The Road to Success: Stories of Career Satisfaction in Popular Fields 2007
Distributed by Films Media Group, PO Box 2053, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-2053; 800-257-5126
Produced by Sweta Vohra
Directed by Jay Cornelius and/or Matt Bockelman
DVD, color, 10 discs, 17-21 min. each
Sr. High - Adult
Careers
Date Entered: 03/14/2008
Reviewed by Mary Northrup, Metropolitan Community College-Maple Woods, Kansas City, MissouriSometimes the best way to find out about a career is to talk directly to someone who is in that occupation. In this series, each DVD features two or three people in each field who talk about their chosen work, how they arrived at the point in their careers where they are, and the satisfaction and frustrations of the job. The ten discs put the spotlight on careers in the arts, travel and hospitality, education, medicine, housing and real estate, science, entrepreneurship, food, fitness and sports, and technology.
The technical aspects are excellent, with very effective sound and video. There is an appropriate mixture of live action, stills, featured person talking, and voice-over. Some interesting camera work lends variety, such as speed-up and close-up in some of the segments.
Almost every story includes either a childhood or young adulthood moment when the person discovered his or her strengths. Some made a change from another career; others knew what they wanted to do from a very young age.
The people who are featured are, for the most part, everyday folks, although dancer Jacques d’Amboise appears on the arts disc and Pleasant Rowland, founder of Pleasant Company, which makes American Girl dolls, is featured on the entrepreneurship disc. There is a good variety of male and female in the featured individuals, as well as ethnic diversity.
At the end of each disc, websites are provided for either the featured people or organizations that will provide more information about the careers. This would be a very useful series for high school libraries, building up the career resources available for students and counselors. Public libraries may also consider this series for their DVD collections on careers.
The variety in this series is wonderful: unique careers (cheesemaker, NFL executive, fuel cell inventor) are featured, as well as ordinary ones. It really shows individuals in the thick of things as they go about their daily work in you-are-there shots and voice-over that conveys the passion they have for their career.