What Color Is Your Parachute?

The first time I read What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles, I'm sorry to admit, I was young and paid little mind to the book. I was a junior in college, and I thought I knew what I wanted to do with my life: work in marketing, maybe for an agency, or even research. Flash forward more than a few years later, and I am 2 classes away from graduating with a Master of Science in Business Analytics, hungry to learn more about Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Times have changed.

As I prepare to graduate with a shiny new degree in a completely different field than I did in my undergraduate program, I am a little worried scared anxious about switching career paths. When Dr. Kelsey suggested re-reading What Color Is Your Parachute?, I knew it was the right choice.

Bolles starts this new edition (published in 2022) by recapping the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the workplace, primarily the AI takeover. Bolles suggests readers do the following six things to become more, or stay, employable.

1. Update your job-search techniques.
2. Improve your professional networking skills and connections.
3. Make a comprehensive inventory of the job skills you can claim proficiency in with confidence.
4. Create a targeted resume for each position.
5. Set concrete goals and be proactive about achieving them.
6. Ask for support from family, friends, and mental health or therapeutic resources when you need it.

Some of these I knew, some of these I had forgotten I knew.

Another eye-opening point by Bolles is that self-compassion is paramount for success in the job hunting search. It might be that I am the eldest daughter or because my zodiac sign is Virgo, but I am incredibly harsh on myself. Remembering that I, too, deserve kindness and compassion from myself will be a hard lesson, but one I know I must learn.

Bolles has given me a new mantra. It is a quote by Shonda Rhimes, but I thank him for the introduction.

In the next chapter, Bolles further cements this notion. He states that "changing your mindset can be a game changer." This sentence resonates with me so much. At Bolles' recommendation, I took the Optimism Test developed by Dr. Seligman. My results were abysmally pessimistic. I know I am much too harsh on myself. To be happy, lead a fulfilling career, and find the color of my parachute, I must change my outlook and view of myself.

What Color Is Your Parachute? is my first time reading (and taking seriously) a self-help book. I am excited to continue working on myself while also taking advantage of finding meaning as I prepare to begin a new career.