Does Your Job Suck? Read This, and Win a Book. October 9, 2007

About a month ago, John White sent me his book, My JOB SUCKS and I CAN’T TAKE IT Anymore! HELP!, with the suggestion that I might find it to be a better read than the self-published book I blasted a while back.

Thank goodness, it was. Although, admittedly, it was not difficult to top the screenshot-heavy WordPress Complete.

I found myself chuckling with recognition most of the way through the book. Mr. White’s experiences are entertainingly well-written, and unfortunately, I could relate to many of them. Anyone who is just starting out would do well to read this book, as the scenarios given are right on target.

Here is a tip from the book:

Be very careful about voicing any politically incorrect opinions at work. Before you open your mouth, make sure you understand the politics of the situation. Even though what you’re saying might be the truth, it could be held against you. Even though you might be one hundred percent right, you could wind up being wrong.

Huh. Maybe like the time I pointed out to the director of the non-profit I worked for that all of the fancy “board retreats” we were funding with donations probably weren’t really helping our “at-risk” students all that much. I can’t say that I would keep my mouth shut about it today or any other time, but sometimes it is good to know what others have been in that same boat.

White talks about insane corporate culture, which reminded me of that same non-profit, which referred to itself as a “family” and had meetings that began with elaborate prayers and statements about the organization’s “spiritual mission”. Anyone who didn’t vote for Nader that year was on the outs with management. When your company begins to act like a large tele-evangelical ministry, you know you’re possibly in the wrong place.

I have to say that I did not agree with everything in the book. Like this piece of advice, for example:

…you can adopt a philosophy that says, “Hey, if they want to pay me good money to do stupid things and to put up with idiotic rules, I’ll take that all the way to the bank.”

I am simply too stubborn to do that. Stupid though it may be, I’d rather be broke, selling beaded earrings for five bucks at the flea market, than follow idiotic rules. It must be a leftover attitude from high school. I wasn’t good at it then, either. Even now, I practice the art of subversion when faced with a broken system. It is something I highly recommend, and it tends to head off depression.

At any rate, the value in this book lies in the author’s talent to lay things out like they really are. Whether you choose to take the advice in this book or not, it gives you the ability to look at your situation with your eyes wide open, and then decide what you are going to do about it. I really wish I had read this book years ago, as it would have saved me quite a bit of frustrated gnashing of teeth.

I’m glad that Mr. White decided to share his experiences with us. This book was an entertaining read, and I think all of us will find something in it that we can relate to. If you’d like to check it out, I’ll send a random commenter my copy! I’ll accept comment entries for this mini-contest until 5 P.M. Central on Friday.