Shane Life

Radical Careering
by Sally Hogshead
Rating: 10 out of 10

I heard Sally speak at the HOW Design Conference in the middle of June. She gave an inspiring closing keynote speech that was a brief overview of her book, Radical Careering: 100 Truths to Jump Start Your Job, Your Career, and Your Life. After listening to her, I was completely inspired to read her book and take on her wisdom about building a radical career.

EVERYONE in a career should read this book.

Sally started her career in the advertising industry and was immediately met with accolades and awards for her stellar copywriting skills. She’s been responsible for some great advertising campaigns in her time, stuff ranging from Dolce & Gabbana to MINI. At the age of 27, she started her own agency in Venice Beach. A few years later, she was asked to open the West Coast office of famed agency Crispin Porter & Bogursky. She started her job at CP&B on September 10, 2001.

What followed provided her with much of the basis for what formed Radical Careering. She has worked with some of the brightest minds in all of business and she gleaned a wealth of information about careers from them.

Radical Careering is a book of 100 Radical Truths about creating a career worth loving and living everyday. It is an inspiring book broken into 10 sections:

1. Deal with Reality
2. Master the Workplace
3. Own Your Career
4. Reject Mediocrity
5. Collect Portable Equity
6. Lead From Within
7. Fail Successfully
8. Reinvent Yourself
9. Balance with Intention
10. Remember Who You Are

Once I finished the book, I wanted to rush out to my nearest bookstore, buy up 100 copies of the book and send them off to all the people that I know. This book has the complete ability to change your life. Because the bottom line is that your career shouldn’t be your life, but a full life is impossible without joy at work (Radical Truth #92).

My favorite radical truths:

• #12: Luck is for wimps.
• #19: Being in a crap job isn’t your fault. Staying in a crap job is.
• #20: Don’t work for someone you don’t respect.
• #28: The most risky decision is not making one.
• #85: Jump, and a net will appear.
• #91: Don’t figure out your priorities while lying on your deathbed.
• #100: Make your memiors worth reading.

If you have any doubts about what you are doing in your job or career, you should RUN (don’t walk) out and get this book. It truly can change your life. I’m ready to start radical careering, are you?