Looking for advice on how to choose a career path? This dynamic approach goes straight to the source: asking real-world workers how they feel about their occupations.

After three decades in corporate America, Mike Wysocki wondered if the grass really was greener on the other side. So he put his background in sociology to work and spent years surveying industry veterans in a variety of occupations.

The responses were eye-opening: an honest, insider's look at what workers say about their careers outside of the office.

Wysocki chose the 101 most powerful responses for Careers By the People to demystify the world of work with practical experience rather than theory. These industry profiles pair the practicality of guidance counselors with the storytelling of a networking event (without the small talk).

Told in a Q&A format, insightful answers to thought-provoking questions include:

• descriptions of a day-in-the-life of the profession they chose.
• truths about conflicts, co-workers, and management.
• common misconceptions, issues and what pitfalls to avoid.
• what's fulfilling, what's draining, and what's worth it.

With humor and authenticity that doesn't hold punches, this career guidebook will help you narrow down career choices so you can determine what is best for you.

All paths lead to retirement—which one are you on?

Mike Wysocki always wanted to know what it's like to wake up to a career that you enjoy. So, he spent years researching occupations, culminating in his first book, Careers By the People. Or you could say that after thirty years, he's finally using his degree in sociology.

"Careers By the People should be on every guidance counselor's desk―and in every student's backpack. It's crisp, honest, informed, and wonderfully entertaining. At last, a practical, accessible guide for anyone seriously committed to finding that 'perfect' job!" --Coit D. Blacker, Professor Emeritus, Stanford University

“Don’t have time to test-drive 101 career paths to uncover what each one is really like? Thanks to Mike Wysocki, you won’t have to. Packed with thought-provoking and snackable wisdom, Careers By the People is like eavesdropping on others’ coffee chats, 101 times over.” - Gorick Ng, Career and first-gen student adviser; Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Unspoken Rules, Harvard University

"I love this book! If you're exploring career paths or hoping to manage or start a business, here's the road map of how real people think and feel about what they do all day. Careers By the People goes beyond facts and statistics and reveals with scintillating candor: How does this job feel? How can my work create meaning and value? How can I have a good life?" - John Bowe, co-editor of Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs

"While profoundly unveiling the curtain, Careers By the People does more than exemplify what it means to join the workforce but furthermore introduces scenarios and ideologies of which prove to be conducive to understanding realities and fiction within differentiating industries." - Rainier V. Gracial, Senior at California Baptist University

"This book is the perfect starting point for anyone seeking to explore new professional opportunities. As a career counselor with interest in hearing others' career stories, this is a collection of mini biographies written in a conversational way that makes it easy and enjoyable to read. As someone who works with job seekers who want to learn about different roles, organizations and industries, this book makes this step much easier. Each person's story provides candid answers to questions job seekers would be asking in informational interviews. This is an incredibly valuable resource that offers job seekers a glimpse of so many different jobs and careers while also providing them with both information and context that they can use as a starting point for further research." - Anne Grieves, Associate Director, Career Design, Northeastern University

"Students thrive when provided with straightforward, honest advice, and Careers By the People is like having candid conversations with dozens of experienced professionals about what works (and doesn't) when making important career decisions. An excellent resource for anyone getting started in the workforce or diving deeper into their goals." - Julie Morikawa, President, ClimbHI