Michael Landes
1 BUY THIS BOOK
IF you are looking for something different to do, the name says it all: Adventure will follow! I got a bunch of great ideas for personal volunteer experiences through this book, there are things for everyone of ANY interest. ALSO there is a particularlly helpful chapter about finding your place. An awesome book!
2 Comprehensive and Well-Organized Book
Almost 1,000 descriptions of internships. Entries describe the type of position, how many people apply, and information about the job. A section titled "Ideal Candidate" specifies whether jobs are open to college students, career changers, retired people, and/or foreigners. Types of short-term jobs include adventures, camps and resorts, outdoors, environmental, artistic, socially responsible, and international. A section tells you how to motivate yourself to try one of these adventures and how to apply. Inspiring, interesting, and practical.
This review was originally in Learning A Living, A Guide to Planning Your Career and Finding A Job for People with Learning Disabilities, Attention Deficit Disorder, and Dyslexia
3 Life's too short for a book this comprehensive!
I've seen dozens of volunteer books, adventure-job books, online databases, etc., but this is still my favorite. While some other places may contain more addresses, and yet others more information on each contact, this achieves the perfect balance. Hundreds of exciting jobs await, many well-paying and many volunteer. I've spent countless hours browsing this book dreaming and have used it for one job so far (at an out-of-the-way resort in Olympic National Park).
The chapters are divided usefully into sections on artistic pursuits, overseas jobs, environmental jobs, adventure jobs, farming jobs, etc., and are peppered with helpful anecdotes from people who've been there. The only drawback, as others have noted, is that the vast majority of listings are US-based. So if you wish to find more non-American jobs, try somewhere else, otherwise this is the best place to start dreaming AND doing!
4 How to work cheaply in the States -- NOT volunteer overseas!
I am sure that this book is a fantastic resource for American citizens.
However, for a Canadian who wants to work in a foreign country, this book is absolutely useless. Canadians can almost never be hired in the U.S.A., and as well, most of the jobs in the book are not only American but not really service project jobs.
If you are interested in working in a national park, working with youth, etc. and you are an American citizen, hey, go for it. If you are looking for alternatives to Canada World Youth, the Peace Corps, etc., this book will do you NO good.
5 It got me here!
When I first glanced through the book I didn't think it had a lot to offer. Many of the jobs were volunteer and I needed income. There were not tons of choices in that respect, but some nice ones. It is really good for people who have the desire to try something different, money and luxuries notwithstanding. The writing is whimsical and holistic, yet it doesn't romanticize the type of jobs. People who want to find a future of stability and high income should look elsewhere, anyone who wants to walk on the other side for a bit may want to pick it up. I'm currently happily teaching English in Japan thanks to this book.
6 Nothing else like it - a veritable cornucopia of adventure !
Ever wanted to dream of what your next career adventure might be ? Ever wanted to start making that dream a reality ? Then Mike's book is for you !!
Imagine yourself in a shopping mall offering exciting places to go, fun people to work with, and important tasks to be undertaken. Some stores don't appeal to you, and you walk on by. But, other shops entice your interest and you peek inside. You wander around the mall, considering your options, weighing where to spend your time and effort, and then figuring out how many products and services to indulge in. Isn't life like that ? So much to do, and so little time ? The Back Door Guide to Short Term Job Adventures is certainly like that - I just want to get up and go - I just can't wait to start on so many of these fun opportunities !!
After your little 'shopping' experience, the real strength of this book is the details provided about all the wonderful organizations - there's brief information on what you might be working on, how much you could get paid, what sorts of people they are looking for, and when and how to apply. Most importantly, there's contact details to follow up - a person's name, their phone number, title, and email. And that's for hundreds of opportunities !! OK, now ... about next summer ...
7 Only Americans need apply
When I was debating whether to buy this book, I looked for information on which nationalities it was most suitable for, couldn't find anything, so bought it just to see. I was disappointed that this book primarily focuses on American job seekers. It does have some jobs available to "internationals" but they are few and far between. I sent it back. Great if you are from/in the US, not worth it if you're not.
8 INSPIRATIONAL AND MOTIVATING!!!
I have to agree with most of the other people who gave this book a brilliant 5 STAR rating!! The Back Door Guide is an inspiration to anyone and everyone who wants to live a full and enriching life, including students, job changers and professionals. I was immediately hooked by Landes' genuine, down-to-earth and humorous writing style and equally impressed with the plethora of insider tips and resources. As an avid traveler and adventurer, I found the "Abroad Adventures" section to be particularly helpful for finding the right kind of short-term overseas opportunities - from teaching English, to arranging an internship in Germany, to volunteering in Latin America. Instead of spending endless hours on the internet clicking through site after site to find the right program, Landes' book has all the best programs and resources at my fingertips so I don't even have to turn on my computer. I will be referring to this book repeatedly everytime I need a motivational boost, words of encouragement, tips on an adventure career, like with Club Med or a cruise ship, or if I'm planning my next overseas adventure! Great job!
9 Lots of Addresses, Not Enough Info
I got this book to find practicle advice for working overseas. I didn't need to get long lists of addresses for places and people I wasn't interested in. Finding a job or volunteer positions isn't that hard, just hit the job boards and look. What I needed was practicle advice on what to do once you have the position, what are the pitfalls, what are the rewards, what is it like. I didn't need tons of addresses that every person who buys this book is going to send inquiries to for a position that may or may not exist. A hour online would do that quicker, offer more variety, have up to date offers for positions and give more immediate results. Unless you just need the addresses and the limited information it does offer, pass this one by, especially if your interested in being overseas.
10 This book will change your life!
This is by far the most comprehensive, user-friendly and inspirational guide on internships, short-term jobs and volunteer opportunities. Its holistic approach provides the perfect blend of information and insight through an abundance of detailed listings, resources, advice, topics, stories and quotes. The energy and excitement conveyed throughout the book is highly contagious and refreshing. Back Door is an invaluable tool for anyone who dares to dream about and discover life's endless possibilities!
11 The Back Door Guide a winner!
Michael Landes does an incredible job of simplifying a very difficult process.
This is one-stop shopping for a tremendous amount of useful information. The layout and graphics make it a very easy read and all of the information is very accessible.
You can't help but get excited about travel after browsing through this book. If you use it as a tool, you are sure to find many new opportunities that you would never be able to uncover on your own.
I highly recommend it.
12 This is a GREAT book.
I went WILD for this book the minute it came out. I constantly RAVE about it as the single best internships/short-term jobs book yet -- hands down. The first chapters alone are worth the price of the book (and more). Reading them is like drinking from a fountain of youth and listening to a great, wise teacher. And then there's the job listings: pearls worth a great price. Guaranted you'll find an adventurous job in here that knocks you off your rocker! Get this and read it. It will change your life.
13 This book showed me many possobilities that I didn't know ex
Not only did this book help me to choose my next step, but several of my friends went out and bought the book. It took one to Olympia, Washington to work for AmeriCorps, one to Moab, Utah to teach at an outdoor school, and many others are looking through the pages now to try and give themselves a better grasp on all the possibilities that are out there.
14 The Back Door Guide is inspirational.
I ordered a copy of "The Back Door Guide" when I was doing a lot of job searching while working as a seasonal assistant park manager for the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps during the summer. At that point in my life, I considered myself an expert "off the beaten path" job searcher and was doubtful that any job guide could provide me with novel inspiration in my quest. However, "The Back Door Guide" exceeded my expectations. It is the best resource for meaningful employment that I have stumbled upon in my years of seasonal work (and thus, frequent job searches). Thanks to Michael Landes for providing such a valueable resource.
15 BUY THIS BOOK OR KEEP COLORING IN THE LINES....
If you use this book one time it will pay for itself. The book is well reseached and more importantly, extemely inspired. If you want to get out of where you are living and/or get actively involved in social causes and/or expose your self to new and exciting experiences and/or find an internship to really give you a competive edge and some valuable life experience... it has to be in this book. If your book search led you here... it's fate... and I'll see you when I get to Patagonia....
16 Highly recommended to those with an adventurous spirit!
I recently received The Back Door Guide to Short Term Job Adventures, and it's absolutely wonderful. It's well-written, informative yet entertaining, but best of all, it's inspiring. It has me excited about options I didn't know I had. I've already ordered another copy for a friend of mine.
17 Back-Dooring It: How To Do What You've Always Wanted To Do
Remember when you thought about *what I wanna be when Igrow*up? Not there now? Well, think about it again, because this timeyou've got help. And lots of it. Enter Michael Landes, author of The Back Door Guide to Short Term Job Adventures. Think about him as your personal coach: he'll give you heaps of motivational talks (quotes, really) that you've probably heard before. But you won't dismiss them this time as idealisms that simply won't sustain you, because Landes gives you something to *do* with that idealism, so that it magically turns into something very, very realistic: what you've always wanted to be, and what you've always wanted to be doing... whether you're a student fresh out of (or in) high school or college or graduate school, or whether you're feeling uninspired at a job you've had for years, or whether your time clock years are over and you're looking for adventure for different reasons. Think about Landes as your personal coach and your advisor, your counselor - if you write to him, he1ll write you back. Really. And sincerely. They say *it is not what you know, it is who you know.* Fine. The Back Door Guide gives you the *who* to know, in the form of a real-live name of a real-live contact person. It also gives you plenty of *whats* to know, too: there are, for example, how-to tools of figuring out who you are (*Who Are You?* page 2), and there are the step-by-steps of applying for a position (*The Program Application Package.....* pages 20-27). The individual listings include similar priceless pieces of information. First the logistics: who should apply? what's the work? where is the program? when do I go? how long do I stay? Then there are in-depth reports: Area and Working Environment, Work/Learn Program Specifics, Duration, Compensation and Perks, The Ideal Candidate, Making It Happen, and Insider Tips are sub-headings for each, yes, each, of the thousands, yes, thousands, of program opportunities compiled in this book. There are too many opportunities in this book than sanity can account for; the challenge may well be picking one to do. The very first *what* to know, as Landes makes abundantly clear, is that any program, any opportunity, is what you make of it. He could (and does) lead you to the Back Door and he tells you all about what1s inside, but the Back Door is yours and only yours to open. He sends you to the heavens, dreaming (of *how my life should be* and *what I really should be doing with my life*), but then he grounds you back on earth by handing you, on a silver platter, nonetheless, mountains of how-to guidelines for reaching those heights. You feel good at the end of a day and, chances are, you1ve helped someone or something along the way. You'll work hard, and you1ll play hard - but with Landes and the opportunities in this book, you'll also learn that work and play are the same thing. Part of the fun of this book is finding the only-sometimes-subliminal messages spaced throughout its well-designed pages. (My favorites are the two canoe-carriers on the front cover, whose T-shirts feature a peace sign and a globe.) See how many you can find, and write to Michael Landes and tell him about it. He'll write back. Really. Try him.
