A Career Carol

A Career Carol is an irreverent take on the classic Christmas Carol, graduation commencement speakers, and Generation Z expectations. A wry and insightful take on how to successfully navigate a 30-to-40-year professional career. A Career Carol, bridges analogue and digital eras. What constitutes a successful career may have dramatically changed over the last 50 years, but the deeper journey we make as human beings across different life cycles, is eternal.Drs Schuster & Oxley’s take a different and decidedly modern approach to business and life advice. They set out to share real stories of how to navigate the big crises that most of us will have to navigate at some point. In the process, they give the past an entertaining and relevant future.The world, and business literature in particular, is overdue for Shey Sinope. As we witness his journey from reclusive cynical social critic to tentative member of a flawed, and sometimes unkind society, we are amused, provoked, saddened, but ultimately uplifted.

Helmut Schuster and David Oxley are long-time collaborators and former work colleagues. It is their shared outlook that has bound them together as authors. They are optimistic futurists, advocates for next-generation talent, pioneers of new approaches to work, enthusiasts for new technology adoption, and crusaders against entrenched thinking.

As Drs Schuster and Oxley, they have set out to address several subjects that have been over-intellectualised, complicated, misdiagnosed, or outdated. With a whimsical eye and deep belief in humanity’s strength to prevail against the absurdity of aspects of modern society, they are committed to presenting helpful business and leadership concepts for the next generation.

Dr Helmut Schuster is a dual Austrian/British citizen who lives in London, UK. He is the former Group HR Director of BP PLC. Helmut is currently Chairman of the Board of Ivoclar Vivadent AG, an active entrepreneur, investor, and frequent contributor to leadership and AFS Intercultural programs. Helmut was awarded his doctorate in Economics from the University of Vienna.

Dr David Oxley is a dual UK/US citizen based in Austin, Texas. David started his career as a management consultant before leading major people and corporate restructuring projects for BP PLC across Europe, the USA, India, and the Middle East. He worked closely with Reliance Industries in India, one of BP’s partners, as they embarked on their big corporate restructuring. David was awarded his doctorate in Organisational Change at Cranfield University and his MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Customer Reviews

5.0

52 reviews

Tara McGuire

Highly recommend!
rebecca

Loving every bit of this book! Dr. Schuster & Oxley bring a wealth of knowledge and direction to the table for those of us trying to navigate our careers early on!
Michelle L.

This is a great book written by an amazing man. He takes his deep leadership experience and translates it into easy to connect to alagory. A must read!
Alyona Dye

Dr Schuster and Dr Oxley did a great job describing how integrity, ethics, morals and empathy play a decisive role in creating a successful career. They used real life experiences along with a philosophical bias to emphasize important aspects in career development. This is truly a wonderful read for anyone career oriented.
Dan Little

I bought this book for my millennial son (loved it) but once I started browsing it I couldn’t put it down. You won’t either! In a world with lots of advice from “ influencers” floating around the internet, it’s often only a truly engaging story that can really move people to relate to it and successfully leverage it. And these two authors have delivered on the concept. I look forward to their next installment!
Daniel S. Brown

Fantastic book and one that approaches the numerous thoughts on career. Whether you are approaching your first job or last job, this is a glimpse into thoughts we have all experienced or will experience. I often found a little of myself in Shey, which wasn’t always pretty. Thankfully, there was enough humor to help me better appreciate that the career journey is a challenge no matter who you are or where you start your foray into jobs and life. Truthfully a very engaging read!
Greg Otto

I read the book and then bought one for one of my younger colleagues. A common sense and entertaining read through the most common hurdles we all face in our careers. My only lament is I am reading this at the end of my career and not the beginning. I highly recommend the book and enjoyed the storytelling.
JC Purchaser

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wish it would have been available when I was first starting out in the working world! Definitely a must-have for those in your life who are nearing the end of their college experience and getting ready to make the leap into the professional working world or for those who feel stuck in their current career and looking to make a transformational change. I've already shared my copy with my son and have recommended it to others in my profession. What I enjoyed the most is not only the pragmatic advice but also the real-life examples of where the authors experienced the concept they are teaching...it made the book feel real but also told in an entertaining way. Very different than many of the options out there and well worth the time to read. Hats off to the authors. Absolutely brilliant!