Escape from Corporate America: The Book and the Quiz

Ever since I wrote The No Asshole Rule, I get a lot of requests to write endorsements, or “blurbs” as they call them, for the jackets of book. This is somewhat ironic as, of the four books I wrote, only The No Asshole Rule has no blurbs, yet it is has outsold all my other books combined. And having gone through the process getting endorsements multiple times, one of the weirdest things that happens is that my editors and literary agents always tell me “They don’t matter for sales, but you have to have them anyway.” So even the people who want these things think they are suspect.

Regardless of the effect on sales, I do enjoy being asked to write blurbs. I turn down most of the requests as I only endorse books that I like a lot. Of the half-dozen book or so I’ve endorsed in the past year, perhaps the best is Pamela Skillings’ brand new Escape from Corporate America. This lovely book blends tools to help you decide if you ready to make your escape, great advice about to how to implement it, and compelling stories about people who have made the escape.  I also love the cover. 

I think the book especially resonates with me because I seem to be surrounded with so many people who have made the escape.  My wife Marina did so after 25 years at her law firm and is wildly happy in her new job as CEO of the Northern California Girl Scouts. I also do a lot of teaching at the d.school with Debra Dunn and Michael Dearing, both of whom have made recent escapes – from HP and eBay in their cases. And Pam wrote this book --- her first book – because she made her own escape and it made her curious to learn more. In my blurb, I said it is the best career book I’ve read – and that is still how I feel about it.

Check out Pam’s blog as it is filled with information.  Also, as I learned from ARSE, everyone loves quizzes, so here is Pam’s quiz, which I found unusually useful

QUIZ: ARE YOU A CORPORATE CASUALTY?

From ESCAPE FROM CORPORATE AMERICA by Pamela Skillings

Do you really need this book? Are you just having a bad week or are you at the end of your rope?  Take this quiz to find out if you need to make an escape from Corporate America.

1. Rate your general job satisfaction:

a. I love what I do.

b. I have more good days than bad days.

c. It could be worse, I suppose.

d. I hate my job.

2. If you won or inherited a million dollars tomorrow, would you continue on the same career path?

a. Definitely.  I'd take a great vacation and buy a few toys, then get back to work.

b. Probably not.  With a financial cushion, I would likely take the time to explore my options.

c. Hell, no!  Are you crazy?

3. Which statement best expresses your feelings toward your job?

a. I enjoy what I do for the most part.

b. Sometimes I fantasize about quitting to do something else.

c. I am actively exploring other career options.

d. I only stay in my job for the paycheck. If money weren't an issue, I would leave.

4. What are your long-term career goals?

a. I am on a good career path, and my current job is a step along that path.

b. I feel a bit stuck and unsatisfied, but I'm not sure what I want to do instead.

c. The idea of staying on my current career path for the rest of my life gives me the cold sweats.

5. Are you pursuing your dream career?

a. Yes.

b. I'm not sure.

c. No.

6. Do you get the Sunday-night blues?

a. Not really.

b. Sometimes.

c. I get the every-night blues.

7. How do you feel at the end of an average workday?

a. Proud and happy.

b. Tired, but satisfied.

c. What was the point?

d. Miserable.

8. Where do you see yourself in five years?

a. In a bigger job at my current company or at a similar firm.

b. On a different career path within the corporate world.

c. I am actively exploring other career options.

d. I only stay in my job for the paycheck. If money weren't an issue, I would leave.

9. Do you feel energetic and positive at work?

a. Most of the time.

b. Occasionally, but not as much as I'd like.

c. Rarely or never.

10. Which of the following are among the positive aspects of your current job?  Check all that apply.

__ Interesting work.

__ Growth opportunities.

__ Great boss.

__ Pleasant co-workers.

__ Fair pay.

__ Good benefits.

__ Flexibility.

__ Fulfillment.

__ Pride in what I do.

__ A company that cares about me and/or treats me well.

11. Which of the following are among the negative aspects of your job?  Check all that apply.

__ I spend excessive amounts of time in meetings, documenting meetings, and scheduling follow-up meetings.

__ I can't remember the last time I felt truly excited about a work project.

__ I put in long hours mostly because of other people's ego trips.  This includes face time, cleaning up messes, or staying late because others screw up or delay decisions.

__ I need at least two levels of approval on any decision.

__ Knowledge and ability are less important than who I know and how well I can BS.

__ I'm not quite sure what my job accomplishes, aside from making money for shareholders and senior management.

__ I don't feel passionate about anything I do at work.  It feels like I'm putting in time for a paycheck.

__ I dread going to work most mornings and come home exhausted.

__ I don't see a future that I can get excited about.

__ I have been a victim of or a witness to bullying or blatantly unfair treatment.

Calculating Your Score:

* For questions 1-9, give yourself 3 points for every A answer, 2 points for every B answer, 1 point for every C answer, and 0 points for every D answer.

* For question 10, give yourself 1 point for every item you checked.

* For question 11, deduct 1 point for every item you checked. Deduct 2 points each for checking either of the last two items.

What Your Score Means:

28-37 You are ridiculously satisfied. Against all odds, you love your corporate job.  You might want to read on for a true appreciation of just how good you've got it.

17-27 You are on the fence.  Your corporate job is okay, but something is missing.  If your current career isn't your true calling, what is? This book can help you explore your options.

6-16  You are disgruntled.  You don't like your corporate job, but you're trying to make it work. Unfortunately, your feelings of frustration and rage may be starting to take a toll on your personal life.  Read on for some solutions.

Less than 5  You need an intervention. Stat.  Your corporate job is making you miserable.  You desperately need to read this book and figure out your escape plan.

I just took the quiz, and I scored 32. I better count my blessings. I complain about Stanford now and then and even tried to escape to UC Berkeley once. It was a most instructive failure, as I realized that the Stanford Engineering School was a much more flexible and open-minded place than the Haas Business School at Berkeley. I also learned to ignore my salary, and especially, to not use it as an indicator of my self-worth. I took a huge (about 35%) pay cut when I returned to Stanford (because business schools pay a lot more than engineering schools). I’ve always said that it was one of the best decisions I ever made and Pam’s book and quiz reinforces the point.  Also, in my exit interview, I told the Berkeley dean that one of the reasons that I was leaving the UC Berkeley was BECAUSE of the pay system. They had one of the most dysfunctional pay systems I have ever seen (it wasn't her fault, that is how the entire university operated), as it seemed to mostly reward people for going out to other schools and getting large offers -- which it often matched, or failing that, at least gave faculty big raises. As such, the smartest faculty, or at least those most motivated by money (or perhaps those who were massively underpaid) seemed to devote huge chunks of their time to looking for jobs in other places rather than devoting energy to helping their home institution. Stanford is sensitive to the market, but is much better about rewarding people for giving back to the institution and NOT rewarding people who are constantly trying to game the system with external offers. I think everyone -- including the students --win as a result.

Back to Pam's book -- I think it is going to a best-seller, at least it deserves to be one. I also think the timing is good as lots of people are being forced out of jobs and, even for those who aren't, things can be lot less fun as companies push to cut costs and salaries and to squeeze ever more of every employee.

P.S. If you buy the book and love it as much as I do, please write Pam a 5 star review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble. When a book is brand new, especially for a first-time author like Pam, those kinds of things really help.

Comments

[harry haller]

i work in a bank and i took this quizz in my office - you can see what i'm looking for on the web. I scored 11; it's clear that i have to escape
thanks for the quizz

[Karthik Bangalore India]

Great quiz, MY score was 27 and on the fence. Yes, I know what I want to do but waiting to fulfill my responsibility on the Personal side (to some extent) and then move on to carry out what I truly want to do. That is the norm in this part of the world.

Yes, there is time to do that, It is just a matter of time before that road to travel arrives.

Thanks for working this out. As for the book I hope it is available in Indian book shops soon.
Regards
Karthik
Bangalore.

[Lisa]

This book sounds amazing. You made it sound very exciting to read. Just ordered it, so I pray it works.