What People Are Saying About Edmondson’s Other Books

In Major in Happiness: Debunking the College Major Fallacies Edmondson clearly debunks the myth that only certain college majors achieve greater success than others. More importantly, he maps a process to achieve and retain success and happiness which are two sides of a coin. A must read for parents and students thinking of going to college.

—Arun Tilak, Director—Center for Emerging Technology
and Entrepreneurial Studies, Cameron University

In Major in Happiness: Debunking the College Major Fallacies, Edmondson’s theories are accompanied by practical exercises that will be of value to students and their parents as they navigate a pathway through the complex interactions of study and work. He also points to two critical skills: team work and listening skills we expect and rarely teach. This book adds significantly to the debate about education and is a must read for incoming and exiting graduates and their parents.

—John Christian, President/CEO, CAPA,
The Global Education Network

Major in Happiness: Debunking the College Major Fallacies is truly a thought-provoking book. This book certainly puts majors in perspective and the importance of doing what you love. This is a must read for parents of college bound students.

—Cindy Szadokierski, Executive Director,
The Edge Program, Randolph-Macon College

Using strong research blended with a practical, clear writing style, Dr. Edmondson provides perspective and advice that the current generation of students (and parents) desperately needs to hear.
So many young people quickly abandon their passions and dreams to pursue majors and careers that they believe are “necessary” to achieve success and satisfaction in their vocational and personal lives. Edmondson pulls back the curtain on the misconceptions and fallacies that fuel that thinking, and outlines a compelling argument for the pursuit of a life driven by calling, purpose, and passion. As a professor in one of the disciplines that is often marginalized, I frequently work with students who are wrestling with the exact tensions that Edmondson describes, and I will certainly recommend Major in Happiness: Debunking the College Major Fallacies as a resource for those students in the future.

—Jeremy Osborn, PhD,
Associate Professor of Communication,
Cornerstone University

Major in Happiness: Debunking the College Major Fallacies presents an eye-opening presentation of the unique challenges of the 21st century college student. Edmondson offers more than just data to support his beliefs that perseverance, adaptability and life-long learning are keys to success. He provides an array of self-assessment tools to help students—and professionals alike—evaluate their unique value to corporations and the world. As a professor, this book has changed the way I will mentor my students. A must-read for all of us navigating through this quickly-changing landscape and trying to find our place in it.

—Laura Grayson Roselli, Professor,
Rowan College at Burlington County, and
Biopharmaceutical Consultant,
Kinetic Knowledge, LLC

Dr. Edmondson provides graduates and professionals with a road map to bring to practice Jonathan Winters’ quote, ‘If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to meet it.’ Not only does he make a compelling case for swimming to meet the ship, he also provides readers with the knowledge of how to swim, and to swim in the right direction: the ‘Assess, Brand, and Communicate’ approach. Marketing Your Value: 9 Steps to Navigate Your Career is an excellent read for college students, recent graduates and mid-career professionals as they navigate their careers and prepare for the next step towards their professional goals.

—Pareena Lawrence, PhD Provost and
Dean of the College Professor of
Economics Augustana College,
Rock Island, Illinois

Michael Edmondson brings many years of advising emerging undergraduates on the challenges and practical strategies for launching and adapting a career in a rapidly changing global economy. While giving substantial attention to self-marketing in a digital age, Edmondson’s approach is founded self-evaluation—very much in the liberal-arts tradition—asking readers to assess their values and abilities in relation to opportunities and to regard the job search as a flexible, ever-changing process of self-exploration and assessment more than orientation to a fixed goal. In the tradition of What Color is Your Parachute and What Should I Do With My Life?, Marketing Your Value: 9 Steps to Navigate Your Career is likely to be invaluable to anyone who is entering the job market, considering a change of direction, or advising those who are.

—William Pannapacker, PhD Professor of English
Director of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Scholars Program in the Arts and Humanities,
Faculty Director of the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s
Digital Liberal Arts Initiative. Hope College

In Marketing Your Value: 9 Steps to Navigate Your Career Michael asks the tough and provoking questions that many of us struggle with on a day-to-day basis, such as understanding our personal mission, unveiling our distractions, and coming to terms with the major influence we have in our career development. This book provides an opportunity for professionals from any age, background, and industry the time to understand themselves through a series of thoughtful and challenging reflections and activities.
By doing this, Michael guides us back to our core to help us rediscover our values and use this knowledge as the foundation to successfully navigate a meaningful, and purposeful career.

—Yalitza M. Negron, M.S. Ed. Associate Director,
Office of Academic Community
Engagement Siena College

Marketing Your Value: 9 Steps to Navigate Your Career is an outstanding read and is applicable to any working individual’s life. Dr. Edmondson’s writing is clear, concise, and informative; a true reflection of the hardships many professionals, both young and old, face in today’s highly competitive workforce. Through its various exercises and practices, Marketing Your Value will help anyone understand the tools, habits, and behaviors that are necessary when traveling the road to success. Dr. Edmondson has played an integral role in the launch of my career and continues to provide me with valuable insight along my professional journey. His immense knowledge on the topics of marketing and branding clearly shines through in this publication.

—Emily Nemeth Admissions Manager of
Ladywood High School (Livonia, MI)

Marketing Your Value is a practical resource filled with helpful tools and interesting anecdotes for assessing, branding, and communicating one’s value—a valuable resource for anyone making a transition. I look forward to sharing it with my students.

—Steve VanderVeen, PhD Director of the Center for
Faithful Leadership at Hope College
Professor of Management.

Marketing Your Value: 9 Steps to Navigate Your Career is a practical book that illustrates how to successfully navigate career challenges in today’s economy.

—Sheila Curran, President, Curran Consulting Group and author of Smart Moves for Liberal Arts Grads:
Finding a Path to Your Perfect Career

Michael Edmondson has written the handbook for those striving to succeed in the new millennium. Instead of a run-of-the-mill self-help book, Success Theory and Practice connects the science, philosophy, and habits that drive individuals to success in today’s marketplace. Success isn’t a secret, and this book offers a roadmap for anyone willing to take on the challenge.

—Adam Cirucci Political consultant and journalist

Michael connects the dots in his book Success: Theory and Practice where the rubber meets the road with his 7 Characteristics of Success. He demonstrates the practical traits, backed up by fascinating research, to help you unfold your own success story.

—John P. Clark CFP® Financial Advisor and
Retirement Living Expert

Michael Edmonson’s Success: Theory and Practice is equal parts research and vision. This is how we do success in the 21st century: not only do we seek to improve our lot, but also our relationships, our self-awareness, and our world. Success is not either/or, but both/and.

—Evan Harris Co-owner of tapas yoga shala

Michael Edmonson’s newest book Success: Theory and Practice is an absolute must read for both anyone entering the job market and those looking for growth in both their professional and personal lives. This book is not your everyday book on success, as it touches on the success of many, but lets you in on the mental and emotional challenges each faced throughout the journey. As quoted in the book from George Bernard Shaw “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I do not believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances that they want, and if they can’t find them, make them.” This book makes you want to find the circumstances you want in life.

—Rocco Marrari National Accounts Manager for
EBE Technologies

Success: Theory and Practice is a must read for anyone who is interested achieving personal and professional success. Personal and professional growth is a key to success in our careers in this ever changing environment. Dr. Edmondson provides questions to ask ourselves periodically as a performance temperature check along with some quizzes. He also provides real life examples of successful individuals and traits they implemented to achieve their success.

—Robert Sauselein, CHST, HazTek, Inc.

Dr. Edmondson’s writing style is clear and concise while including research relevant to theory and the practice of success. Choosing to read Success: Theory and Practice will challenge yourself to examine your own personal traits while receiving applicable advice on how to engage in successful behaviors, thus leading to personal and professional growth.

—Shelly Thomas Vroman, NP

Strategic Thinking and Writing is a must read for students and business professionals looking to enhance their strategic thinking and writing skills. Throughout the book, Dr. Edmondson provides readers the opportunity to perform thinking exercises and self-awareness checks which I found to be that are extremely helpful. Dr. Edmondson reminds us that writing is a process that we need to respect in order to produce a high-quality product.

—Monique Oudijk, Bayada Home Health Care

Thinking and writing well is one of the single most important traits you can have in the business world. Knowing how to think and write well helps you to perform and convey great ideas in your workplace. Dr. Edmondson’s Strategic Thinking and Writing will help you capture your ideas and showcase them to your professional audience. Displaying great ideas with skill gives you power that is well deserved, and this book will help you achieve that easily.

—Katie Calabrese, National Association for
Community College Entrepreneurship

In an era when more time is spent on constant tweeting than on critical thinking, Michael Edmondson provides an important reminder that the path to success won’t be found by staying glued to a device. Strategic Thinking and Writing is a guide for effectively using the one key element needed to gain the upper hand in any challenging situation: your own thought process.

—Ronald Panarotti, Rider University

Dr. Edmondson’s Strategic Thinking and Writing is a fascinating piece of literature that will help you remain focused, motivated, and engaged in the art of critical thinking. This book captures real life success stories and provides magnificent exercises, each designed to help people improve their strategic thinking and writing skills. This book has encouraged me to open up my mind, increase my self-awareness, and continuously strive for clear and efficient thinking.

—Martha Redondo, Princeton Theological Seminary