The best Educational Certification & Development books: Reddit reviews

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I wish I’d read The Professor Is In. It is NOT to early for you to start focusing on what you need to do now to land the job you hope to land after you graduate.

Jesus I've hit the max word count for a comment for the first time ever. Here's the end which was too much...

So. I'll leave this as this:

1. Read Peak.
2. Read the Cambridge Manual if you want to grow hair on your chest.
3. Read Grit by Angela Duckworth because for fucks sake we didn't even get to "how the hell do you show up every day" Mayo Oshin?!?!?! Well, Duckworth is another leading expert in the field of positive psychology who answers this prickly question: if deliberate practice is brutal, what makes some people capable of doing it for decades? Seriously. Read this book.
4. Read The Inner Game of Tennis because Mr. Oshin also doesn't really tell us how to "not be too hard on ourselves"... well this book laid the foundation for sports psychology. So yeah. Actual knowledge here. I reread the section on "dont' be hard on yourself"... and Jesus it's like light mayonnaise.
5. Then read Mr. Oshin's article again and apply his obviously true ideas now that you have the tools to implement them.

ps. Don't hate me.

This book is an absolute must read for humanities and social science students, maybe useful for others as well: The Professor Is In by Karen Kelsky. It’s all about how to prepare yourself and navigate this hellish job market.

I think of tenure track professors as approaching something like professional athletes or artists at this point. You have to be both exceptionally talented and determined to make it, and even then may need a bit of luck. Know what you’re getting into, and only bother if you’re ready to give it 100%.

Ayn Rand and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn are good reads on socialism. The Harry Potter books lays out some solid, practical fascist political theory. This is a good book on centrism

Spend $30 and read The Professor is In and A PhD is not Enough. These two books go over, in copious detail, how to get a job with a graduate degree (specifically a PhD). Key take-aways are: go to a top school and/or work with a top researcher in your field. Publish a lot. Don't be an adjunct if you want to be a researcher. For STEM fields: Assistant Professorships aren't all they're cracked up to be and you should consider working for industry or government labs as well (and then trying for a fast-tracked Associate Professorship - if you're still interested in that - after building up your body of work.)

Tracked down the book, FYI it's Grit, by Angela Duckworth. Here's the direct quote.

> In a meeting with Bill and Melinda Gates, I had an opportunity to explain my perspective in person. Learning to follow through on something hard in high school, I said, seemed the best-possible preparation for doing the same thing later in life.

> In that conversation, I learned that Bill himself has long appreciated the importance of competencies other than talent. Back in the days when he had a more direct role in hiring software programmers at Microsoft, for instance, he said he’d give applicants a programming task he knew would require hours and hours of tedious troubleshooting. This wasn’t an IQ test, or a test of programming skills. Rather, it was a test of a person’s ability to muscle through, press on, get to the finish line. Bill only hired programmers who finished what they began.

A PhD is Not Enough! A Guide to Survival in Science by Peter J. Feibelman Amazon link

Make Your Mark in Science: Creativity, Presenting, Publishing, and Patents, A Guide for Young Scientists by Claus Ascheron and Angela Kikuth Amazon link

Still not that funny. Just kind of sad. I would say you’re not really using any classic comedic tools here. You’re just describing the way things are instead of using subtext to make things funny.

You can take anything in here though and use it for the basis of a joke. So take you not being able to understand your mom because she yells at you in another language. That is a perfect jumping off point for joke writing. Sit on that and play with it. What does it sound like to you? More than just grunts. Push it WAY farther out. Then push it more. That’s hyperbole. Extremes are funny. “Almost extreme” is not.

Have a read of How To Write Funny. Then break this down into observations and run those observations through a few funny filters to see what pops out.

• Definitely read the Agile Practice Guide by PMI at least twice.
• Take several mock tests and do lean in on the ones you get wrong. I did about 1500 questions total. One of the mock exams was from this course on Udemy; it does have many agile questions that I found were instrumental in my passing the exam (https://www.udemy.com/course/pmp-exam-situational-question-practice-test-200-q-pmbok6/).
• Watch YouTube channels: PMP with Ray, Aileen Ellis, and Andrew Ramdayal.
• I read the PMP Exam Simplified written by Andrew Ramdayal instead of the PMBOK. That material was given to me in PDF format by a school, and it looks like you can get it from Amazon, although I cannot guarantee that it’s the same material I received. (https://www.amazon.com/PMP-Exam-Prep-Simplified-Learning/dp/B08SBFTXQT/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=pmp+exam+simplified&qid=1624489789&sprefix=pmp+exam+simpl&sr=8-3).

Whatever you decide to do; do it with integrity. For that you need to cultivate GRIT.

Read the book by Angela Duckworth to get ideas on how to do it.

Talent is cheap; GRIT is hard. I wish I had learned this when I was 20. The saddest fact of my life is that I peaked at 20. I am trying to put it back together in my 50's; but the regret for not having this facility is constant.

ETA: Value experiential stuff over material things.

I appreciate the well-researched and thoughtful answer! I agree that I don't have a convincing definition of "moderate" stress. I'm kind of torn on how to strike the
right balance myself - consulting really wore me out after a few years, and I'm grateful that I looked more seriously at managing stress in my own life (including hours worked) before it got worse. But on the other hand, you see pieces of work like Angela Duckworth's Grit (https://www.amazon.com/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duckworth/dp/1501111108) which also align with some of my lived experiences and how much I gained from the "grind" of certain things i've done like competitive sports, etc. So I feel like I'm always flopping back and forth between feeling like I should actively invest in taking downtime vs. pushing myself.

I think your last paragraph / article is definitely an area where companies can do better. I've always hated how companies are eager to stack offices with a bunch of super unhealthy snacks, but got forbid they give employees a gym subsidy or protect time for them to be active.

I read this about a year into grad school (previous version). It's got some good general advice on how to think about your time and what to do with it to succeed.

https://www.amazon.com/PhD-Not-Enough-Survival-Science/dp/0465022227

I used the tia 35hr course it has the mindset videos https://www.tiaedu.com/training_pmp_course_nyc.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAkfucBhBBEiwAFjbkryvYtkzSoYCGpLUzEA_g6xd9YV5Uh9Nbl-KRczG1eiSkrATAeXPs5hoC70cQAvD_BwE

If you purchase the book the course is free https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SBFTXQT?ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_2DZ80JVQDZ49ACJYS7E2

I recommend The Professor is in for details on the reality of job-hunting in academia. The last part of the book has good tips on writing grants and looking for non-academia jobs, too.

PMP Exam Prep Simplified includes a code in the back of the book to access his 35 hour course and practice exam for free. It's the same as his Udemy course, but not hosted on Udemy

I really liked "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance." by Angela Duckworth. It really helped me with figuring out why I was failing at hobbies I thought I'd enjoy, and getting back into hobbies I did enjoy. It also didn't feel like a stereotypical self help book of "get healed quick!!". It's more of the story behind a psychologist's research behind who is successful and who isn't.

It made me realize that yea, I can do all the things I've thought of, but I need to figure out where my passion and grit are for them first. Or find what I have a passion for, but that's a bit harder with ADHD and wanting to do everything!

https://www.amazon.com/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duckworth/dp/1501111108

I think the 'ability to cope' deficiency has been a growing issue for years, but probably got a bit of a nudge because of COVID. Honestly, a small part of me thinks that, given all of the incredible efforts that educators in Ontario went through to provide safety nets and soft landings for students regardless of what they did, it's shocking that students felt LESS capable of coping - unless it's because they didn't HAVE to learn how to do it, because everyone else was coping for them.

Everyone should read Grit by Angela Duckworth. It says a lot about the subject. https://www.amazon.ca/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duckworth/dp/1501111108

> could the mind set of not quitting until you get what you want be taken as an example of virtue?

Any statement formulated as an absolute is invalid, therefore cannot be virtuous.

> Let's say staying in abusive relationship and trying to workout your issues?

IF abusive, THEN leave. Being a victim is not victuous.

> Could pursuit of virtue take the happiness away actually?

Invalid question, since Stoicism doesn't believe in happiness, but in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eudaimonia .

You might be interested in this book: https://www.amazon.com/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duckworth/dp/1501111108

May the Gods be with You.

> Initially I was inconsistent and couldn't complete a full week. I'm glad persistence is paying off well. Have been consistent for more than a week.

You'd enjoy the book <em>Grit</em>.

> I would really like to know an aggressive, full-proof plan to break these shitty habits...

There is one, and there isn't. As long as you're looking at these habits as something that something outside of you, an "aggressive plan" is the solution, nothing is going to change.

The moment you recognize that you and only you are responsible/accountable for these ~~behaviors~~ choices, then you can start catching yourself and avoiding those choices, stopping them.

Read this book https://www.amazon.com/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duckworth/dp/1501111108. it will help you realize that you and only you are in charge to make better choices.

> I've made so many empty promises....

Stop making promises and talking about what you're going to do, and - instead - do the things that you want to do. Climb a mountain, tell nobody.

Good luck.

Thanks for that. The link to AR's Udemy course is for 2021 exam though, you think it's still good?

I was thinking of buying this one, which seems to be the book + the same Udemy Videos https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SBFTXQT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_fabc_H43Z4YZ83WAYWVJ073K4?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1

Thanks for that, I'm in the same boat, trying to set up a study plan.

Questions for you:

• When you refer to AR's udemy course, is it that one? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SBFTXQT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_fabc_H43Z4YZ83WAYWVJ073K4?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1
• What is TIA exams? I read a lot of people go for the Prepcast exam simulator, I suspect its something similar?
• Don't you plan on reading the PMBOK? Or just AR's course?

The best book on practice I’ve ever run into wasn’t even specifically about music: The Practicing Mind: Developing Focus and Discipline in Your Life — Master Any Skill or Challenge by Learning to Love the Process https://www.amazon.com/dp/1608680908/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JGGC3YXAYPD6Q1DH8E3J

Highly recommend!

I bought this book from Andrew Ramdayal based on Amazon reviews, and it comes with access to the TIA course. I read the whole book and did every practice question. The questions are MUCH easier than on the actual exam, but it did help me build my knowledge base as well as my confidence. PMP Prep Simplified

I also used the Pocket Prep app, which were a bit harder. Loved the instant feedback, and how you could just do a few questions whenever you had a moment.

Finally, I also did the free PrepCast simulator, which was helpful.

Academic side of academia? Not sure what that means, but it sounds like an unhealthy reason to do a PhD, FWIW.

If you're serious about finding your way in academia, I recommend the book <em>A PhD Is Not Enough!</em>

You must read this book. Also, the market is down, if you think you’re getting an R1 tenure track position straight out unless you are beyond exceptional you are being naive. Jobs are getting hundreds of very qualified applicants.

https://www.amazon.com/Professor-Essential-Guide-Turning-Ph-D/dp/0553419420

I just passed mine in December and this was about 8 years after I graduated (kids don't be like me) so I had a lot of cobwebs to dust off. I ended up buying this book. I felt like it went over everything more thoroughly than what I saw on the exam. Each section had a practice exam so I used that as a litmus of how much I needed to study. For some reason the book still has a statics and dynamics section so skip that.

Other suggestions I have are * get a good approved calculator and learn it I used the TI-36x pro. It can do numerical diff and integral calculous, systems of equations, and statistics which helps out on a lot of problems. There is an equivalent Casio that people also suggest, but I spent my life on TI calculators so I stuck with that.

• look over the study material and give yourself a schedule and stick to it.

• Make sure to concentrate on breadth instead of depth I felt like some questions did really get into a subject, but most could be answered if you had a good general knowledge of the subject.

Here is a link to the physical book. Not exactly what you were looking for, but it's a step!

Pmp exam prep simplified book.

PMP Exam Prep Simplified: Covers the Current PMP Exam and Includes a 35 Hours of Project Management E-Learning Course

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SBFTXQT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_M0RV56NZ9VAYSRDKDQ4G

No, I didn’t try Cornelius. For the agile prep, I did what I mentioned above. For the entire exam in general, I took the prep course with TIA (https://www.tiaeduonline.com/training_pmp_course.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrNiXwYuf8QIV1Ap9Ch3JWQnkEAAYASAAEgJ0NPD_BwE). They provided a PMP simplified book (in pdf format only) written by Andrew Ramdayal, which I used for my study, not the PMBOK. It looks like the book is on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/PMP-Exam-Prep-Simplified-Learning/dp/B08SBFTXQT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&amp;keywords=pmp+exam+simplified&amp;qid=1624028228&amp;sprefix=pmp+exam+sim&amp;sr=8-1-spons&amp;psc=1&amp;spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExMDVMUU...). I can’t guarantee that that is the same book though because again, the school gave me the pdf version and I don’t recall seeing that cover page as the one from Amazon.

Googling the terms or concepts that I always got wrong was also helpful. Also watched Aileen Ellis and Andrew Ramdayal on YouTube. That’s all I did. Passed the exam 3ATs. I’d switch up between studying the knowledge areas and agile just to not get bored, but I don’t think it makes any difference exactly when to study for what. Any mock exam you do now should also contain questions on agile/hybrid, not just the knowledge areas, which means you do need to know agile materials.