappy with their chosen fields of study. The problem was that they weren't sure what other career paths existed. But then they had an idea. They decided to go on a nationwide road trip and interview everyone who had a job that sounded interesting, from the CEO of Starbucks to Manny the Lobsterman. Thousands of phone calls, miles and dollars later, they put all of the interviews and their experiences together in a fascinating and often hilarious account of their talks with people from all walks of life.

Many of the successful people they interviewed were discouraged from pursuing their interests as children. They were told, "You'll never make any money dressing up your friends" (said to the woman who later became Madonna's stylist) or "If you don't go to college, you'll never get a good job" (said to the man who is now a senior vice-president at the Cartoon Network). All the people who were interviewed believe that being happy and doing what you want is more important than making a ton of money. If you're not sure what you want to do with your life, or even if you are, this book will inspire you to pursue the career of your dreams.

   --- Reviewed by Carlie Kraft

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