Book Review by Jack Falt
There a few examples given of people that are unhappy in their work because they are not doing the kind of work that would appeal to their colour (temperament). There are lots of lists of descriptive phrases that relate to each colour and help the individual verify his or her own colour.
The career section includes word lists of values for each colour, and natural skills and talents lists as well. These help identify what the individual brings to the job search. The True Colors program has always emphasized the positive and the descriptions of how each colour develops self-esteem is important; but it is also important to know what each colour is like when out-of-esteem and there are descriptions of these as well.
For each of the colours there are lists of careers in four pathways: Arts and Communication; Engineering, Industrial and Scientific Technology; Health, Human and Consumer Services; and Business/Office. Orange and Green includes lists of jobs in all four categories while Gold has lists in three and Blue only in two. The jobs are listed for both the entry level and those that require training, college, and/or experience. Since there are tens of thousands of different careers, of course these represent only a tiny sample of all possible jobs.
Temperament is based on what motivates the individual. So there is a section on personal motivation and learning styles. For a young person to realize that each individual learns in a unique way helps one understand the need to work to one’s strengths and what areas one will need extra effort in to compensate for any deficits. Dr. Howard Gardner’s seven kinds of intelligences are mentioned with an exercise on which colour(s) relate to each of the intelligence areas. (The author does not identify the naturalist intelligence which Gardner has added to his list. [Nardi, Multiple Intelligences, Telos, 2001] The naturalist intelligence includes survival skills related to the natural world.) The author also mentions Dr. Daniel Goleman’s work on emotional intelligence, but unfortunately doesn’t pursue this important idea. Students are also made aware that their teachers also have temperaments which in turn affects their style of teaching.
The final chapters of this workbook includes references on where to obtain information on specific careers: books, web sites and other sources. Work sheets help the individual compare several careers of interest, looking at the short-term and long-term outlook for the career, and also the short-term and long-term goals of the individual.
This book is excellent for high school students of all grades as well as to be used at the college level or employment centres. It could also be used by a motivated individual. Its style is such that it is easily understood by a Grade Nine student but without seeming too simplistic for the college graduate.