Undecided: How to Ditch the Endless Quest for Perfect and Find the Career -- and Life --That's Right for You

by Barbara Kelley, Shannon Kelley

Overview

In a world of unprecedented opportunity—and pressure—women are struggling more than ever to make career decisions and move forward without second-guessing themselves. Young women graduate from college and believe they have to find the perfect path and then can’t decide which way to go. 

Undecided is an invaluable guide to this cultural phenomenon of "analysis paralysis.” Looking at both what the media and academic studies have reported on women, careers, and particularly the undecided phenomenon—as well as personal accounts from numerous women—mother and daughter Barbara and Shannon Kelley discuss how we got to this frustrating place, why it affects women in particular, and how today’s culture fuels our fears and distractions. 

The Kelleys cast a critical eye upon the psychology behind the pressure to choose, and they argue that if women are going to succeed in rising above the often-crippling demands of the modern world they need to take action . . . starting with a serious shift in perspective.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781580053419
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	04/26/2011
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Barbara Kelley has been a journalist for more than 25 years and a professor of journalism at Santa Clara University since 1997. She earned her master's degree in print journalism from Stanford. Barbara has written for publications including the Christian Science Monitor, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, Parenting, Redbook, Salon, and Bay Area Parent, where she served as features editor and writer and won two national awards. Barbara is married to her college sweetheart and is the mother of two daughters, Colleen and Shannon.

Shannon Kelley is a columnist at the Santa Barbara Independent, a freelance writer and photographer, and a corporate consultant. Her freelance work has appeared in the Christian Science Monitor, Woman's Day, The Arizona Republic, Relevant Magazine, and Santa Barbara Magazine, and her essay "Something Worth Saving" from the anthology Submerged was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Uncharted Territory 6

1 You Are Here 12

2 Oh, the Places You'll Go 28

3 The Road Not Traveled 45

4 Chasing the Mirage 59

5 Synapse Traffic Jam 76

6 Settling for the Detours 92

7 Conversations with the Road Warriors 109

8 The Rearview Mirror 126

9 You've Come a Long Way, Baby … Maybe 143

10 What a Long, Strange Trip It Is 164

11 Life in the Carpool Lane 185

12 Traveling the Revolutionary Road 205

13 Happiness, Rerouted 225

14 Wherever You Go, There You Are 244

Discussion Questions 264

Endnotes 266

Index 280

Acknowledgments 285

About the Authors 287