You're Too Smart for This: Beating the 100 Big Lies about Your First Job

by Michael Ball

Your first job isn't all it's cracked up to be . . . You just spent $100,000 on a college degree to make photocopies. And your manager probably isn't even happy with them. Life at the entry level... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1402205988
• ISBN13: 9781402205989
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Length: 342 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 7.1"

Customer Reviews

So funny, so true!

The big difference between You're Too Smart for This and other first-job books--believe me, I've read them ALL--is how TRUE and FUNNY this one is! Instead of being so serious and preachy, Michael Ball communicates the big work and life lessons with humor and wit. And not that "oh yeah, ha-ha" kind of humor; I mean, you really laugh out loud with this stuff! (Although some of it is kind of edgy, so be aware if you're easily offended...). Plus the book is broken up into nice, bite-sized sections. In fact, I don't think that any "lie" is more than 4 or 5 pages long. This makes the book very "flippable"--you can get in and out fast, and come back to it whenever you want. On top of all this, it's unflinchingly honest: no punches pulled. It's the straight dope, whether you want to hear it or not. The author doesn't apologize to the reader, or try to make you feel like you're above the gruntwork. Instead, he tells you how to deal with it and move on to the bigger stuff ASAP. I can't recommend this book enough. You'll be informed, entertained, and infinitely better prepared for your career!

A Book That Levels with You!

This is probably the only book on the market that actually tells you what's what in Corporate America from a new worker's standpoint. Michael Ball covers everything from bosses to office politics to getting promoted to building a personal brand. And all the quotes and little sidebars are freakin' hilarious! If you're a new grad, you've got to get this one!

The raw truth about the real world

Michael Ball's book is a brutally candid manual for the new college graduate starting out in the corporate world. Written in a witty, often bawdy style, it parses out specific advice and general wisdom, distinguishing between the expectations the new employee may hold and the realities of entry-level work. Ball's straight talk is dressed up with pertinent quotes from a broad range of sources, including philosophers and novelists, management books, business case studies and popular culture. Some of his advice is common sense, like admonitions against romancing your co-workers or being too vocal in meetings. Some of it exposes nuances of the corporate environment, including office politics and how organizations form and operate. We recommend this book to the novice job holder, who will benefit from being forewarned. We also recommend it to human resources executives, managers who deal with recent college graduates and senior managers who want insights about what is going on at the ground level. The book's structural gimmick - its refutation of so-called "lies" about the corporate world - can seem like shtick. Although the lies are entertaining, the book actually communicates a number of useful truths. Those who learned life's lessons the hard way will find confirmation in Ball's maxims; they may be the first to suggest that those who are starting their careers should start reading this first.

Great advice, plus he's funny! Get this book, and be smarter instantly.

Some books beat around the bush, merely hinting at what they really want to say. Michael Ball just comes out and says what you need to hear. "You're Too Smart For This" is an excellent guide for college seniors/soon-to-be graduates who are wondering what to expect in the "real world." The workforce is much different than college, and anyone getting ready to plunge into their first job would be well-served to read this practical and humorous advice. The book is even chopped up into easy-to-read sections, so you will never feel overwhelmed. I wish I had this book back when I was 21 and getting ready to leave the Ivory Towers.

I AM Too Smart for This -- the book gets it RIGHT!

I read Michael Ball's first book (@ the Entry Level), nodding the whole way. As an intelligent fresh college grad from an A-level institution, I entered the corporate world with wide eyes and an overly-bushy tail only to be stuck in a cube to do my manager's work for him. "@ the Entry Level" was a great narrative on the transition from college to the working world, but "You're Too Smart For This" really hones in on the intricacies of why my collegiate courses miss the boat on prepping grads on the working world in general and how, amidst all the copies and coffee, I may be better guided in finding my passion in my working life. "You're Too Smart For This," in essence, should have been a senior year requirement in my mind! Definitely a 5 star book -- I finished it a week ago and ready to read it again.