Book Review
Out of The Classroom Lessons in Success
How to Prosper Without Being at the Top of the Class
by Cynthia Kocialski
About the Author
Cynthia Kocialski is the founder of three companies, has been involved with
dozens of start-ups, and has worked with established companies to bring start-up
techniques and technologies to corporations desiring to process improvement and
efficiency. Prior to this, she held numerous technical, marketing, and
management positions at major corporations, with responsibilities including
developing financial software, engineering management of scientific
workstations, and overseeing technical marketing and strategic planning for
graphics and digital video components for personal computers. Kocialski writes
the popular Start-up Entrepreneurs’ Blog, which covers observations, lessons,
and humorous stories of life inside hi-tech start-ups, and is the author of
Startup from the Ground Up. Raised in Buffalo, New York, her career has taken
her to New York City, Washington, D.C., Miami, and San Francisco. She is a
graduate of the University of Rochester and University of Virginia.
Book Description
In our grade-focused school years, the rules of success seemed as simple as
making straight As. However, in the working world, success is often far more
complex, and formal education is only the baseline to ensuring career
advancement in a highly competitive world, where prospective employees are up
against international candidates who have been long schooled in skills. Now, a
self-professed over-achiever shares how her professional triumphs wildly strayed
from the honor roll tactics in an eye-opening, easy-to-read compilation of
truisms from the trenches of real life. Out of the Classroom Lessons in Success:
How to Prosper Without Being at the Top of the Class offers hard-won wisdom on
achieving professional glory that will serve as an invaluable resource to anyone
who is contemplating a career, or for parents who want to help their children
lay the groundwork for success in the work place.
Inspired by the experience of her daughters, Kocialski realized that many young adults graduate and are completely unaware of a new playing field that is not always predicated by superior grades or talents. In eighteen concise chapters, the author draws from her professional achievements and challenges to debunk common myths that can lead astray aspiring professionals in the early years of forging a career. This slim, indispensable book serves up the “aha!” moments that will assist young hopefuls and parents in navigating the path to success. Inspiring and uplifting, this simply brilliant take on creating a career will help anyone realize their goals, anyone avoid common pitfalls, and lay the groundwork through the secondary talents, skills, and mindset necessary for optimal success.
Our Review
A book to inspire you to do more with your life and think differently about how you get there. A very simplistic book, easy to read and understand, you will probably wonder why you didn't think of these lessons yourself, this book serves as a gentle guiding hand to point you in the right direction of success.
Although education is still important the author explains that focusing more on your true talents and passions will lead to higher success than trying to push yourself in areas your not really good at and only getting average grades. Experience, social skills, planning and self promoting are a few of the subjects discussed. You have to believe that you will succeed otherwise you won't.
A couple of things that I will remember are 'if you fail, don't keep repeating the same mistakes, hoping this time it will work, try something different or pause for a while' and 'always find the positive in every negative'.
The book contains examples of methods, experiences, conclusions at the end of each of the short chapters followed by short narratives/poems and illustrations (as above). Slightly repetitive at times, maybe on purpose to aid you.
Our Rating
