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Nonetheless, we were BLOWN AWAY by the almost identical core concepts of each book. Despite being written on different continents, they prescribe an almost identical set of concepts and processes.
Both books boil down to the following core messages: Acknowledge the FACT that you do not have ONE true calling; Use thought-provoking exercises to come up with multiple potentially passionate paths based on your multifaceted character; And above all else, GET OUT INTO THE REAL WORLD to talk to people and try things out that truly interest you - this is a fairly massive secret to stumbling upon the coolest opportunities that the economy has to offer.
Our Top 5 from the book:
The Odyssey Planning exercise: Come up with three completely different plans for the next five years - you will later be actually exploring each. One is the path you’re sort of already on. The other is the route you’d take if plan one were to vanish from existence or be replaced by AI. And the third is the one you’d take if money were no object (Ex. Building apps from a beach in Greece). They give you guidelines for formulating, analyzing, and testing the viability of each, and figuring out where they may overlap.
The "Prototyping Conversation" - they are massive advocates of asking all those people that do something that you're interested in to have coffee with you and share their life story. You are not asking for a job! You're asking for their story (which leads, in a great many cases, to an exciting opportunity of some sort - but that's not the objective!).
Dysfunctional Belief: Your degree determines your career. Truth: Only 27% of college grads work in a job related to their major. Don't box yourself in!
Dysfunctional Belief: I have one true calling. Truth: Every human has at least 3 equally thrilling and fulfilling possible career "callings." (Breaking News!
Dysfunctional Belief: If I mine the internet, I'll find a job I'm excited about. Truth: Only 1 in 5 job openings are listed on the internet. The other 80% live in the "Hidden Job Market," or, the world wide web of people. How can you access this network? By setting up "prototyping conversations"!
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Kurt got his BA at Stanford and his Masters at Yale. He applied to 38 internet job postings. He got 8 No's and 30 no responses. He then read the book and set up 56 prototyping conversations. He got 7 offers and one was of "dream job" status. Better yet, 6 of those offers came without him asking about openings; the folks he talked to appreciated his interest and asked him if he was available