Passion Projects for Smart People: Turn Your Intellectual Pursuits into Fun, Profit and Recognition

by Michael Wing

You loved your college major. You worked hard to earn your degree. And now your day job doesn’t fully use your education, engage your mind, or feed your soul. But there are still limitless opportunities to do intellectually serious work―work that will win you professional recognition, travel opportunities, and even publication in peer-reviewed journals. All you have to do is create your own academic opportunities, and Passion Projects for Smart People will show you exactly how to do it. The perfect career guide for the era of the Ph.D. barista, the underpaid adjunct, and the gig economy, Passion Projects for Smart People will help you take charge of your career and your life. Written by a high school science teacher who has done field work on five continents, published in professional journals, and worked with NASA, Passion Projects for Smart People details how to turn side projects into career-development opportunities. Passion Projects for Smart People shows you how to develop your own research and creative projects; form collaborations with universities and public agencies; apply for grants and professional experience opportunities; travel around the world for free; and develop your career as a teacher and mentor.

180 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2017

Reviews

[James Townsend · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book consists of roughly two distinct elements:

* Chapters giving practical advice on how to pursue scholarly/artistic projects outside of your everyday work

* Chapters profiling people who already do this

I think the practical advice parts were not particularly helpful to me, because having gone through graduate school, I know that you should always "just go for it" when a grant seems like something you could even remotely plausibly just go for (for instance). But I can imagine this being helpful for others, and it's good to be reminded of strategies and whatnot. The reason this is a 4 star for me is because the book is quite short and there was a lot of this not-quite-interesting-for-me info clogging up the text for me. YMMV though.

The profiles however were very nice and interesting and inspiring. I had been feeling in a bit of a slump when I started reading this book, and it honestly cheered me up. It's cool and exciting to hear about people following their (often very esoteric and charming) interests to their logical ends in their free time. That was less familiar than the "practical" advice and I think provided me with more inspiration to draw from.

[Nikki Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, but I didn't fully connect with it. Seemed great for teachers or scientist who are into research projects, but as a business person I couldn't relate to the projects pursued in each story. I did like the chapter on publishing your work, which I'm taking to heart. No matter what the lessons are in life, I think it's good to share as you never know who may be going through something similar!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read about different ways to do interesting things outside of work. A few points he makes that are pretty motivating:
- if it's not your job you don't have to stress out about success and failure, at least not on a deadline
- start small, projects (especially with other people) tend to lead to other ideas

[Catherine Glidewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Very inspiring but I wish that it had more resources for professions outside of academia.