How to Start

Discovering Your Life's Work

De: Jodi Kantor

Narrado por: Jodi Kantor

With warmth, honesty, and inspired wisdom, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jodi Kantor expands on her triumphant Columbia University commencement address, tackling the question, "How, in this environment, is anyone supposed to find and start their life's work?”

Jodi Kantor’s groundbreaking reporting has toppled media magnates, sparked reform worldwide, and foretold many of the unsettling changes we see in the workplace today. But before all of this, Kantor was kicked off her college newspaper. Society expects perfection, but Kantor knows those first professional steps are often rocky. She also knows that young people are facing new and frightening terrain, with political upheaval, skyrocketing costs of living, and the unknowns of AI.

Kantor casts aside platitudes and false hope to offer tangible help. Work is how we spend much of our time. It’s our engine of progress: how cancer therapies are invented, political campaigns won, thrilling art created and matched with an audience. Instead of letting cynicism take over, Kantor identifies two principles to help young people discover their life’s work: craft and need. By pairing the two, they can navigate tough, sensitive choices: how to think about money. How much risk to take on. When to buck what others are saying.

Powerful and provocative, How to Start is a statement of faith for young people as they make their way through uncertain times, offering wisdom, strategy, and a set of aspirations to launch their careers and last their whole lives.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“In this current storm of unease and uncertainty, Kantor’s wisdom is a jolt of hope. Full of practical advice and hard truths, this book is a must read for anyone at the beginning of a career journey.”—Shonda Rhimes, producer, TV writer, and author of Year of Yes

“Kantor doesn’t show us how to do it her way; she shows us how to find our own way. Young people, people starting over, and those wondering what comes next will love and appreciate this inspiring yet practical guide.”—Ashley C. Ford, author of Somebody’s Daughter

“Kantor has written the antidote to both toxic hustle culture and passive despair. She doesn't sugarcoat the brutal realities facing young people today, but she refuses to accept defeat. Drawing on decades of investigative reporting and her own hard-won experience, she charts a path between cynicism and naivety. Smart, practical, and moving. A clear-eyed, generous book for confusing times.”—Jennette McCurdy, author of Half His Age and I’m Glad My Mom Died

"A model of real, grounded, hard-headed optimism in these days of crisis and anxiety – useful not only for new graduates but for all of us."—Oliver Burkeman, author of Four Thousand Weeks

“The moment of starting is so important – and so challenging. Kantor makes it easier, with practical suggestions and real-life examples. I dog-eared passages to send to my daughters immediately.”—Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project

“I loved it. LOVED IT. I will be gifting copies to every emerging adult I know.”—Jessica Lahey, author of The Gift of Failure

The brave new world of figuring out how to make a living out of what you enjoy and are good at.

I enjoyed listening to the stories illuminating the points you’re making and the interesting, meaningful insights you share with us. I bought the print version and gave it to my daughter who had recently quit her job because the company had laid off a third of the workforce as a cost cutting measure while expecting the remaining two thirds to handle 100% of the work.

I heard your interview on Deadline Whitehouse with Nicole Wallace. Also because my daughter was contemplating looking into getting a job as an Uber driver in the meantime. Having spent a year driving a Yellow Cab, I wanted her to think about some other alternatives.

Thank you for writing this book. And for making this voice version available. My eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be and I enjoyed listening to your rendition of it.

No tangible take aways

Nice personal stories but I still don’t know how to start, just that I should? I am left wondering if I missed a chapter?

Optimistic for people w/ 0-5 year work experience

I preordered this after listening to an interview with the author where she said the book was for anyone making a fresh start. This book is a strong dose of optimism for young people and possibly their parents, but not anyone else. I am 15 years in to my career and this book does not include how to start over. Considering Jodi Kantor knows sources who have had their careers ruined (often due to retaliation) I thought she would include that kind of "starting over" in her advice. I was hesitant going into this book because the author has worked for one institution her whole career, but again, I thought her journalism experiences would include stories of colleagues being laid off, or other life twists and turns. The general advice to know yourself, prioritize have good relationships, and find a great boss is true, it just does not address the actual barrier people are facing right now.