The UnCollege Alternative: Your Guide to Incredible Careers and Amazing Adventures Outside College

Average customer rating:

disappointing

A Down-To-Earth Look at the Possibilities Beyond College

Educate Yourself on Alternatives

A fantastic resource for the adventure-minded!

the book every high schooler should be reading

The UnCollege Alternative: Your Guide to Incredible Careers and Amazing Adventures Outside College
Danielle Kwatinetz Wood
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060393084
Release Date: 2000-03-22

Book Description

Think College is the Only Path to Success? Think Again!

Want to think out of the box? Want to change your perspective on your future? Feeling ambivalent about going to college and going into debt? Then join the world of alternative thinking, risk-taking, adventure seeking, and change. Join the Uncollege revolution and learn that you can create a profitable, exciting, creative, and amazingly successful future without a college degree.

Whether you're a high school student considering your next step, a college student seeking change, or even a college graduate looking for creative alternatives to the conventional path, this is up-to-date guide will provide a wealth of life-changing ideas and resources, including advice on:

Great careers without a college degree
Taking time off before or during college
Opportunities for adventures around the world
Internships, apprenticeships, and training programs
Community service projects that pay
Starting your own business

You are living the most exciting time in history! Seize the day! Take the Uncollege Alternative!

Customer Reviews:

disappointing.......2004-02-16

I bought this book about a year ago when my son was a high school senior, and was briefly considering not going directly to college. The edition I have is copyright 2000, so perhaps the content is not the same as the item listed here. But when I looked into a number of the programs listed, I found that many actually required some college, or a specific field of study, or required participants be a certain age, or turned out to be unpaid volunteer programs rather than jobs or paid internships. I'd prefer to think that the 2000 edition is simply out of date (the research was probably done five years ago, or more). But I'm reluctant to recommend this book, at least for the purpose I sought it out -- finding opportunities for high school grads who don't want to go directly to college.

A Down-To-Earth Look at the Possibilities Beyond College.......2003-10-30

I first picked up this book when I was debating about whether or not to stay in college. Danielle Wood's witty, down-to-earth, and downright common sense is one of the things that helped me make up my mind.

In a society where college is seen as the ONLY way to go if you want to succeed, and it's becoming a very expensive way to go at that, more and more people are wondering if it's really all it's cracked up to be. This is a great book because it doesn't trash college in any way. It's just a sampling of what's out there if you decide NOT to go to college.

I referred back to this book when writing an article for my website titled "The Ecology of College," and it's as helpful now as it was then. When you're being pressured on all fronts to go to college, this book provides a fresh perspective by offering some healthy questioning and unbiased honesty.

If I could, I'd buy a copy for every high school senior I know. This is the kind of book that might make parents a little nervous, and readers a little anxious, but ultimately it'll help you make an informed decision, which beats ignorance any day.

Educate Yourself on Alternatives.......2002-02-08

The UnCollege Alternative is a great resource for those students who are in college and questioning whether or not they should be there. Ms. Wood makes an excellent point early on in the book: would you just walk into a store and point at something and say "ring it up", regardless of the cost? The author states that when students go on to college without really thinking it through as to whether or not college is for them - they are saying "ring it up" possibly for a $80,000 education.

What makes The UnCollege Alternative shine is the wide variety of potential career paths the author discusses, many of which can bring in significant incomes. She discusses all aspects of each career path: needed training, certification, potential income and job market, as well as providing a sort of "day in the life of" feel.

I think often students just go to college not knowing what they want to study, just going because that's what they are "supposed" to do. I recommend this book for ALL high school and current college students. Even if you decide that college is the right track for you, at least you are educated in what some alternatives are. It is important to know just what's out there before you potentially spend four years of your life and tens of thousands of dollars.

Another excellent book I recommend on a similar subject is "Taking Time Off" by Colin Hall and Ron Lieber.

A fantastic resource for the adventure-minded!.......2000-10-06

Ms. Woods offers an incredibly insightful and highly worthwhile probe into the worlds awaiting all of us outside of higher education (of an academic nature). She manages to be philosophic and pragmatic at the same time, enumerating a diverse range of concrete alternatives for those of us who wish to lead an alternative life. In a world of pre-fab opportunities and lifestyles, this compendium of ideas stands out as a unique perspective for anyone seeking new ways to fill their lives with adventure and inspiration. I, for one, intend to follow several pieces of her advice, and I would like to stress that this book is a valuable resource for anyone, of any age, seeking unusual answers to the usual metaphysical questions. Thanks a million, Danielle!!!

the book every high schooler should be reading.......2000-05-30

for any one who feels that they have no idea what they want to do, this is the perfect book for you. It has tips on every thing, from how to get basicaly a free education to how to become a merchant mariner.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from International Labour Review, published by International Labour Office on March 22, 2001. The length of the article is 507 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Commitment to full employment: The economics and social policy of William S. Vickrey.(Review)
Author: Christine L. Smith
Publication: International Labour Review (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2001
Publisher: International Labour Office
Volume: 140 Issue: 1 Page: 123

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

The antidote to Eats, Shoots and Leaves—an uproarious and very American language book for those who are tired of getting pulled over by the grammar police

What do suicidal pandas, doped-up rock stars, and a naked Pamela Anderson have in common? They're all a heck of a lot more interesting than reading about predicate nominatives and hyphens. June Casagrande knows this and has invented a whole new twist on the grammar book. Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies is a laugh-out-loud funny collection of anecdotes and essays on grammar and punctuation, as well as hilarious critiques of the self-appointed language experts.

Chapters include:
• I'm Writing This While Naked—The Oh-So Steamy Predicate Nominative
• Semicolonoscopy—Colons, Semicolons, Dashes, and Other Probing Annoyances
• I'll Take “I Feel Like a Moron” for $200, Alex—When to Put Punctuation Inside Quotation Marks
• Snobbery Up with Which You Should Not Put Up—Prepositions
• Is That a Dangler in Your Memo or Are You Just Glad to See Me?
• Hyphens—Life-Sucking, Mom-and-Apple-Pie-Hating, Mime-Loving, Nerd- Fight-Inciting Daggers of the Damned

Casagrande delivers practical and fun language lessons not found anywhere else, demystifying the subject and taking it back from the snobs. In short, it's a grammar book people will actually want to read—just for the fun of it.

Download Description

The antidote to Eats, Shoots and Leaves-an uproarious and very American language book for those who are tired of getting pulled over by the grammar police What do suicidal pandas, doped-up rock stars, and a naked Pamela Anderson have in common? They're all a heck of a lot more interesting than reading about predicate nominatives and hyphens. June Casagrande knows this and has invented a whole new twist on the grammar book. Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies is a laugh-out-loud funny collection of anecdotes and essays on grammar and punctuation, as well as hilarious critiques of the self-appointed language experts. Chapters include: * I'm Writing This While Naked-The Oh-So Steamy Predicate Nominative * Semicolonoscopy-Colons, Semicolons, Dashes, and Other Probing Annoyances * I'll Take ""I Feel Like a Moron"" for $200, Alex-When to Put Punctuation Inside Quotation Marks * Snobbery Up with Which You Should Not Put Up-Prepositions * Is That a Dangler in Your Memo or Are You Just Glad to See Me? * Hyphens-Life-Sucking, Mom-and-Apple-Pie-Hating, Mime-Loving, Nerd- Fight-Inciting Daggers of the Damned Casagrande delivers practical and fun language lessons not found anywhere else, demystifying the subject and taking it back from the snobs. In short, it's a grammar book people will actually want to read-just for the fun of it.

Customer Reviews:

Great Read.......2007-07-30

While reading Grammar Snobs I kept wondering if it was healthy to be laughing this much at a book on grammar. I read the book in one sitting (excluding 15-minutes to walk the dog and another 5-minutes hiding from a door-to-door salesperson) and it has to be one of the most user friendly books I've ever encountered when it comes to grammar. In addition. Casagrande may be the first author I've encountered who doesn't immediately disparage modern "netspeak" or attempts at countering racism and sexism in language. A great read for anyone looking to brush up on their grammar or to become better familiarized with writing.

Usage not Grammar.......2007-06-17

This is a usage guide, not a grammar guide.

Grammar snobs beware!.......2007-05-25

I'm not an English major or teacher, but an engineer who occasionally writes technical and marketing literature. Although I've always had a keen grasp of tricky English rules and exceptions, at times I still fumble with such details as "which" vs. "that" and "three" vs. "3". I thought this book was hilarious and a fun way to learn the tricky rules. I usually have a very short attention span when reading any type of rule book. However, June's short and humorous chapters made this book easy to read. Besides the definite grammar rules, the best thing I got from this book is learning that, in many cases, there are no definite rules. The major sources of English reference disagree with each other, and the rules change over time. This quickly put my mind at ease as I often thought I was going crazy when reading different writing styles. I highly recommend this book for anyone who does any kind of writing for a living.

You must be a grammar snob if you gave this less than 4 stars!.......2007-05-01

This book is hysterical! I (or is it me?) and most of my friends are at a loss when it comes to correct punctuation and grammar. We know most of it but, gosh darn if it isn't sometimes way too tricky! And we thought we were the only ones!! I personally cringe at the thought of using the words lie, lain, lay or whatever the heck it is and opt for something else.

While I did pick up some useful tips, I think the way in which she handles this topic is "right on" for so many of us. Her information is serious and yet delivered with such humor and ease, that I actually found myself recommending this book to others. And who, except a small group of grammar snobs, EVER recommends a grammar book to a friend??!!

Lighten up and enjoy the humor!

My favorite grammar book.......2007-02-02

I'm a freelance writer who has a shelf full of reference books, because ... sadly ... even though this is my profession I often get caught not quite knowing why something is right or wrong. It's a complicated language OK! Love, love, love, love this book. As entertaining as it is informative. I've highlighted and sticky-noted several pages. Chapter 35 actually happened to me too ... almost verbatim.

Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: a Guide To Language for Fun and Spite

Average customer rating:

Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies: a Guide To Language for Fun and Spite
June Casagrande
Manufacturer: Tantor Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N66PG4

Book Description

The Band, who backed Bob Dylan when he went electric in 1965 and then turned out a half-dozen albums of beautifully crafted, image-rich songs, is now regarded as one of the most influential rock groups of the '60s. But while their music evoked a Southern mythology, only their Arkansawyer drummer, Levon Helm, was the genuine article. From the cotton fields to Woodstock, from seeing Sonny Boy Williamson and Elvis Presley to playing for President Clinton, This Wheel’s on Fire replays the tumultuous history of our times in Levon’s own unforgettable folksy drawl. This edition is expanded with a new afterword by the authors.

Customer Reviews:

Everything I wanted to know..........2007-09-21

This is an excellent source for those wanting to know about The Band. It's always better to have a first hand description of events. There was so much I didn't know or understand about The Band, and to get the information directly from Levon was unbeatable. Very entertaining, easy to read, hard to put down. Excellent portrait of the '50's - '60's Toronto club scene of which very little seem to be known, but was very relevant as a lot of important figures came from it. It'll make you want to listen to the albums again, but much more closely. You really want to get a real taste of what it was like to be around these great musicians and men.

This Wheel's on Fire.......2007-09-08

This is a FABULOUS read !!! I was mesmerized by the entire book regarding the story of the Band. It had me in tears at times !!

Great Book !.......2007-08-23

Levon with Richard and Rick and Garth tell it like it was in a "down home" way. I found it a fascinating read that made a lot of their songs take on a whole new meaning for me. After reading it I had to pull out all the old Band LP's and was delighted to hear them again with a new perspective. If you liked The Band... BUY THE BOOK !!

Best Seat In The House.......2007-08-01

A fascinating story about the best band ever.Written in a conversational down home style that's most enjoyable.If your a fan of The Band your going to love it. I could'nt put it down!!!

A treasure trove of inside info about The Band .......2007-07-11

"This Wheel's On Fire" is an amazingly comprehensive history of the life and times of The Band, from their formation to their ultimately sad disintegration, told from the perspective of Levon Helm, drummer, singer, co-founder of this legendary conglomeration of talented musicians. Readers will learn an astoundingly amount of industry-insider info about the musicians, as well as a blisteringly honest and candid assessment of the music industry. Told from the perspective of Levon, with source input from other Band members, producers, engineers, arrangers, and musicians, this book rips apart the curtains of secrecy, rumour, and innuendo, revealing just what goes on in the process of becoming what many in the industry consider to be one of the seminal groups of rock and roll history.

This Wheel's On Fire Levon Helm and the Story of the Band

Average customer rating:

This Wheel's On Fire Levon Helm and the Story of the Band
Levon with Stephen Davis Helm
Manufacturer: Wm. Morrow
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000PRZ45E

Average customer rating:

This Wheel's On Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band
Levon Helm w/ Stephen Davis
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J5YRQY

Book Description

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.

"A perspicacious new book and one of the most intellectually exciting works of recent years, Boricua Pop: Puerto Ricans and the latinization of American Culture gives new meaning to the idea of the >>pleasure of the text. < <"—QBR

"Provocative and broad-ranging . . . This eclectic, always interesting work will be certain to elicit discussion among faculty and students of ethnic studies, US popular culture, and Puerto Rican and Latino studies."—Choice

"Mixing the down and dirty with high culture to come up with good look at the transculture effects of it all."
—San Juan Star

”a groundbreaking piece of work on the persistence of colonialism-irreverent, tragicomical, and bittersweet.”
—New West Indian Guide

"Important, timely, and innovative, Boricua Pop is a stellar addition to a body of work that grows in importance over time. Negrón-Muntaner's book is eagerly anticipated."
—José Quiroga, author of Tropics of Desire

"Boricua Pop" is a foundational text in American, Latino/a, Queer, Performance, and Cultural Studies."
—Alberto Sandoval-Sánchez, Mount Holyoke College

Boricua Pop is the first book solely devoted to Puerto Rican visibility, cultural impact, and identity formation in the U.S. and at home. Frances Negrón-Muntaner explores everything from the beloved American musical West Side Story to the phenomenon of singer/actress/ fashion designer Jennifer Lopez, from the faux historical chronicle Seva to the creation of Puerto Rican Barbie, from novelist Rosario Ferré to performer Holly Woodlawn, and from painter provocateur Andy Warhol to the seemingly overnight success story of Ricky Martin. Negrón-Muntaner traces some of the many possible itineraries of exchange between American and Puerto Rican cultures, including the commodification of Puerto Rican cultural practices such as voguing, graffiti, and the Latinization of pop music. Drawing from literature, film, painting, and popular culture, and including both the normative and the odd, the canonized authors and the misfits, the island and its diaspora, Boricua Pop is a fascinating blend of low life and high culture: a highly original, challenging, and lucid new work by one of our most talented cultural critics.

Customer Reviews:

Boricua Pop is Sensational.......2007-09-16

Few books interrogate the legacy of colonialism and the politics of Puerto Rican "shame" in and out of the island from such an informed and deeply felt sense of conviction born of intellectual aptitude and intellectual passion. Frances Negrón Muntaner is to be commended for this. A fantastic and necessary book for anyone wanting to learn about Puerto Rico and it's various post 1898 afterlives.

Wonderfully written and sophisticated book!.......2007-07-01

It boggles my mind how anyone could think that this book is spiteful and useless. I have read this book cover to cover and find it to be a wonderfully written and sophisticated book, even humbling to most who read it. Also, after you read the book, you understand that the cover is about an important moment for Puerto Ricans in American culture, not about Ricky Martin as an individual. Yet, one thing is for sure: This book is not for die-hard fans but for people who want to think about Latino culture.Boricua Pop: Puerto Ricans and American Culture (Sexual Cultures)

Ricky Martin Fans, Don't Buy this Book.......2007-06-29

Although there is an attempt to sell this book to Ricky's fans by putting Ricky's picture on the cover, if you are a Ricky Martin fan, don't buy this book. The author clearly hates and envies Ricky and the chapter on him is insulting and extremely negative. The rest of the book contains nothing to redeem it. I am sorry that I spent any money on this spiteful, useless book.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!!.......2004-06-08

The negative review from Moscow was, in my opinion, very unfair. This is one of my favorite chess books. It shows how Adams' play developed through his childhood through maturity. True, it does not address some of the points that the Moscow reviewer notes, but why do reviewers rate books so much based on the title? This is a games collection by a top GM, annotating his own games. Adams is succinct, instructive, blunt, and he plays a universal e4- repertoire that is woderful for the average player to emulate. I have over 500 chess books, and this and its sequel, "Chess in the Fast Lane" have emerged over time as two of my favorite games-collection books. They are very worth having, especially for the cheap used price you can find. I will not part with my copies. In fact, I have this book in my briefcase with me at work today!

Worst book in my chess library.......2003-07-25

Don't take me wrong: I admire Adams' style. It reminds me of Capablanca and Karpov. He plays classical, good positional chess. However, this book is a failure. The prose is dry, almost soporific. The reader is left in the dark as how Adams became the exceptional player that he is. How many hours per week did he put studying chess when he was a boy? What books had the most influence on him? Did he spend more time studying openings, middle game positions or endings? What about strategy and tactics? This is what one would expect of a book called "Development of a Grand Master", especially when it was written by the grand master's father. But no, you will get no answers for such questions in this book. What you do get is a series of stories about young Adams playing this and that tournament, winning against this opponent, losing to the other one, and so on. These stories are intercalated with a couple of anecdotes and pictures, as well as some poorly annotated games. No wonder you can buy, as I did, a used copy of this book for less than US$5.00. This is a serious candidate for the title of worst book in my chess library.

Amazing!.......2003-05-30

A wonderful and unique chess journey through Michael Adams career, as told by his father, with all the games annotated by Michael. Many of his first competitive games are here, and you see him make typical mistakes that we all make, when he was 8 and 9 years old. Then you see him improve steadily. It is a marvelous thing to see this type of progression in a book. Most game collections by GMS just have them destroying other GMs. This is the only book I can think of that shows a GMs early games, played when he was a mere mortal. This is not ony very instructive, but somewhere in the book is the transition in play from an intermediate club player to a GM. The lessons are there for you to absorb. It is a beautifully written and annotated book. I think it belongs on everyone's shelf, and that it, along with its sequel, Chess in the Fast Lane, have been seriously overlooked by the masses of chess players. Because of this, you can get each of them cheap used, and I suggest that you snatch them up while this book can still be found. Adams comes across very much as a normal guy, and this book, in addition to its inherent strengths, also gives hope to the aspiring player that with hard work, he can improve! Highly recommended.

Simple, clear, exceeds expectations.......1999-12-09

On paper, a chess bio of a grandmaster authored by the grandmaster's father with the grandmaster's help has all the sad rings of a "puff piece" about it. This book avoids falling into this trap through a simple, unadorned style that makes us feel as though Michael Adams is a person who became a grandmaster, rather than some monolithic genius of chess above common humanity. The book uses games and brief discussion to take us from Adams' childhood early folly at the game up until he breaks through into the GM ranks. We get a sense of prodigy, hard work, and of a supportive dad. Is there much more we need from this type of book?

Michael Adams: Development Of A Grandmaster.

Average customer rating:

Michael Adams: Development Of A Grandmaster.
Bill & Michael Adams
Manufacturer: Pergamon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OGR1KM

Book Description

The Definitive Guide to Plone is the authoritative, unique guide to Plone, describing everything from installing Plone (on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux) to writing code for the system. The book - part of Apress’s library of Python programming and content management tools, and written by one of Plone’s core development team - emphasizes the customization of Plone, and shows how to fully integrate Plone into an existing Web site and application. If you want to adopt Plone for some or all of its features, this is the book to pick up and learn by.

Customer Reviews:

Great book, but also shows why Plone advocates fail at marketing.......2007-05-07

I did enjoy this book, but it sums up the Geek Overload route most bare-metal Python coders take in promoting Plone as a CMS.

The book is 568 pages long, but after page 144 it pretty much turns into a Python coding book with a few bones tossed out as to how to annotate your HTML to point at all the Python scripts you're supposed to write for new products, archetypes, etc.

I had hoped for a thick TAL section with explanations on how to customize existing portlets and templates to summarize News items with different display attributes, but again, yet another Python programming book fills up the manual.

Please, someone could make LOTS of cash writing a Plone applications book without all the bare-metal Python injections. Where is *that* book?

Good book for beginner.......2007-03-11

Not involved too much of programming stuff. Good for starter. I found it easier to understand than "Begining Python". There is also online version of this book out there. Free of charge.

could be better.......2007-01-17

This book provides an ok introduction to Plone, but it couldn't answer a lot of my questions when I was trying to use it to learn how to program in Plone. It is NOT a definitive guide, more of a tutorial explaining how to do a number of different, specific tasks. My opinion of this book is probably also influenced by my negative opinion of Plone itself. There are far less convoluted content-management systems available.

Good gentle introduction.......2006-02-18

Well written introduction for those who like gentle approach. Of course what's gentle for one person is harsh for another. Three months ago I didn't know anything about python, zope and plone. I found the book too thick for the amount of information it contained, especially because it was aimed mostly at people working directly with the web interface to zope and plone. When writing my new plone product - a tool in python - I soon ran out of knowledge based on the book. For me a lot more of serious python examples of Plone API would work better. So if you are an experienced programmer, with knowledge in dynamic languages (Lisp) and want to learn about this interesting new web technology you are probably better off looking for online resources on plone.org and zope.org than buying this book.

THE plone book.......2005-10-19

This book is a good introduction and a good reference for plone. Although it may be a bit dated due to the newest release of plone, the bulk of the information applies to all versions.

The Definitive Guide To Plone (Definitive Guide To)

Average customer rating:

The Definitive Guide To Plone (Definitive Guide To)
Andy Mckay
Manufacturer: Apress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N64UQ6

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