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Emma Bostian ✨
Emma Bostian ✨

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5 Books Which Will Improve Your Career

I read. A lot. And I love reading books that will positively impact my career. I'm the type of person who is motivated by digesting motivational books and podcasts.

The following five books changed my outlook on not only my career, but my life. They've motivated me to be my best self and achieve my biggest goals.

If you've read any of the following books, feel free to let me know your thoughts down below! Otherwise, happy reading 🤓📖

1. Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World

Adam Grant
Originals
In Originals, Adam Grant delves into the study of how "originals", or people who are seen as influential in their respective industries, develop their originality. What's the most effective way to create original ideas and share them with the world? Guess you'll have to read the book to find out 😉.

2. Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising

Ryan Holiday
Growth Hacker Marketing
If you're not into reading big books, then this just may be the one for you! Coming in at a whopping 56 pages, Growth Hacker Marketing teaches you the skills you need to effectively market your products, without spending thousands of dollars on marketing. How have notable companies such as Facebook, Evernote, and Airbnb built their empire without traditional methods of marketing? Ryan Holiday spills all their secrets.

3. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business

Charles Duhigg
The Power of Habit
The Power of Habit is one of my favorite books of 2018. Using riveting anecdotes, the author uncovers the secret behind effectively, and permanently, altering habits. What makes a habit? How do you break bad habits and adopt healthy ones? You can leverage the tips from this book to improve your every day life.

4. Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

Nir Eyal
Hooked
Hooked examines the concept behind habit-forming products. What lures customers back for more? Nir Eyal explains his four-step process for developing a habit-forming product that will leave customers wanting more.

5. Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles to Improve User Experience

Jeff Gothelf & Josh Seiden
Lean UX
Interaction design is a steadily growing field, and it's nearly impossible to build a successful product without a truly great user experience. Lean UX teaches you how to focus on the design experience rather than the deliverables in order to produce the most effective product.

Top comments (18)

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ben profile image
Ben Halpern

A book along these lines I recently read and liked was Thinking in Bets.

I also liked Creative Quest.

Both books by stars in interesting fields sharing some generalist principles they’ve acquired.

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omarel profile image
Omar Elbaga

Thanks for the recommendation Ben. I just ordered thinking in bets. Looking forward to reading it.

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emmabostian profile image
Emma Bostian ✨

Yay awesome thanks for the recommendations!!

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wuz profile image
Conlin Durbin

If you like "The Power of Habit", I highly recommend Charles Duhigg's other book, Smarter, Faster, Better. It's one of my all time favorites!

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emmabostian profile image
Emma Bostian ✨

I'll add it to my list! Thank you!!

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mortoray profile image
edA‑qa mort‑ora‑y

I'll strive to make it onto your next list. :)

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matthewbdaly profile image
Matthew Daly

It's been a while since I read it, but one book I found very useful was Pragmatic Thinking and Learning. It taught me a great deal about how to solve problems and get the best work out of myself.

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Nick Palenchar

Going back to the old pragprog site just now reminded me of The Pragmatic Programmer (which I think started the whole series). It's the only one I've read from that site and it's an all time favorite. Definitely recommend checking that out as well. I also think there's a new edition that came out sometime this year, with updated goodness.

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Roberto Capannelli

I read "The power of habits" few months ago and the thing I appreciated most it's the awareness of the author that will power could be improved with exercise and hard work just like any other skills.
And yes it's definitely one of my favorite book this year too, alongside these that follow:

Thanks Emma for sharing you reading list!

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Geraldo dos Santos

I'm very curious about the last book. How did reading about UX help your career in general?
Also, were you able to apply the knowledge you got from the book to the place where you currently work?

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Biron Clark

I love The Power of Habit. Great book, especially the first half (on how individuals behave. I found the second half - on organizational behavior, to be boring).

I'd add one more book here: Cracking the Coding Interview. Fantastic for the topic implied in the name :)

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Domenico Solazzo

I added "Originals" to my list. It sounds like a great book to read.

I would add few books to this list:

These 3 books will help to be a better manager, get more disciplined and have better negotiation skills!

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buet17 profile image
buet17

Excellent

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edib profile image
ibediko

I certainly enjoyed the book Steal Like An Artist.