Pondering the 'How To' Book Craze

I recently asked to recommend a list of the best "how to" books on creating a career in the performing arts. The question struck me as funny. There are definitely good books about careers and how to choose them; there are also books that detail the requisite training, materials, and experience for specific career fields. But a how to book on creating a career is considerably more challenging. That's because creating a career is essentially about getting the most out of your life.

What does getting the most out of your life have to do with creating a career? The word "career" literally means course or passage--and your life is a type of course or passage. The same criteria you use every day to enhance your passage through life are almost identical to the criteria you need in developing a career. This includes your interests, values, beliefs, goals, experiences, and personality. Naturally, I evaluate any career development book on its ability to help the reader get the most out of his or her life.

It seems as if, everywhere I turn, people insist that everything can be learned by visiting the self-help section at the local bookstore. This suggestion that the answers to all of life's riddles can be found in the same place is something I find slightly disturbing. I decided to do a little research on the subject. How many books do you think use the words "how to" in the title? I ventured online to amazon.com and typed in a search using those very words. Would you believe that there are more than 32,000 "how to" titles? What does this say about our culture? Do we really believe that the mysteries of life can be solved through coffee shop reading material like Human Moments: How to Find Meaning and Love in Your Everyday Life, or even better, Philosophy for Dummies: Discover How to Apply Ancient Wisdom to Your Everyday Life.

There are more than 32,000 "how to" titles in print. What does this say about our culture? Do we really believe all of life's mysteries can be solved at the bookstore?

Life would be far simpler if the surefire steps to creating your ideal career could be found between the covers of a book on the shelves of Barnes & Noble. (Even at a 20-percent discount, they would make a tidy profit; imagine how many people would buy that book!)

But such a book would need to prompt you to assess yourself critically: your experiences, values, vision, and interests. The book could be effective only if you could be trusted to be completely objective about yourself. Now let's be honest here. How many of us can truly be objective about our lives? The challenge for most people is that they tend to be either overly critical, or not quite honest enough. It is this quasi-honesty that often obstructs the discovery of the ideal career.

That is why I believe that the person who prefers to learn with someone rather than from a self-help book is getting the best of it on the topic of career development. Creating a career is a dynamic process. A mentor or professional guide is a dynamic resource that can adjust to your every discovery, while a book is mostly a static resource that can, at best, provide you with a basic formula. Since creating a course in life is really what career development is all about, a dynamic resource that adjusts to your evolving experiences is a superior choice. So if you ask me to recommend a book that will help you to create your ideal career, I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer. But I strongly recommend talking to faculty here at The Juilliard School. They are in the best possible position to help you navigate those challenging waters. I also recommend using our services in the Office of Career Development. It is getting close to May 23--and, for many of you, that date will mark the beginning of a long life in the arts. Why not bypass the self-help section at the bookstore across the street and come by our office, in Room 476 on the fourth floor? We are here to help you begin the journey.

Please e-mail any comments, questions, or ideas for future columns to careerfile@juilliard.edu.

Derek Mithaug is Juilliard's director of career development and an alumnus of the School.