Book Description

Cutting edge electronics technology demystified

Anyone with a basic technical background can gain a fast understanding of electronics technology with the easy-to-read Electronics Technology Handbook.Electronic engineering newcomers will find this a one-step, non-mathematical resource for clear explanations of electronics technology essentials--from AC theory and generation to wireless communications and microprocessors.

Encyclopedic coverage supported with hundreds of concept-clarifying illustrations shows you exactly how contemporary electronic devices and systems work and interact. You'll quickly discover the principles at the heart of such widely used technologies as transistors; integrated circuits; television; ATM machines; cell phones; bar-code readers; sensors; robotics; satellites; electron microscopes; process control; radar; global positioning system; night vision systems; and much more. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Electronics Technology Handbook
My expectations for this book were hightened by the glowing reviews on the site. I was very disappointed with the book for several reasons. First it is a very basic treatment of an industry subject that is huge in content. The author covers a lot of ground by very lightly touching on too many subjects to be informative.... So many subjects receive only the barest mention. Second, my experience with McGraw-Hill books on technical subjects led me to order this technical "fly-weight". Another reason for my disappointment. I recently purchased "Electronic Failure Analysis" by Perry L. Martin. Mr. Martin did a superb job with a complex subject by focusing on a specific topic. I have purchased and read many technical books, electronics oriented and on other subjects as well. If you are new to technology there are better books that cost less and do a better job of subject coverage than barely skimming the surface....


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Book Description

Focusing on preparing entry-level workers for success in the workplace, this interactive format provides students with the framework for successful skill development.Learning how to develop key personal qualities, interpersonal skills, critical thinking skills, and communication skills provides students with opportunity to be in demand by employers today. ... Read more

Book Description

A circuit simulation book that addresses PSpice for Windows! Using a careful step-by-step process, this book takes readers from a simple dc circuit with its customary current and voltage measurements, through a damped resonant circuit requiring rise time to characteristics, to a complex analog/digital circuit that demands sophisticated timing and frequency measurements.Multi-level activities, examples, and exercises allow users to draw circuits directly on the screen, exactly as they would to create initial designs. It also enables them to analyze the circuits using PSpice,—and shows the circuit displayed at a level of detail unavailable through conventional techniques. This book also includes instruction in advanced techniques such as Monte Carlo and Performance. For instruction in DC/AC and devices, operational amplifiers, digital, analog, and filter design. n. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Adequate but poorly presented introduction to OrCAD PSPice
This is one of the few books to provide an introduction to PSpice under OrCAD. To be fair, it does cover the basics and it does so to a greater extent than might be considered necessary. If you are a practising engineer looking to get up to speed on the fundamentals of using PSpice (as I am) you will probably find the elementary content and presentation far too simplistic and unecessary. It looks as if it were aimed more at introductory electronics students, getting to grips with this software for the first time. Even allowing for this the text is weak in some areas: for example, electrical phasors are sometimes incorrectly referred to as 'physors'. Who proof-read this? They must have been asleep.

The most useful aspect of the book for new PSpice users are the hints scattered in 'Simulation Notes' throughout. These provide useful tips and hints on how to accomplish various fundamental tasks, such as changing axis settings and modifying traces.

In short, this book has some value to the new PSpice user, but is very poorly produced and overly simple for most engineering students or engineers who may need a basic PSpice reference. The presentation level is low; the whole thing is not really produced to a professional standard but looks as if it were a collection of lecture notes which got turned into a book after some very minimal editing. It's somewhat useful to learn some of the necessary PSpice tricks but falls very short when you consider how much better this topic could have been covered with a more rigorous and less dumbed-down style. ... Read more

Book Description

Whether you are embarking on your first career or a new career as a professional driver, you will appreciate the practical, straightforward, quick, no-nonsense approach to learning what you need to know to pass the CDL exam. Easy to follow and understand, each chapter provides learning tools for students of all levels, even those who have not attended school or taken a test in many years.You will feel more comfortable with the topics covered in this book and found on the exam as each chapter contains not only the important information, but also additional tools such as practice quizzes and real-world situations that put the information in context to make it easier to understand.A glossary of terms helps you become familiar with this industrys unique language.Chapter reviews help you determine if and where you need to review the reading for a better understanding of specific areas.All this will help you feel confident when you take the CDL exam and enhances your chances of passing on the first try. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great book, includes info needed for CDL exam, and industry.
I purchased this book b/c I am looking to get into the trucking industry. After I received this book, I was pleased. This book is well-layed out and describes all aspects of the trucking industry and CDL requirements. Each chapter is followed by a series of questions and the authors give tips throughout the book for passing CDL exams. Includes all endorsements, and the book was published in 2001, so you know it is not out-dated. Overall, I am satisfied with the contents and hope to get into the industry. ... Read more

Book Description

Not just a job hunt book or personal finance book, this book covers it all, with the wisdom and experience of someone who's recently been there, done that and lived to tell about it. For every college graduate this witty, smart, comprehensive survival guide makes sense out of the confusion called the Real World. You've finally graduated from college, and you've vowed never to look at another Scantron form again. You're ready . . . but for what? Suddenly, all your relatives are asking what you're doing with the rest of your life, you don't have health insurance or a clue about how to get it, you can't make heads or tails out of your income tax form, and you're seriously considering going on the all-hot dog diet to save money. Help! Who knew real life was going to be so complicated? Relax. No one said you had to have it all figured out just because someone handed you a diploma. This book gives you the answers you need to get your post-college life on track, from learning what kinds of jobs are out there to getting your first job, from renting an apartment to balancing your budget, from haggling with car dealers to paying back your student loans. You'll learn about renter's insurance and collision insurance, 401(K) plans and mutual funds, how to start your own business, and how not to blow all your money at Ikea. Most of all, you'll learn that surviving in the real world isn't nearly as tough as it's cracked up to be. All you need is the right guide. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Could this be the real world?
Corporate scandals, unemployment, terrorism, wars, could this be the real world? Graduates today are facing some of the toughest times in US history, this book helps readers get on track after school and deal more effectively in our crazy world. The book is well written and has good advice to give readers a solid start in life. Another great book full of practical, easy to implement tips for the grad is Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey.

Could this really be the real world?
Corporate scandals, unemployment, terrorism, wars, could this be the real world? Graduates today are facing some of the toughest times in US history, this book helps readers get on track after school and deal more effectively in our crazy world. The book is well written and has good advice to give readers a solid start in life. Another great book full of practical, easy to implement tips for the grad is Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey.

Great resource
I was quite surprised at how interesting and practical this book was. Many books on personal finance or job finding can be grueling to read and filled with more hype than useful tips. But Stacy Kravetz writes well, and she knows what she's talking about. She also has a pretty healthy perspective on jobs and finding jobs, which can provide hope for the underemployed college grad. If you're looking to organize your life in a sensible way, it's definitely worth skimming through once, but it can be a good reference guide as well.

Excellent book for college graduates
This book is very well written and organized. I will definately refer back to this book in the future. It had a lot of excellent ideas for the recent college graduate, covering everything from resumes to investing. I really liked how the book was full of basic information that everyone needs to know. It also listed sources where one can find more information though other books and the internet.

What every college graduate needs to know
"Welcome to the Real World" is a wonderful resource tool for future graduates. Ms. Kravetz covers every aspect of how to survive in the "real world" after graduation. I do reccommend, however, that you buy this book one semester before graduation. This way you are one step ahead of everyone else. Thank you, Stacy Kravetz! ... Read more

Book Description

Written by the author of the most widely-used residential wiring book in the country, this new, concise resource is excellent for both classroom work and home use. It covers everything from lighting branch circuits, to small appliance branch circuits, on up to large appliance circuits. Users learn safe practices, methods, and materials required by the 1999 NEC® all within an applied on-the-job context.Features: -concise presentation of the latest house wiring methods required by the 1999 NEC®gives the latest, most up-to-date information-hundreds of examples, wiring diagrams, photos, and illustrations make it easier tolearn by showing visually what the NEC® covers textually-includes a set of two real electrical floor plans and two blank floor plans to helplearning through actual applications of NEC® rules-written in a language thats easy to understand, yet has all the details needed byelectricians and residential contractors to do the job right-all materials are consistent with NEC® requirements to ensure safety of people andequipmentALSO AVAILABLEINSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO ORDER Instructor's Manual, ISBN: 0-8273-8351-7 ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Outstanding book
Clear concise reading with lots of illustrations. I can't recommend it to beginners, but if you have a working knowledge of electrical wiring, this is a must read. Contains a multitude of information that the most DIYer books leave out.

A solid textbook... but not really for DIY's
This book is useful if you just want to learn the NEC. It's a textbook, with lots of exercises and chapter reviews. I'm a do-it-your-selfer and love working on my house. I have experience as an electronics technician, so I understand basic electrical theory. I bought this book along with Electrical Code Check and Black & Decker Advanced Home Wiring to have a reference for learning some residential electrical work. I really needed something in between. This book has lots of regulations, but it's not a fun read. The explanations are pretty dry and don't illustrate the "how-to" all that well. If you are learning to be an electrician, then this might be your book. But for us plain handy-folks, we'll still need a few more trips to Home Depot for more specific advice.

Great Details of How to Actually Wire Things
The book gave me an in-depth description of how to electrically wire my house. It purposely leaves out the mechanics of pulling wire, fixing dry-wall, etc., but describes exactly how to connect wires, outlets, receptacles, three-way switches, etc. My only complaint (very small) is that answers to the chapter questions in the book are omitted.

In my county, you need to pass a homeowner's exam on the 1996 National Electric Code (NEC) with regard to residential wiring to do electrical work on your home. This book on the 1999 NEC gave me the ability to pass the exam by referencing and illustrating exact portions of the NEC manual. It really pointed out the relevant information in the NEC manual. Changes between the 1996 rules and 1999 rules used in the book were slight and since the book referred to specific NEC sections, it was very easy for me to compare the rules. Although it's great to be able to pass the exam after studying the book, it additionally describes how to use this info so that you can wire your house.

Note it took me two weeks to completely study the book at about 2.5 hours per day. It was interesting reading though because the book made use of concrete examples and explained conceptually why the various NEC rules are needed.

An Excellent Reference
Hits a just-right level of depth between that of skinny hardware store "Step-by-Step" books and slogging through the code proper. Well illustrated, and lots of practical tips in addition to the code-required facts.

Excellent Resource for the Skilled Do-It-Yourselfer
Kind of a textbook for residential wiring with complete references to the 1999 NEC Code every step of the way. Very helpful for DIY folks who want to tackle simple, straightforward home electrical work SAFELY and to Code. Great book! ... Read more

Book Description

Our popular 4-booklet, spiral bound, series "21st Century Pocket Guides to Proper Business Protocol" ... now combined into one handy perfect-bound book!

The same four sections: "Creating First Impressions That Can Lead to Lasting Impressions," "Make the Work Environment Work for You," "Rules for the Wired," and "Have Office Will Travel: Doing Business in Social Settings and on the Road" are now in one easy-to-carry-on-the-road book

Updated content, new technology sections! ... Read more

Book Description

For real estate candidates who need to pass the exam to become a licensed salesperson.Four complete practice exams allow the reader to assess his or her strengths and weaknesses before exam day.In addition, the real estate math review and California real estate refresher course provide additional review material before this important exam.A glossary of more than 500 commonly tested real estate terms is useful not only for test preparation but also as a reference guide.The free CD-ROM allows readers to recreate actual test conditions. ... Read more

Book Description

The Cable Technology Sourcebook for the 21st Century

"A very useful reference work ... excellent technical overview." --Society of Cable Television Engineers Magazine (from a review of the first edition)

If you want to get on top of the powerful new technologies and challenges that are transforming the cable landscape, you can't find a better platform than this updated, expanded guide. Gene Bartlett's respected Cable Television Technology and Operations launched engineers, technicians, and managers with hands-on solutions to practical problems on the job.Now completely updated as the Cable Television Handbook, this guide provides the new answers you need today--plus solutions to problems coming down the pike.

*Find all the answers you need in the only full-service reference on the complete spectrum of modern cable topics
*Get clear coverage of new FCC regulations
*Solve wide-ranging technical and operational problems
*Apply operational tips for better service and lower costs
*Calculate answers quickly with easy-to-follow worked examples
*Install and service new types of cables, wiring, hubs, and transmission and control methods
*Understand signal sources
*Perform tests and measurements ... Read more

Book Description

Plan, sell, bid on, install, and upgrade home wiring for networked services

The industry explosion in whole-home wiring, also known as structured wiring, is a lucrative opportunity for cable installers, electricians, IT managers, and telecom equipment manufacturers to expand into the residential arena. Developed for BISCI’s internationally respected curriculum for Registered Residential Installers, Residential Network Cabling provides you with the most reliable residential network cabling manual available. This resource is compliant with NEC, FCC, ANSI/TIA/EIA, CEBus, Firewire, and Bluetooth standards and has been field-tested by tens of thousands of technicians in 85 countries. Here’s all the information and step-by-step training advice you need to master, including:

Book Description

The reader is provided with information on how to choose between the techniques and how to design a system that takes advantage of the best features of each of them. Imminently practical in approach, the book covers sampled data systems, choosing A-to-D and D-to-A converters for DSP applications, fast Fourier transforms, digital filters, selecting DSP hardware, interfacing to DSP chips, and hardware design techniques. It contains a number of application designs with thorough explanations. Heavily illustrated, the book contains all the design reference information that engineers need when developing mixed and digital signal processing systems.

*Brought to you from the experts at Analog Devices, Inc.
*A must for any electrical, electronics or mechanical engineer's reference shelf
*Design-oriented, practical volume ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Untangling mixed signals
This book is based on a set of Seminar Notes that had previously been available only from Analog Devices. It's refreshing to see this new edition, from Newnes, edited by Walt Kester, with its updated information-particularly in the digital signal-processing (DSP) area.

Packed with design information from engineers with years of experience, and backed up by many references, this volume covers the details of both analog and digital signal-processing (DSP), as well as the requisite analog-digital interfacing. Perhaps the best way to review it is to let the chapter headings speak for themselves:
Introduction-about real-world signals and signal processing, with a practical example

Sampled data systems: Discrete time sampling, static transfer functions and dc errors, ac errors in data converters, D/A converter dynamic performance

A/D converters for DSP applications: Successive-approximation, sigma-delta, flash, subranging (pipelined), bit-per-stage

D/A converters for DSP applications: DAC structures, low-distortion architectures, logic, interpolating, sigma-delta, direct digital synthesis (DDS)

Fast Fourier transform (FFT): Discrete Fourier transform (DFT), fast Fourier transform, FFT hardware and benchmarks, DSP requirements for real-time FFT, spectral leakage and windowing

Digital filters: Finite impulse response (FIR), implementations in DSPs, circular buffering, FIR designing, infinite impulse response (IIR), design techniques for IIR, multirate, adaptive

DSP hardware: Microcontrollers, microprocessors, and DSPs; DSP requirements; ADSP-21xx 16-bit fixed-point core; fixed-point vs. floating-point; SHARC DSPs; ADSP-2116x single-instruction, multiple-data (SIMD) core; TigerSHARC, static superscalar; DSP evaluation and CROSSCORE™ tools

Interfacing to DSPs: Parallel interfacing, reading from memory-mapped peripheral ADCs; writing to memory-mapped DACs; serial interfacing; I/O ports, analog front ends, and codecs; high-speed interfacing; DSP system interface

DSP applications: High performance modems for POTS; RAS modems; ADSL; digital cellular; GSM, SoftFone, Othello; analog cellular base stations; digital base stations; motor control, codecs and DSPs in voiceband and audio; sigma-delta ADC with programmable digital filter; applications summary

Hardware design techniques: Low-voltage interfaces, grounding in mixed-signal systems, digital isolation techniques, power-supply noise reduction and filtering, dealing with high-speed logic.

This is a book by a set of experts and edited by an experienced practitioner--Walt Kester, a Staff Applications Engineer at Analog Devices. He has designed, developed, and given applications support for high-speed ADCs, DACs, sample-hold amplifiers, op amps, and multiplexers--and it shows, as evidenced by his authoritative, practical, down-to-earth approach. ... Read more

Book Description

Combined with the two other Crash Course books, Digital Technology and Microprocessor Technology, this book forms a complete course in electronics and microcomputer technology appropriate for technical schools, industrial training, and hobbyists.

Crash Course in Electronics Technology teaches the basics of electronics, components, and circuits in an easy-to-understand format.Each chapter includes learning objectives, clear explanations and examples, and an end-of-chapter self-quiz. The drill-and-review software included with the book allows the learners to test themselves on the contents of each chapter, providing a second way to reinforce the material.A final chapter teaches the basics of troubleshooting circuits.
Louis Frenzel is an experienced electronics engineer and educator, as well as the author of many magazine articles and texts.He is currently based in Texas.

Drill-and-review software included.

Clear, easy format.

Self-paced introduction to electronics theory. ... Read more

Book Description

Professional electronic technicians preparing to take a Certified Electronics Technician (CET) exam will find this book an extremely helpful resource. Designed to serve as an overall review guide, it covers a wide range of information readers must know in order to pass the Associate-level section of the Certified Electronics Technician Exam and both the Consumer and the Computer Journeyman-level tests. Subjects covered include three-terminal amplifying circuits in consumer products, VCRs and compact disc players, televisions, digital and computer systems, and text equipment and troubleshooting. Review questions with all answers are included at the end of each chapter. Three complete 75-question exams and answers are provided at the end of the book. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Ambiguous and Rife with Errors
The number of errors and ambiguities in this book are astounding. I agree with the previous reviewer that you are better off studying elementary electronics text books.

CET Study Guide
I read this book cover to cover along with the Associate CET Study Guide 2003 edition that's put out by the Electronics Technicians Association and passed the Associate Certified Electronics Technicians exam no problem. If you are in an Electronics course already, and getting ready to graduate, both of these books will help you review everything quickly and get you ready for the CET test.
This book is not for someone that dosen't have a clue about Electronics but wants to get Certified.

GREAT RESOURCE
I do not understand what the hell the reviewer on January 13, 2003 is thinking. You have to be an electronic tech to take the test (with hands on-training). This book will clear up the cobwebs to take the test that a tech might not use everyday. I read the book and passed the CET (ETA and ISCET) associate test with ease. If people want to be handed the answers without learning the trade need to find a different career.

Junk
This book is useless. I purchased it to prepare for the CET certification exam and found it of no value whatsoever. I found errors and ambiguities. The book does not sufficiently delve into topics for one to prepare for the exam. It merely touches upon very specific minutia rather than a broad conceptual understandinging of testable material. Reading it is a waste of your time as all information can be found in an elementary electronics book, and buying it is a waste of your money. After purchasing and reading the book, I still am not prepared for the exam. I tried to give it away free but no one wanted it. ... Read more

Book Description

History, philosophy, legislation, and organizational structure are the basic cornerstones that enable readers to gain a thorough understanding of vocational and technical education. The History and Growth of Vocational Education in America is the first book to provide a relevant, up-to-date synthesis of all four study approaches. It provides an in-depth examination of such topics as gender, ethnicity, and special needs populations. The author also addresses the increasingly important role vocational education will play in meeting the needs of the aging "baby boom" workforce as they approach retirement. Readers seeking a career in this field will find a wealth of useful information on vocational student organizations, instructional programs and teacher preparation, and profiles of the leaders who have influenced vocational curriculum development. Chapter-by-chapter discussion questions and activities enhance the learning experience and provide further opportunities for research. ... Read more

Book Description

Many colleges aren't teaching teachers what they really need to know, and as a result, thousands of teachers are fleeing the profession on an annual basis. Bob Kitchen offers practical advice, not teacher speak rhetoric that helps in solving this problem. Sections include topics such as: how to find a job, how to prepare for the job, what to do and say on your first day, and how to handle various discipline situations that may arise throughout the first year. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Great!
I am a first year teacher, and I read this book toward the end of the school year.If only I had read it in the beginning!What a fantastic, practical guide for any first year teacher.Proof that you can learn from the experience of others.
Thank you for writing this book!

A great teacher
As a student of Mr. Kitchen, I have never had a better teacher than him! I know other teachers can be thought of like that, especially after they read his book.

Teachers need more books like this!
As a teacher and coach, I have found that I learn best how to most effectively improve my own methods by reading about the experiences of those who have been successful.In the field of coaching, there are countless wonderful books by championship coaches whose accounts of their ups and downs are most illuminating.In the field of education, we are woefully lacking.Bob Kitchen's book is a rare first-hand account from a teacher who has observed and absorbed numerous lessons from the front of the classroom -- some positive, some negative -- and all are enlightening to those who have stood in his shoes as a high school teacher.Though I teach math, I find myself wondering how I might incorporate Mr. Kitchen's methods for teaching English into my own curriculum.And his thoughts on discipline and class management certainly provide a valuable resource for teachers of any subject.

To me, the best thing about this book is its honest and analytical reflection of the highlights and lowlights of a tremendously productive teaching career from an author who is not too proud to admit his past mistakes yet not so humble as to hide the secrets to his powerful performance in the classroom.I am a better teacher for reading this book.

Recipe for success
Bob Kitchen has written a book containing a recipe for success for beginning and veteran teachers alike. His book is based on 20+ years of teaching and is practical and jargon-free. Bob gets right at the heart of why so many eager educators embark on a career which falls far short of their expectations. In a very accessible, conversational style Bob passes on many lessons - some of which he had to learn the hard way. He covers a wide range of topics from what you need to have in your desk to what to say the first day. His advice concerning dealing with parents, colleagues, administrators and staff members is clear and thoughtful.His anecdotal, conversational style is exactly what teachers regardless of experience need. He manages to pack more information into 94 pages than tiresome books that are much longer. I've taught for 30 years and have this book in my desk - you should too.

This is a must read for all teachers!
It would have been very helpful to have this book at the beginning of my career and, as a matter of fact, it's still nice to have it in my desk. The author's style is much more conversational, personal, and encouraging than many books dealing with similar topics. He obviously loves what he does, is quite good at it, and is willing to share openly and honestly. It is practical and accessible for all teachers, unlike many other books that are filled with jargon and theory. I loved the book, and I have recommended it to everyone on my staff. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique text fills the need for a convenient, single-volume reference source on the electrical theory that is the foundation of an electrical utility system. It describes the equipment and situations that line workers have to deal with daily, and features the "must know" information they need to work effectively and safely. The thorough explanation of theory increases the line worker's knowledge of the system being operated and maintained. The material is presented in a chronological order, taking the student logically from an overview of power systems through current technology affecting the operation of electrical utilities.Features:-complete picture of electric powerline field provides all references needed by a lineworker-comprehensive safety information helps employer meet legal requirementsALSO AVAILABLEINSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTS CALL CUSTOMER SUPPORT TO ORDER Instructor's Manual, ISBN: 0-7668-1679-6 ... Read more

Reviews (10)

This is the book that I recommend
Although this book is very generic, I found it extraordinarily helpful when doing my first academic job search (which is different from all the other job searches for which there are plenty of books). I moved through it chapter by chapter as my search progressed. This is the first book that I recommend to graduate students on doing the academic job search.

Essential guide & companion for those on the market
The earlier in your graduate career you obtain this book the better, since the section on planning your job search gives great advice about positioning yourself as an attractive candidate well before you start applying for jobs. I found the guide an invaluable companion over the seven month period that comprised my job search. The sample vitas, cover letters, and statements of teaching philosophy were especially useful, as was the extensive section on interviewing at conferences, on campus, and by phone. The tone was reassuring but realistic, and the advice was helpful both in conceptualizing aspects of the search (e.g., think of the interview as a conversation in which the evaluative aspect is made overt) and as a series of friendly, pragmatic tips (e.g., don't check luggage when flying to an interview; bring an escapist novel to read at the hotel). The book also contains sensible discussion of how to negotiate an offer, how to handle illegal or simply bizarre interview questions, what to wear, issues surrounding dual-career marriages, and after you've gotten a position, how to handle your new academic responsibilites and secure tenure. I recommend this book to everyone who aims at an academic position, and in the future, I will recommend it to my students!

Excellent book to have on hand when job searching.
For graduate students looking to the professorship, this book is nothing but helpful. I haven't read other books like this, I have to admit, but as I was clueless as to what happens when going on the job market, this book served me WELL.

The authors describe options I hadn't thought of, and ended up having to think about. There's specific descriptions of what happens in interviewing, in different types of institutions, and suggestions for writing up the documents needed for the dossier.

I felt I had the comfort of someone knowledgable with this book when sending out my application packets, preparing for the interviews, during the interview, and after. I even knew to write thank you letters. No faculty ever mentioned that to me! Faculty were giving me advice, but very minimally, I found after reading this book and going through the whole job search process.

All I know is that I found AND landed a job beyond my dreams, even making more money than I ever thought I would in the teaching field, and I start soon!

It is really helpful
It is a must-read book for any academic job applicants. Make sure you read it before you prepare your application materials. It will surelly save you a lot of time. It is really helpful in my job searching.

Worthless tripe
The authors seem to walk the line between stating the obvious and dispensing outright bad advice. On more than one occasion, they cross that line with reckless abandon.

First of all, the book is geared towards newly minted Ph.D.'s or ABD (All But Dissertation) graduate students who plan to enter the academic job market. The authors seem completely ignorant of the fact that in many disciplines, particularly the biological and physical sciences, Ph.D.'s first hold postodoctoral research positions for 2 - 5 years before entering the market. I cannot find a single reference to the word "postdoc." Thus, the book completely ignores anyone with a science degree, and all of the advice concerning "timetables for your search" and the advice to "have your degree in hand" is useless.

Secondly, some of the advice in the book is dubious, at best. The section on cv construction states:

"If you worked prior to attending graduate school at jobs you now consider irrelevant, you may summarize them with a statement such as 'Emmployment 1992-1994 included office and restaurant work.'"

To which my response is, "What the hell for?" If the work was "irrelevant," it has no business on a cv. Period. Unless, of course, your goal is to give the hiring committee a good laugh before tossing your cv into the rejection pile.

Don't worry, it gets worse. The section on writing a "Statement of Teaching Philosophy," which almost all liberal arts schools require, is all of one paragraph long. The authors' best advice is to "try to look at statements written by others in your department as well as those written by applicants to your department, if those are available to you."

Here's an idea: instead of using the last 19 pages of the book as appendices (also known as "filler"), why not actually give some EXAMPLES of teaching statements? I didn't spend money on a book just so I could ask other Ph.D.'s for samples from their application packages!

The section on research interests is equally inane.

The bottom line: If you're a liberal arts major, then maybe you'll get something useful from this book. If you're a science major, then buy "Tomorrow's Professor" by Richard Reis. It's three times as long, and about a hundred times as useful. ... Read more

Book Description

Long described by users as the most complete, motivating, and logical career-planning book on the market, the Fifth Edition of TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR CAREER DIRECTION continues to provide a straightforward introduction to the concepts of career choices and the importance of planning. It emphasizes the importance of self-exploration by empowering readers to look at themselves, their strengths and weaknesses, and their background and values, and then realistically evaluate the various opportunities in the world of work. ... Read more

Book Description

Competition for civil service jobs is tough, so applicants need to be prepared for the qualifying civil service exam. This book is the best resource to improve verbal skills to succeed on any civil service test.Readers will not only learn about the different types of civil service exams, but also about the most effective ways to prepare for any test, including preventing test stress and creating a study plan. ... Read more