It’s that time of year again when a fresh crop of high school and university graduates are stepping out into the world, caps and diplomas in hand, wondering what on earth is next. Whether you’re a new grad yourself, know one, or are feeling a little lost at any age, here are our top four picks for getting focused, figuring out adult life, and finding your passion. And if you like what you see, check out more great audiobooks for new grads.
Almost Adulting: All You Need to Know to Get It Together (Sort Of), by Arden Rose
In Almost Adulting—perfect for budding adults, failing adults, and eaters of microwave mug brownies—social media influencer and lifestyle vlogger Arden Rose tells you how to survive your future adulthood. Topics include:
– Making internet friends who are cool and not murderers
– Eating enough protein
– Assembling a somewhat acceptable adult wardrobe when you have zero dollars
– How sex is supposed to feel, but, like, actually though
By the end of the book—a mash-up of essays, lists, and artwork—you’ll have learned not only how to dress yourself, how to travel alone, how to talk to strangers online, and how to date strangers (in PERSON!), but also how to pass as a real, functioning, appropriately socialized adult.
What You’re Really Meant To Do: A Road Map for Reaching Your Unique Potential, by Robert Steven Kaplan
Harvard Business School’s Robert Steven Kaplan, leadership expert and author of the highly successful book What to Ask the Person in the Mirror, regularly advises executives and students on how to tackle these questions. In this indispensable new audiobook, Kaplan shares a specific and actionable approach to defining your own success and reaching your potential. Drawing on his years of experience, Kaplan proposes an integrated plan for identifying and achieving your goals. He outlines specific steps and exercises to help you understand yourself more deeply, take control of your career, and build your capabilities in a way that fits your passions and aspirations.
The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories, by Marina Keegan
Marina Keegan’s star was on the rise when she graduated magna cum laude from Yale in May 2012. She had a play that was to be produced at the New York International Fringe Festival and a job waiting for her at the New Yorker. Tragically, five days after graduation, Marina died in a car crash.
Even though she was just twenty-two when she died, Marina left behind a rich, expansive trove of prose that, like her title essay, captures the hope, uncertainty, and possibility of her generation. The Opposite of Loneliness is an assemblage of Marina’s essays and stories that, like The Last Lecture, articulates the universal struggle that all of us face as we figure out what we aspire to be and how we can harness our talents to make an impact on the world.
Lean In: For Graduates
Expanded and updated exclusively for graduates just entering the workforce, this extraordinary edition of Lean In includes a letter to graduates from Sheryl Sandberg and six additional chapters from experts offering advice on finding and getting the most out of a first job; résumé writing; best interviewing practices; negotiating your salary; listening to your inner voice; owning who you are; and leaning in for millennial men.
This enhanced edition provides the entire text of the original book updated with more recent statistics and features a passionate letter from Sandberg encouraging graduates to find and commit to work they love. A combination of inspiration and practical advice, this new edition will speak directly to graduates and, like the original, will change lives.
