Launch Like A Rocket: Build the Soft Skills You Need for Your Career by Leveraging Your Entire College Experience

Employers report they can't find enough qualified staff with the critical thinking and soft skills they need while college students aren’t clear on what "soft skills" even means. Colleges, whether focused on providing a liberal arts education or pre-professional degrees, don't seem to know how to bridge the gap, despite their best intentions. Launch Like A Rocket explains soft skills and breaks them into four major groups with clear subsets. Full of examples on how each skill is essential to future success in the post-graduation world, the book emphasizes a thoughtful approach in choosing extracurricular groups and activities. With some forethought, these activities will naturally create life experiences that painlessly lead to mastery of the essential soft skills. Also included are sections for parents and colleges on how they can better support their students' efforts.

Susan Lyon has spent her career helping clients determine how best to tell their stories. She co-founded an advertising agency focused on technology and life science clients, now working exclusively on film projects. Having done a lot of hiring and informational interviews for college students, she's been interviewed by hundreds of prospective clients herself. As a result, she's developed insights into the process of interviewing and the stories about experiences that really resonate. As the parent of two sons, she served for four years on the University of Puget Sound Parent Advisory Board and currently serves on the Denison University Parent Advancement Council. As a result of those roles, she's well aware of the extracurricular opportunities for involvement on college campuses today.