Summer Reading for Career Exploration

Elizabeth Schnell, College Consultant

We often recommend that students’ summer plans include some investigation of
careers. Activities like jobs by internships by or camps present one way to explore, but
sometimes those opportunities aren’t available or conflict with other summer
commitments. Informational interviewing, another vital tactic and life skill to develop
career literacy, is easier to pursue once a student has determined a strong area of
interest.

Another approach is to find a good book to help provide a glimpse into a career
possibility. You can carry it with you on vacation or camp or keep it available to pick up
during downtimes. This way of learning is tailor-made for students who already love to
read, and for other students, can provide a practical goal to inspire broader reading
habits. Plus, it guarantees you’ll have an interesting answer to “what are you reading?”
a question many students will encounter in a college interview or supplemental essay.
Fiction like Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird has probably launched legions of aspiring
criminal defense lawyers over the past 50 years, but not all fiction does a good job of
illuminating careers. More likely sources are non-fiction, including memoirs, biographies,
and general audience works on various topics.

The list below is just a starting point for some of the common areas of interest our
students are pursuing and represents a small slice of the range of possible careers.
Multiple other sources can generate ideas for you on any profession:

Ask a friend or family member for a recommendation that gives a realistic view of
their profession.
Ask AI to generate a customized reading list to introduce an area of interest,
using criteria as broad or specific as you like. You can even specify the desired
reading level.
See the reference librarian at your school or local library to find out what you can
access through their resources.
See book recommendation sites like Shortform or Penguin

Happy Reading!

Medicine

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi,
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Paul Farmer
Emperor of All Maladies by Siddartha Mukerjee

Veterinary

The Vet at Noah’s Ark by Doug Mader

Science

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben

Environmental/Climate Change

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Superpower by Russell Gold

Engineering

Skunkworks by Ben Rich

Law

Just Mercy by Brian Stephenson
A Civil Action by Jonathan Harr
The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffery Toobin

Business

Liar’s Poker by Michael Lewis
Monkey Business by John Rolfe and Peter Toob
Moneyball by Michael Lewis
Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy
Notes to a Young Entrepreneur by Gary Nealon
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (Nike) – or another founder’s memoir about a business you admire

History