Chanpory Rith
Jun 17, 2008
I just finished reading The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need. It’s brilliant. And I’m now going on a crusade to make it required reading in every high school and college curriculum.
The book is by Daniel H. Pink, and you’ll find it in your bookstore’s business section. But this ain’t your ordinary Deepak Chopra mumbo jumbo. Instead, the slim book packs in six illuminating career lessons, cleverly told as manga comic book. That’s right—it has pictures.
The manga follows Johnny Bunko, a young accountant sick of his mundane job and unable to break free—kinda like Fight Club. Through the miracle of uh, magic chopstikcs, Johnny unleashes a cute fairy that guides him through the secrets of a sastifying career.
I won’t spoil the rest, but here’s glimpse of the six lessons:
- There is no plan.
- Think strengths, not weaknesses.
- It’s not about you.
- Persistence trumps talent.
- Make excellent mistakes.
- Leave an imprint.
You can get a bigger sneak peak on Johnny Bunko’s official site:
If you’re looking to get unstuck from your soul-sucking career, then this book is a must read.
Note: I love my job. :-). I read this for research.
8 Comments
Lemúr Miklós
7:42 am
I wonder how he came up with this name. “Bunkó” means “jerk” in Hungarian. :)
Daniel Pink
8:40 am
Wow. Thanks for the very kind words. Glad you enjoyed Johnny’s adventures. Doubly glad you think it’s worth including in high school and college classes. Many thanks for spreading the word.
Cheers, Dan Pink
P.S. If you send me your mailing address (email it to dp followed by the at symbol followed by danpink dot com), I’ll send you some official Johnny Bunko chopsticks.
Chanpory Rith
11:06 pm
Hey Daniel, thanks for commenting! It’s an honor. I’ve been tellin’ all my friends, and will be ordering extra copies for my younger brothers and sisters too!
Dan
12:16 pm
Thanks for the recommendation! I hit the book store at lunch yesterday to check it out and wound up finishing it - it was that good and that fast of a read! Bought a copy to re-read and share with friends.
Russell
7:59 am
Great post on a great book. I read it last night and I have to agree that it a must read for anyone on the career path. I wish that I could have read this book two years ago. Make a point to right the six points down and keep them within sight at all times!
Mihir Joshi
9:52 am
A must read manga i guess. Was there a typo in the 2 point???
As the queen says its strength and not ‘strenght’. Unless of course bunko says so.
Cheers.
PS: I am already hooked to lifeclever. Ingenious.
Maria "m104" L.
7:13 am
I read this post on “The Adventures of Johnny Bunko” a few days ago - ordered it immediately - and I just finished reading it! Thank you so much for your review!! Now I have to do some work to “get unstuck from my soul-sucking career” but at least I know the rules of the game ;)
Moving Truck Rental
6:42 am
I might give it a try since I am looking for a new book to read every weekend. It sounds an interesting book.